Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Virginia Green
Hotels & Lodging Facilities

Virginia Green
Mount Pleasant 1812 Bed & Breakfast
Strasburg, 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.

Mount Pleasant 1812 Bed & Breakfast

We are a Bed & Breakfast with four guest rooms on a working farm. We offer an oasis of natural calm, with locally-grown fare and historical furnishings in our 200-year-old farmhouse.

We are now finishing up our pre-opening facility renovation, and we decided to be "Virginia Green" as soon as we found out about the program because we are already practicing so many of the criteria.

We grow or purchase locally all the food prepared for our guests, and we enjoy telling guests about our energy-efficient home and lifestyle.

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 
- 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 
- Newspaper 
- Cardboard 
- Batteries 

Reduce solid waste
- Instruct housekeeping staff to save and reuse unopened items 
- Compost food waste and other compostables 
- Do not use any disposable containers, dishware, cutlery, or cups 
- Use and compost disposable containers made of compostable material (corn, bamboo, potato starch, sugarcane, etc.) 
- Use cloth napkins 
- Use reusable coffee filters 
- 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 
- 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.) 
- Purchase recycled paper with a high-percentage recycled content 
- 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 

Use water efficiently
- Perform preventative maintenance to stop drips and leaks 
- Use water-flow metering to discover leaks and areas of high use 
- 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 
- Have minimized our lawn area 
- Have installed pervious pavement to reduce storm water runoff 
- Have installed cisterns 
- Have installed rain barrels 
- Use a nutrient management plan that minimizes the use of fertilizers 

Conserve energy
- Track overall energy bills 
- 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 
- 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 installed directional (downward-facing) lighting in parking areas and other outdoor areas 
- 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 

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

Mount Pleasant 1812 Bed & Breakfast    Mount Pleasant 1812 Bed & Breakfast

For more information on Mount Pleasant 1812 Bed & Breakfast, see mtpleasant1812.com or contact Caroline Stalnaker at mtpleasant1812@gmail.com or 540-465-8118.

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.

Virginia Hospitality & Travel Association Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Virginia is for Lovers