Sustainability is an important concept that we have taken seriously all of our life. Our home was built by Don’s grandparents in 1920. We have carefully remodeled to add amenities that guests expect, but we have maintained the small footprint. We added innkeeper quarters in the lower level and a sunroom on the west side of the house. Following are some of the sustainable practices we adhere to: THE BUILDINGS
- wood floors of local hickory, pine, oak and original maple with low VOC water based finish
- new energy efficient windows throughout all buildings
- Rock wool insulation from the 50’s provides high R value insulation in the foursquare house top dressed in the attic
- original cedar and pine siding maintained with paint on all buildings
- Trane Energy efficient furnace and AC in 2001
- scribed log cabins that utilize all of the local log (not milled to perfection) built by a local builder with large overhanging roof and ceiling fans
- recycled the machine shed into the office/lodge/restaurant/pro shop by a local builder
- owners recycled the chicken coop into the Comfort Coop for massages, small meetings and dressing area for brides
- recycled the dairy barn basement into Don’s woodworking shop by owner & “handyman special” guests
- recycled the Granary, an original farm building into guest lodging by local builders
SPORTS
- promote and support human powered sports on our land: hiking, disc golf courses, mountain biking, snowshoeing, snowtubing (without a tow rope) and cross-country skiing
- provide two llamas, two Siberian huskies, a pygmy goat and several cats for companionable recreation for guests and ourselves
THE LAND
- native plant landscaping including vegetables for personal and guest use
- member of a Community Supported Agriculture(CSA) and two Food Coops to provide organically grown food for personal and guest use
- two large silver maples and a huge white pine provide shade around the buildings
- shovel and sweep the snow off walkways (no noisy, gas polluting snow blower or leaf blower)
- feed the birds, maintain barn swallows and bats for insect control
- maintain strip cropping begun in 1970 to prevent erosion on highly erodible land
- no-till plant corn/soybeans 1980-2008 to prevent soil erosion
- selective timber harvest with professional forester to provide homes for wildlife and scenic trails
- support and participate in the purchase of electricity from renewable sources
INKKEPING
- 100% Egyptian cotton 18# towels
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Whirlpool front load washer for low water use with warm wash and cold rinse
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cards offering reuse of sheets and towels
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use of compact florescent light bulbs
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commercial dishwasher completes its cycle in 90 seconds with 2 gallons of water per load
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bulk purchasing of flour, oats, nuts, spices, sunflower seeds, coffee
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private sewage treatment that does not use chemicals
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