Chanterelle Country Inn and Cottages
The Chanterelle Country Inn and Cottages, Ltd, (Inn) situated on a 150 acre estate overlooking the estuary of the North River and St Ann's Harbour in Victoria County Nova Scotia, is a privately-owned corporation providing tourist accommodation on the Cabot trail from May through October. Consisting of an inn with a restaurant and four cottages, it has been in operation since June 2000, employing five people from the immediate area on a seasonal basis. Since its inception, the Inn has been dedicated to providing a green environment for its guests.
Description
The selection of the Inn's location in the pristine area of the North River, motivated management to implement environmentally sound practices in order to minimize the impact on the beauty of the area while providing a viable tourism operation. From the onset, the business objective was to appeal to guests who appreciate the recreational and cultural opportunities of the area, but who are also sensitive to environmental considerations. Creating a green environment where no fossil fuels are consumed on site, was also viewed as a way of differentiating the property from others in Cape Breton.
The original planning of the Inn's main building, built in 2000, was based on energy and waste reduction. An active solar heating system was installed on the roof's south side to provide domestic hot water as well as radiant heat through in-floor space heating. The system consists of 16 thermal solar panels that collect heat from the sun into a glycol solution and two photovoltaic solar panels which power the system's electric pumps used to ciruclate the glycol solution and take it to the basement where the heat exchange between the heated glycol solution and water occurs. There, an elaborate system combining a number of heat exchangers, preheating water storage tanks and electric boilers/furnaces, heats the water used for domestic hot water and the water circulating in the floor for space heating.1
The building was also designed to provide maximum natural fresh air circulation eliminating the need to use air conditioning. To do so an open concept design was employed in the construction with many exits and windows to the outdoors, ceiling fans and a wide-screened veranda with access through two sets of double doors. R20 insulation and argon filled double-paned windows were used in the cottages, making them extremely energy efficient. The inn and the cottages were built with all locally purchased products and local labour, and the interior of the inn was finished with wood "recycled" from the property's old barn. Three of the cottages were rescued from demolition and refurbished using much of the original material. The Inn was furnished primarily with good quality used furniture and often refinished on site. Low flush toilets and low volume shower heads were installed in both the inn and cottages helping to conserve water resources.
Other practices and policies represent an ongoing effort to save energy and water, minimize waste production as well as eliminate the use of pollutants. These include replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs, turning off the lights and appliances when not in use, and keeping the thermostats turned down to 10 oC during the winter months while the Inn is closed. Guests are also encouraged to use bedding and towels for up to three days to save on water, energy and laundry products. Purchasing practices of the Inn are such that they serve to minimize transport and packaging on both the producer and consumer's end (buying in bulk, purchasing unwrapped products such as soap, fruits and vegetables from local producers, avoiding the use of plastic bags for purchasing groceries, etc). Cleaning supplies including laundry and dishwasher soap, general cleaning products, and guest shampoos are organically formulated and purchased from a local manufacturer whenever possible. Paints and finishes containing lower levels of volatile organic compounds were used in the interior of the buildings. As well no pesticides are used on the property allowing dandelions to grow herbicide free and to be used in salad greens and for making jelly; while "Cluster buster" fly traps containing a powder made of exploded eggshells are used to control flies.
Additional attention has been given to minimize energy and food waste in the kitchen and dining area, thanks to the careful planning of baking and creative use of unused food in the Inn's recipes. In addition, no disposable items are used in the dining room. The Inn is committed to informing their guests of green practices through its information booklet entitled, It Ain't All That Hard Bein' Green. As well, the Inn's dining menu includes a food mile indicator used to show how far the food travelled before arriving on their plate.
1 Additional information on Chanterelle solar water heating system can be found at Natural Resources Canada's CanREN website
Benefits
Environmental
The installation of the solar hot water heating system and high efficiency insulation and windows has eliminated the consumption of fossil fuels and potential spills on site and is estimated to save about 25 000 kWh per year which would translate into greenhouse gas emission savings of over 20 tonnes annually. With its unique practice of purchasing locally and limited use of its vehicles with careful planning of trips for shopping, the Inn further contributes to reducing its fossil fuel use, green house gas emissions and energy. Measures to reduce water consumption save an estimated 45 000 litres of water per year and also result in savings in electricity used to power the pump from the well.
Economic
The installation of the solar heating system was expected to save $2600 a year2 with a pay back time of about 10 years; however, as electricity rates increase, further savings are realized by the owners, which translates into a shorter pay back time. Also using ceiling fans combined with the natural airflow instead of air conditioning in the summer is estimated to save about $1000 per year.
In terms of a business sense, the Inn's greatest success has been realized through its environmental policies and practices. The local purchase of ingredients in food preparation for example gives the Inn a distinct competitive advantage for travellers seeking a unique experience and in 2005, while tourism was down by almost 20% in many places in Nova Scotia, the Inn was down by only 8% overall, while the restaurant revenues were up by 32%. Increasingly, guests report that they chose the Inn simply because of its environmental practices and literally thank the owners for providing such an accommodation. In the restaurant, price is always a secondary consideration because guests understand the value of the food and consider it affords them a unique dining experience. Buying ingredients locally not only contributes to the prosperity of local growers and farmers but reduces food costs significantly without compromising the quality. This results in a food cost to sale price ratio of 24-28%, which is 10-12% below the industry average.
2 Taking into account the 25% contribution the owners received from Natural Resources Canada's Renewable Energy Deployment Initiative.
Social
Employees appreciate the health benefits of working in a pollution-free environment and have not experienced any sick days in six seasons. Staff members are also gratified when a guest departs with a new appreciation for the many daily practices one can employ to reduce the impact of humans on the earth. During the construction of the Inn, the use of local labour provided 85 full and part-time jobs for locals.
Recognition
2004: Received a 4 leaf eco-rating under the Audubon Green leaf environmental program
2005: Mobius Environmental Award from the Nova Scotia Resource Recovery Fund Board - Small Business of the Year
2005: Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia - Sustainable Tourism Award
2006: Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Pollution Prevention Award for Micro Business
2006: The owner and chef, Earlene Busch, has been selected to attend the Slow Food Convivium in Turin, Italy, in recognition for her practice of using local food.
Contact Information
Earlene K. Busch
Owner
48678 Cabot Trail
Baddeck, Nova Scotia
B0E 1B0
Phone : (902) 929-2263
Toll Free Phone : 866-277-0577
Fax : (902) 929-2039
E-mail : info@chanterelleinn.com
Website : http://www.chanterelleinn.com/index.html
Date Submited
October 2006
Note: The purpose of this sheet is to give recognition to this specific activity in pollution prevention. Environment Canada does not per se endorse the company.