Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Virginia Green
Hotels & Lodging Facilities

Virginia Green
Mansion on Main (Bed & Breakfast)
Smithfield, 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.

Mansion on Main (Bed & Breakfast)

Enjoy being in the heart of Smithfield, Virginia's quaint Historic District-- a tourist's and vacationer's delight-- 1 tank of gas to the Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown or to the Virginia Beach Ocean. More than your usual vacation, business, or event rental: Lodging ~ Meetings ~ Parties ~ Weddings ~ Upscale lodging for up to 12 individuals at vacation or business rates ~ Wireless high-speed Internet broadcast, extended cable channels, central heating and air conditioning ~ Elegant parties for up to 70 persons ~ Families with well supervised children are welcome! Visit the showplace home of a Victorian era "Virginian of Virginians"-- restored by Sala Clark-- whose 1889 "urban" Queen Ann style mansion changed the landscape of Smithfield (colonial and cottage), and whose efforts helped to save a nearby National Landmark, the 1632 St. Luke's Church.

Green means business! We have already become environmentally conscious and taking steps do our part in preserving our resources and the health of our air, water, and energy. Glad to do this in a more methodical and formalized manner.

Grow own fruit on property-- organic, without use of pesticides: berries, figs, crabapples, and tomatoes. Herbs grown organically in garden. Feed birds, squirrels, racoons, possums, and stray cats that visit or inhabit the grounds.

Virginia Green Activities

This facility pledges that they:
Offer optional linen service
- Have signage in each guest room explaining the linen reuse procedures 
- Change linens only upon request 
- Train housekeeping staff on our process for optional linen service  
- Track optional linen participation rate 
- Purchase water- and energy-efficient washers and dryers 
- Minimize the use of bleach and chlorinated chemicals 
- Line dry linens whenever possible 

Recycle
- Have in place clearly marked recycling bins or provide convenient drop-off locations for guests to recycle: 
- Glass Bottles 
- Plastic Bottles 
- Aluminum cans 
- Newspaper 
- Office paper
Other items recycled by the facility: 
- Printer/ copy machine toner cartridges 
- Cardboard 
- Other Activities: Use rechargable batteries when able

Reduce solid waste
- Instruct housekeeping staff to save and reuse unopened items 
- Donate excess food from events 
- Compost food waste and other compostables 
- Use disposable foodservice items that are made from recycled content 
- Use disposable foodservice items that are recyclable (in your area!) 
- Use cloth napkins 
- Provide condiments, cream and sugar, etc. in bulk 
- Use water pitchers to minimize the use of single-use bottles 
- Use bulk soap dispensers in public restrooms 
- Remove facility and staff names from junk mail lists when possible 
- Reuse scrap paper for notes 
- Reuse or donate shipping and packing supplies (peanuts, bubble wrap, etc.) 
- Make double-sided photocopies and avoid making extra photocopies 
- Use electronic correspondence and forms when possible 
- Use green cleaning products that are dispensed in bulk 
- Use reused building materials or those from sustainable sources 
- Perform preventative maintenance on all appliances, HVAC systems, plumbing, and vehicles 
- Minimize use of pesticides and herbicides in landscaping 
- Other Activities: Cotton towels provided to dry hands in bath rooms

Use water efficiently
- Track overall water usage and wastewater costs 
- Perform preventative maintenance to stop drips and leaks 
- Have landscaping that utilizes native species 
- Have installed cisterns 
- Have installed rain barrels 
- Other Activities: attempting use of existing buried cistern, increasing number of rain barrels used

Conserve energy
- Track overall energy bills 
- 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 
- Use natural lighting (i.e., open draperies and raise shades whenever adequate light from windows is available) 
- Have adopted a policy/practice to turn off lights in unoccupied rooms 
- Use ENERGY STAR qualified appliances (commercial kitchens, heating and cooling, consumer electronics) 
- 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 
- Other Activities: Replacing most regular / standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones

Offer a green events package
- Include the availability of "green meetings/conferences" in marketing packages (see the factsheet on Environmentally-Responsible Conferences & Events) 

Mansion on Main (Bed & Breakfast)    Mansion on Main (Bed & Breakfast)

For more information on Mansion on Main (Bed & Breakfast), see www.mansion-on-main.net or contact Betty Clark or Dawn Riddle at mansion-on-main@charter.net or 757-357-0006.

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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