RICHMOND VA – Oak Grove Plantation Bed & Breakfast in Cluster Springs, Va., has been honored for the second year in a row for its “outstanding green tourism practices.”
Virginia Green Travel, which encourages contributions to the environment by Virginia’s tourism industry, gave one of its 16 Green Travel Leader Awards on Dec. 9 to Pickett Craddock and her historic inn.
“Oak Grove Plantation B&B’s solar installation clearly demonstrates the environmental commitment of its owners and it helps to educate consumers about the viability of such technologies,” said Tom Griffin, Virginia Green Coordinator.
Virginia Green is the state’s voluntary program to encourage green practices in the state’s tourism industry. The program is run through a partnership between the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association.
Besides using solar power, the inn recycles, has a compost pile for vegetable scraps and has installed “low-e” energy-efficient storm windows on the south side. Motorists who arrive in hybrids get a third night free. Also, the inn uses rain barrels to collect water, the inn has a tankless electric hot water heater, and it uses compact fluorescent lighting. Though the B&B has an electric dryer, sheets are dried on an outdoor clothes line.
Ms. Craddock is also a co-sponsor of the Halifax County Solar Cooperative, which is enlisting residents to go solar together and get a discount.