Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Virginia Green
Hotels & Lodging Facilities

Virginia Green
A Williamsburg White House Bed and Breakfast
Williamsburg, 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.

A Williamsburg White House Bed and Breakfast

A 6 room bed and breakfast located in the historic town of Williamsburg, Va offering wonderful accomodations for historic, romantic or vacation getaways.

We accommodate up to 12 persons in our 6 room inn and felt we could help protect our environment as well as save on energy consumption.

Virginia Green Activities

This facility pledges that they:
Offer optional linen service
- Change linens only upon request 
- Train housekeeping staff on our process for optional linen service  
- Purchase water- and energy-efficient washers and dryers 
- Use non-phosphate, non-toxic and biodegradable laundry detergents 
- Minimize the use of bleach and chlorinated chemicals 
- Use an ozone laundry system that greatly minimizes the need for detergents and saves water 
- Use a service that has environmentally-preferable wet cleaning for dry-clean only items 
- 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 
- Steel cans 
- Newspaper 
- Office paper
Other items recycled by the facility: 
- Printer/ copy machine toner cartridges 
- Cardboard 
- Fluorescent lamps 
- Batteries 
- Electronics equipment such as computers, etc. 

Reduce solid waste
- Track overall solid waste costs 
- Use refillable shampoo bottles rather than single-use bottles 
- Instruct housekeeping staff to save and reuse unopened items 
- Recycle fryer grease 
- Donate excess food from events 
- Have an effective food inventory control system to minimize waste 
- Use disposable foodservice items that are made from recycled content 
- Use non-bleached napkins and coffee filters 
- Provide condiments, cream and sugar, etc. in bulk 
- Use water pitchers to minimize the use of single-use bottles 
- Purchase recycled-content paper-towels and toilet paper 
- Make double-sided photocopies and avoid making extra photocopies 
- Use electronic correspondence and forms when possible 
- Use reused building materials or those from sustainable sources 
- Use latex, low or no-VOC paints 
- Re-use paint thinners 
- Properly recycle and/or dispose of thinners and solvents 
- Perform preventative maintenance on all appliances, HVAC systems, plumbing, and vehicles 
- Minimize use of pesticides and herbicides in landscaping 

Use water efficiently
- Track overall water usage and wastewater costs 
- Perform preventative maintenance to stop drips and leaks 
- Have installed high efficiency dishwashers 
- Have installed low flow faucets and showerheads (use less than 2.5 gallons per minute) 
- Have installed low flow toilets (use 1.6 gallons per flush or less) 
- Have landscaping that utilizes native species 

Conserve energy
- Track overall energy bills 
- Have had an energy audit to identify efficiency opportunities within the past 12 months 
- Have installed ceiling fans 
- Have installed ENERGY STAR-rated windows and doors 
- Have installed a high efficiency HVAC system 
- Use natural lighting (i.e., open draperies and raise shades whenever adequate light from windows is available) 
- Have installed compact fluorescent light bulbs in all rooms and canned lighting 
- Have installed LED Exit Signs 

Offer a green events package
- We do not host conferences or events 

A Williamsburg White House Bed and Breakfast    A Williamsburg White House Bed and Breakfast

For more information on A Williamsburg White House Bed and Breakfast, see www.awilliamsburgwhitehouse.com or contact Deborah Keane at info@awilliamsburgwhitehouse.com or 757-229-8580.

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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