We are so pleased to see Trip Advisor kicking off their GreenLeaders program. This program will provide travelers with a transparent system to find eco-friendly lodging properties. Over 1000 properties have been “certified” earning one of four levels of certification.
Pinehurst Inn once again stands out as a leader in sustainability and eco-friendly practices. We are very proud to have been involved during the planning phases for this program as we assisted in the development of the survey. In the end, our practices have earned us a Platinum status, the highest available.
So why is this important? We are finding that our guests and the travelers coming to Bayfield are truly interested in finding eco-conscious places to stay, to eat and the recreate. This program, and others such as Travel Green Wisconsin, provide a mechanism to find and support such businesses. We applaud Trip Advisor for recognizing this need and stepping up to create an important travel tool.
Living on Lake Superior is an honor. This “inland sea” provides us with an amazing sense of awe. Today, Sunday, July 15th is Lake Superior Day. Lake Superior Day was started in the early 1990s to highlight the importance of this great water body to the basin’s environment and economy. This day of celebration is organized by the Lake Superior Binational Forum:
Clean water is a basic right and necessity for all life. If you live near Lake Superior, you are fortunate to be living near one of the world’s largest lakes. Every day, each of the 600,000 human residents of the Lake Superior basin use water from the lake for drinking, home use, industrial use, or recreation. The lake is also essential for countless fish, birds,animals, and plants.
In Bayfield we are even more cognizant of our efforts, as we are also protecting and impacting the Apostle Islands.
At Pinehurst Inn, we try very hard to recognize our good fortune every day in so many of our operational decision. Whether it is how we design and manage our gardens or our state-of-the art aerobic digester, we try to do what we can to minimize any negative impact on the water. Lots of examples can be listed. But it is just as important to spend time with our guests helping them to understand this grand lake. Certainly encouraging them to “get on the water” is part of our mantra. The other part is to be safe on the water – kayaking with our wonderful outfitters, sailing with experienced captains, and knowing our own limits.
Lake Superior Binational Forum provides wonderful information events and activities around Lake Superior Day. They also provide great information. I was particularly pleased to see this great piece on “10-Ways-to-Protect-the-Lake“. Enjoy!
Yesterday Kristen and I took a trip to Silver Sage Farm to purchase herbs for the Pinehurst Inn gardens. This beautiful farm is located in Port Wing, WI, about 30 minutes from Bayfield. While it is a bit of a trek, it is completely worth it. Owner, Mary Pearson, has her own little piece of paradise. Upon arrival the first thing we noticed was the amazing gardens right outside of Mary’s home. Wine grapes, lettuces, flowers and so much more! The bees and butterflies were very very happy.
This is one of the things about living up here that is hard to explain to those who have been acclimated to the city to the extent that they buy their herbs at the grocery store or a discount store. There is something so much fun about going to the actual farm and talking to the gardener about their plants. They really do treat them like a family. Calling plants sad because they haven’t been transplanted yet. Mary was eager to tour me through her garden to share the different varieties of herbs she has.
We found a beautiful selection of rosemary, thyme, basil, parley, peppers and more. Even a few things we hadn’t heard of. Lemon Basil? Orange Thyme? Mary was a wealth of information and was able to suggest a few different varieties of peppers that will do better in our region. The smells were amazing and we simply can’t wait to get these in the ground so they can flourish and be added to you breakfast when you come to visit us.
Now we just need mother nature to cooperate a bit more and give us the time to get these beautiful plants in the ground before the next thunderstorms roll in.
Finally, one of our favorite parts about visiting Silver Sage Farm that we weren’t expecting were her gorgeous horses greeting us! We couldn’t help but take a few photos!
The early spring provides a great opportunity for golfers to get out onto their favorite courses and begin their golf season in Bayfield, Wisocnsin. Apostle Highlands Golf Course announced their season is starting on March 31st. An early start? Why not!?
Amazing views of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands provide the backdrop to this golfing experience. Many of our Pinehurst Inn guests have commented on the course, with some indicating the views often were distracting to their game! But they hung in there and came away from the 18-hole, par 72 course with a smile on their face.
Apostle Highlands is also another Travel Green Certified Bayfield business – once again, another example of area businesses recognizing how important their business practices are to the long term sustainability of the region.
The clubhouse also provides wonderful spot to relax after your outing on the course. Beautiful setting, amazing views, good people. Come and enjoy some golfing in Bayfield!
One of the best things about running this type of business is having those little snipets of recognition through articles and mentions. This week saw the fruits of an article in Edible Madison written by Jessica Luhning. Jessica and photographer, Jim Klousia stayed here at Pinehurst Inn in Bayfield this past January. They had arranged to come with the hopes of an article that focused on our local foods philosophy along as well as that of Good Thyme Restaurant. We had a great time with these two, and are so pleased to share the resulting article, Authentic Bayfield Peninsula.
As I read this piece for the first time, I kept thinking, “Ah, she got it!” Jessica has been successful in conveying not only our philosophy, but also that of the Bayfield, Wisconsin region. We are a buy local mecca! Over the past few years, we’ve worked hard to source terrific local growers, producers, service providers and more. Whether we are talking eggs or paint, bacon or toilet paper, we consistently work to find either a local entity that produces the product or is able to source it for us. Jessica understood and honored this in the article.
Here is the exciting part of our story. What we are hearing more and more from our guests is that our local foods and purchasing efforts are really one of the features of our business they find the most appealing. So cool — we can enhance their Pinehurst Inn experience by supporting the local economy. Of course along with the good eats come the stories behind the food. The multi-generational work by the Dale family at Highland Valley Farm. The start-up goat cheese produced by a wonderful goat farmer in Cornicopia, Sassy Nanny Cheese. The weekly deliver of eggs from Angel Acres Farm when we hear the trials and tribulations of egg farming. Or Tom Galazen’s North Wind Farm that grows some of the best berries ever – Tom’s our favorite resident hippie living off the grid with an incredible knowledge of farming. This is just a tinny “taste” of our local foods community.
Of course we always invite folks to come on up to Pinehurst Inn, enjoy our breakfast offerings and connected stories, as well at all that this area has to offer. But in the meantime, check out what’s available in your own area. To get you started, check out the Local Harvest website – Farmer’s Markets and CSA’s from all over the country are simply waiting to connect.
We love good press. And we love being associated with like-minded folks who are innovative. Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal business writer ran a piece in Sunday Miilwaukee Journal on a new lodging being built in Delavan, WI. A good piece with exciting information.
Fritz Kreiss and his wife, Catherine McQueen, are about to begin work on building the 19-room Green Leaf Inn in rural Delavan. Their plans are exciting and we wish them well.
And in that same article, Pinehurst Inn is recognized for being a leader in the Travel Green Wisconsin program. Tom points out some of the specific steps we’ve implemented. Every step taken is important, whether offering stainless steel water bottles or using renewable energy. Yet the more important concept is the overall approach – every decision is made with a full analysis of the environmental, the social and the economic impacts. How will this decision affect our natural environment (carbon footprint), how will the decision impact our guests, our employees, our community? How will this decision impact our bottom line? It’s a thought process that becomes second nature.
We strongly encourage our friends and guests to use Travel Green Wisconsin as a resource when traveling in this fine state. Take a look at what many of our peers are doing throughout the state.
A huge congratualtions to Mary Bergin, author of the just released “Sidetracked in the Midwest: A Green Guide for Travelers” (Itchy Cat Press – www.itchycatpress.com).
Pinehurst Inn is so pleased to be one of many wonderful examples of green tourism opportunities. We particularly appreciate this most recent post to her blog, Roads Traveled, which provides a quick peek at a few green efforts and philosophy of our business.
Bergin’s book examines four categories of ecotourism: food and drink, lodging and retreats, nature and wildlife, and the old and the new, including festivals, parks, lodges, tours, farms, museums, nature centers, factories, wilderness areas, and retreats and more. A great must have for those seeking eco-friendly travel opportunities.
Thank you, Mary. And thank you to all the businesses, organizations and individuals who work to make these eco-friendly options available.
From 350.org.: So will you be turning off your lights?
Tonight, all around the world, people will be shutting off their lights at 8:30pm as a part of this year’s Earth Hour celebration (http://earthhour.org/). It’s a great moment to pause and remember that in addition to the community and political organizing we do, committing to real change in our personal lives is important too.
We can start with turning off our lights, and use that moment to think deeply about how we can go “beyond the hour” (this year’s Earth Hour theme) and commit to making other changes in our personal lives – getting out of your car and onto your bike or feet, hanging up your clothes instead of popping them in the dryer, eating food that is locally grown. We know these changes alone won’t get us to 350ppm, but they’re a part of the work we’ll need to do, and as organizers, it’s up to us to set the example of how we can all live happy, healthy, low carbon lives.
10/10/10 – A Global Work Party day organized by 350.org. For those who haven’t heard of 350.org here’s an overview:
350.org is an international campaign that’s building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis—the solutions that science and justice demand.
Our mission is to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis—to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.
This great organization, headed by writer and activist Bill McKibbon, has been spending months encouraging individuals, groups and organizations to create work parties in their own communities focusing on ways to lighten their footprint while putting pressure on local, state, national and international leader to take climate change seriously.
Interested in learning more? There are over 7300 events registered to be taking place today all over the world. 350.org website has tons of information.
At Pinehurst Inn in Bayfield, we consider every day a work day, but today, there will be time spent both making more biodiesel and getting into the native gardens. Baby steps, but very real in our world.
While it is still August, and there are still temps in the 80′s, the time has come to start preparing for Bayfield’s Fall harvest. Several of our neighboring orchards have reported that their early apple varieties are ready for the picking. There are reports of outstanding crops this year. We are all so very fortunate to have such an abundance of local foods in our area, and we are excited to share many of these flavors with our guests.
One of our more popular fall dishes is our Apple Cheddar Muffins, and of course we use apples from one of Bayfield’s many orchards. These muffins go very well both with an omelet at breakfast or with chicken or pork as a side dish.
We encourage you to take advantage of this wonderful time of year in Bayfield by taking advantage of the different fall promotions happening both at Pinehurst Inn, but throughout Bayfield. We are happy to be participating in the Bayfield Fall Harvest Lodging package. If you book 3 nights (Sun.-Thursday), you will receive 25% off of your third night AND a $25 Bayfield Gift Certificate good at any Bayfield Chamber member business.
So, while you enjoy your Labor Day holiday this weekend, don’t forget to make your fall plans and be sure to include Bayfield and the Pinehurst Inn.
While it is still August, and there are still temps in the 80′s, the time has come to start preparing for Bayfield’s Fall harvest. Several of our neighboring orchards have reported that their early apple varieties are ready for the picking. There are reports of outstanding crops this year. We are all so very fortunate to have such an abundance of local foods in our area, and we are excited to share many of these flavors with our guests.