Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Virginia Green
Historic Sites

Virginia Green
Bacon's Castle
Surry, VA

Virginia Green is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s campaign to promote environmentally-friendly practices in all aspects of Virginia’s tourism industry. Virginia Green has established "core activities" specific to each sector of tourism, and these practices are considered the required minimum for participation in the program. However, Virginia Green encourages its participants to reduce their environmental impacts in all aspects of their operations, and this profile provides a full list of all their “green” activities. These are the activities that guests / customers can expect to find when they visit this facility.

Bacon's Castle

Bacon’s Castle is the only surviving example of High Jacobean architecture in North America and the oldest, surviving, documented brick dwelling in Virginia. The Site operates as a house museum & historic site open for general visitation and private group tours. Preservation Virginia’s Bacon’s Castle educates the public on the value of sustainable business practices and incorporates green principles in all we do.

Bacon’s Castle is committed to pollution prevention and look forward to joining Virginia Green attractions. Preservation Virginia's ongoing commitment to historic preservation is consistent with the best practices of protecting environmental resources. Both historic and natural resources are finite and important to preserve for future generations. Bacon's Castle hopes that other stewards of historic preservation resources will join Virginia Green attractions as responsible businesses and encourage others to protect our shared ecosystems.

Bacon’s Castle uses two well water systems to provide potable drinking water and garden irrigation. Morning and as-needed garden irrigation practices are employed to help conserve water consumption. Water consumed at Bacon’s Castle does not enter into any storm drains or other drainage areas and is recycled on-site. The main house employs a French drain that leaches hard surface rain water into the water table for recycling.

Virginia Green Activities

This facility pledges that they:
Recycle.
- Glass bottles 
- Cardboard 
- Plastic bottles 
- Aluminum cans 
- Office paper 
- Printer/copy machine toner cartridges 
- Electronics equipment - computers, etc. (may be required law) 

Minimize the use of disposable food service products.
- Use disposable food service items that are made with recycled content 

Reduce solid waste.
- Track overall solid waste costs (required for Virginia Green) 
- Recycle fryer grease 
- Use bulk soap dispensers in public restrooms 
- Purchase recycled-content paper-towels and toilet paper
Office 
- Reuse scrap paper for notes 
- Use refillable pens and toner cartridges 
- Purchase recycled paper with a high-percentage recycled content 
- Use electronic correspondence and forms when possible
Buildings and grounds 
- Use green cleaning products that are dispensed in bulkUse green cleaning products that are dispensed in bulk 
- Use reused building materials or those from sustainable sources 
- Re-use paint thinners 
- Properly recycle and/or dispose of thinners and solvents (required by law) 
- Minimize use of pesticides and herbicides in landscaping 

Use water efficiently.
- Track overall water usage and wastewater costs (required for Virginia Green) 
- Have an effective landscape management plan that includes one or more of the following:  
- Utilizes native species 

Conserve energy.
- Track overall energy bills (required for Virginia Green) 
- Regularly perform preventative maintenance on HVAC system 
- Have installed a high efficiency HVAC system 
- Keep office doors and windows closed if HVAC system is on 
- Have installed geothermal heating and cooling
Lighting 
- Use natural lighting
Source of energy 
- Have adopted a policy/practice to turn off lights in unoccupied rooms 
- Have installed high efficiency fluorescent ballasts and lamps (T-5 and T-8)  
- Have installed compact fluorescent light bulbs in all rooms and canned lighting  
- Have adopted a policy/practice to minimize the use of lighting during night cleaning
Appliances and electronic devices 
- Use ENERGY STAR qualified appliances (commercial kitchens, heating and cooling, consumer electronics)  
- Use ENERGY STAR qualified office equipment (computers, monitors, copiers, printers, etc.)  
- Have adopted a policy/practice to turn off fans, computers, monitors and other devices in unoccupied rooms at the end of the workday or when otherwise not being used 

Bacon's Castle    Bacon's Castle

For more information on Bacon's Castle, see www.preservationvirginia.org/baconscastle or contact Todd Ballance at tballance@preservationvirginia.org or 757-357-5976.

For more information on the Virginia Green program, see www.deq.state.va.us/Programs/PollutionPrevention/VirginiaGreen.aspx.

Virginia GreenVirginia Green is a partnership supported by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Hospitality & Tourism Association, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

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