5 Easy Ways to Go Green

1. Energy-Saving Light Bulbs

The emission of carbon dioxide gas is the primary cause of global warming and climate change, and carbon dioxide is the primary waste product of traditional, non-energy efficient light bulbs. Energy-efficient light bulbs, however, use around five times less electricity than standard bulbs, and their carbon emission levels are significantly lower.

Nowadays, you can buy these energy-saving light bulbs for exactly the same price as traditional ones. Making the environmentally-friendly light bulb switch, then, is a great move to make. For no extra cost, energy-saving light bulbs will see you make savings on your electricity bill whilst earning kudos from your eco-friendly guests.

2. Organic Soap

As you will know, any B&B worth its salt provides its guests with complimentary essential toiletries such as soap. Did you know, though, that the average bar of soap is full of harmful chemicals? After they have been washed down the plughole, these chemicals will enter the ecosystem and can potentially cause great harm to wildlife and the environment.

Naturally produced organic soaps which are free from such harmful chemicals are widely available. Providing your guests with such eco-friendly soap is a great move to make and will really make your B&B stand out from the crowd. Your B&B’s very own organic soap would be an even nicer touch, so you may like to try your hand at making your own!

3. Vegan breakfast options

Recent research has revealed that the production of any kind of food sourced from animals (e.g. meat, eggs, and cheese) is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. This is because animals – cows especially – produce high amounts of the greenhouse gas methane as they feed. Furthermore, the regular transportation of animals reared for meat by car also results in an increase in car pollution and carbon emissions.

An increasing number of people are aware of this fact. As a result, more and more people are going vegan, which essentially means they eat a diet which totally excludes all animal products, including egg and cheese.

Obviously, breakfast is one of the two key products which B&Bs offer for their guests; but while all good B&Bs cater for vegetarians, offering an eco-friendly vegan breakfast is still quite rare. Boasting one on your menu, therefore, is a sure-fire way to get more green points. Making a tasty vegan breakfast is quicker and easier than you’d think – check out this webpage for some great suggestions.

4. Use Local Produce

Another straightforward way to earn green points is to cook with a lot of locally sourced ingredients. Shopping locally will cut down on food transportation miles and will therefore reduce carbon emissions.

Using local ingredients can also be a great selling point. Guests staying at your B&B have come to sample the delights of all that your town has to offer, and this desire will also apply to food. Indeed, you can be sure that a menu listing “Hash Browns – made from the finest crop of potatoes grown right here in town” will whet a great deal more appetites than just boring old “Hash Browns.”

5. Grow Your Own Fruit & Veg

Using home grown ingredients as and where you can is even better than buying locally sourced produce. Since growing your own ingredients means that you will not have to travel to your local shops as often, you’ll also inadvertently reduce your carbon footprint and enhance your eco-friendly reputation even further!

Images from Flickr users suzettesuzette and Caveman Chuck Coker

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Category: Practical Tips, Running a B&B