Looking for ways to tread lightly on the earth when you travel? Try green-certified independent inns to start, and then ask the innkeepers for recommendations on locally owned shops and restaurants. Spring always seems like the ideal time to talk about eco-lodging, what with Mother Nature waking from winter slumber, delicate plants and edibles poking through the once ice-crackled earth, and travelers eager to inhale the fresh air and exhale wind-chill hangovers.     Here in Wisconsin, we have a voluntary certification program called “Travel Green Wisconsin,” and we’re proud to say the Wisconsin B&B Association was a pioneer in this movement to promote eco-friendly travel. Among the many inns that are certified are Lake Ripley Lodge B&B in Cambridge with their new rain gardens boasting Native Wisconsin wildflowers, and Crystal River Inn in Waupaca, who serve food from their garden, harvest local wild fruit, and make all their jellies and jams. [caption id="attachment_2315" align="alignleft" width="260"] Lake Ripley Lodge B&B[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2316" align="alignright" width="263"] View from Crystal River Inn[/caption]                 Going above and beyond what Travel Green Wisconsin requires are Pinehurst Inn B&B in Bayfield, which was named one of the “Top 10 Eco-friendly Inns” by BedandBreakfast.com and received the 2014 Wisconsin Governor’s Stewardship Award, and Artha Sustainable Living Center in Amherst, where guests appreciate local, organic food and are welcome to attend the yoga studio’s weekly classes. You can find a more complete list of travel green certified inns on our website. [caption id="attachment_1394" align="alignleft" width="300"] Pinehurst Inn[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1395" align="alignright" width="268"] Artha Sustainable Living Center[/caption]                 But the Wisconsin B&B Association’s commitment to the environment doesn’t stop there. We’re also proponents of “conscious travel,” with innkeepers always happy to suggest ideas for shopping local, dining at locally owned restaurants, and visiting attractions that preserve the history and culture of the community. We’re all in this together!

Are you ready to Seek the Unique?

Congratulations to Steve and Nancy Sandstrom of Pinehurst Inn!  This past Monday at the Wisconsin Governor's Conference on Tourism held in Lake Geneva, Pinehurst Inn of Bayfield was awarded the Governor's Tourism Stewardship Award! "Pinehurst Inn is an 8 room B&B on Lake Superior, offering a magnificent natural environment that is enjoyed by visitors year round.  Pinehurst has a mission to be a premier eco-lodging facility, providing the highest level of green lodging hospitality and guest experience while preserving and promoting the unique historical and environmentally sensitive nature of the property and area. Pinehurst is committed to sustainability in all practices, serves as a model for other tourism businesses, and is a leader in the Wisconsin Travel Green Program.  A few of the sustainable initiatives Pinehurst practices includes using solar panels, organic and/or locally grown food, composting of all food and garden waste, providing guests with reusable stainless steel water bottles, and offering workshops and seminars to other business owners to learn about sustainable business.  The 'bottom line' at Pinehurst is a triple bottom-line, not only measuring business success with financial capital, but natural and social capital as well." [caption id="attachment_1426" align="aligncenter" width="133"] Pinehurst Inn Stewardship Award[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1427" align="aligncenter" width="158"] Wisconsin Governor's Conference on Tourism March 3, 2014[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1428" align="aligncenter" width="161"] Congratulations Steve and Nancy at the Pinehurst Inn![/caption]