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Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Virginia Green
Hotels & Lodging Facilities

Virginia Green
Flint Hill Country Inn
Flint Hill, 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.

Flint Hill Country Inn

Fine Dining as well as a B&B

January 2012

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 

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 
- Electronics equipment such as computers, etc. 

Reduce solid waste
- Track overall solid waste costs 
- Have a numeric goal to reduce overall materials that go to the landfill 
- Use bulk soap dispensers instead of individual soaps/shampoos in guest rooms 
- 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 
- Compost food waste and other compostables 
- Have an effective food inventory control system to minimize waste 
- Use disposable foodservice items that are made from renewable materials (not petroleum-based) 
- Use disposable foodservice items that are made from recycled content 
- Use disposable foodservice items that are recyclable (in your area!) 
- 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 
- Use bulk soap dispensers in public restrooms 
- Use high-efficiency hand-dryers 
- 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.) 
- Use refillable pens and toner cartridges 
- 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 
- Install carpet with sustainable or recycled content and low-VOC adhesives 
- Properly recycle and/or dispose of thinners and solvents 

Use water efficiently
- Track overall water usage and wastewater costs 
- Have installed low flow toilets (use 1.6 gallons per flush or less) 
- Have installed automatic faucets or toilets in public restrooms 
- Use rain gauges and water meters and only irrigate when necessary 
- Have installed pervious pavement to reduce storm water runoff 
- Have installed cisterns 
- Have installed drip line irrigation 

Conserve energy
- Have had an energy audit to identify efficiency opportunities within the past 12 months 
- Have established a numeric goal to reduce energy usage over time 
- Have individual thermostats for each room; ensure they are correctly adjusted 
- Have installed geothermal heating and cooling 
- Use occupancy sensors to turn on/off lights 
- Have installed compact fluorescent light bulbs in all rooms and canned lighting 
- 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 
- Use alternative fuel, hybrid-electric, or electric vehicles 
- Have installed a solar water heating system 
- Purchase Green Tags or Renewable Energy Certificates to support new renewable energy resources 
- Purchase Green Power from utility 
- Achieved Silver LEED certification during the facility's construction 
- Achieved Platinum LEED certification during the facility's construction 
- Are working to or have achieved LEED-EB (existing building) certification through operational changes and renovations 
- Earned the ENERGY STAR label for our building 

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

Flint Hill Country Inn    Flint Hill Country Inn

For more information on Flint Hill Country Inn, see www.flinthillva.com or contact Alisa Scott at alisa.scott@flinthillva.com or 540-675-1700.

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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