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Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Virginia Green
Hotels & Lodging Facilities

Virginia Green
Hopkins Ordinary Bed and Breakfast
Sperryville, 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.

Hopkins Ordinary Bed and Breakfast

We are an historic Bed and Breakfast Inn located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We joined Virginia Green because we believe in helping to preserve our environment.

We grow most of our own food. What we can't produce ourselves, we try to purchase from local farms.

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  
- 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 
- Fluorescent lamps 
- Batteries 
- Electronics equipment such as computers, etc. 

Reduce solid waste
- Use refillable shampoo bottles rather than single-use bottles 
- Instruct housekeeping staff to save and reuse unopened items 
- Compost food waste and other compostables 
- Have an effective food inventory control system to minimize waste 
- Do not use any disposable containers, dishware, cutlery, or cups 
- 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 
- 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 
- Use integrated pest management (IPM) 
- 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 
- Have minimized our lawn area 
- Have installed rain gardens to manage storm water 
- Have installed pervious pavement to reduce storm water runoff 
- Have minimized impervious areas (paving, concrete, etc.) 
- Have installed drip line irrigation 
- Maintain vegetative buffers around streams and ponds 
- Use a nutrient management plan that minimizes the use of fertilizers 

Conserve energy
- Track overall energy bills 
- Have established a numeric goal to reduce energy usage over time 
- Have individual thermostats for each room; ensure they are correctly adjusted 
- Have installed ceiling fans 
- Have installed ENERGY STAR-rated windows and doors 
- 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 
- 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 
- 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 
- Have installed a solar water heating system 

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

Hopkins Ordinary Bed and Breakfast    Hopkins Ordinary Bed and Breakfast

For more information on Hopkins Ordinary Bed and Breakfast, see www.hopkinsordinary.com or contact Kevin Kraditor at innkeeper@hopkinsordinary.com or 540-987-3383.

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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