We are trying our best to be an environmentally-friendly establishment, caring for the environment and, at the same time, your well-being.

A recent 5-year EPA study found the concentration of 20 toxic compounds to be as much as 200 times higher inside homes than outdoors. (Green Seal's Choose Green Report, March 1998). We want to reduce those toxic compounds in our B&B so that exposure to them is minimised. We've decided to use safe personal care and cleaning products, free from harmful chemicals and have searched out the best products we could find.

Being green certainly doesn’t mean compromising on elegance or luxury, though. We pamper you with the finest of foods and toiletries.

TOILETRIES

By offering you toiletries in dispensers in the bathrooms, we can avoid lots of cartons and wrappers ending up in landfill. In this way we can spoil you with the very best organic products from Nature’s Gate, the healthiest option for your wellbeing and for the planet.

These products are botanically based, ecologically safe, environmentally friendly and cruelty-free. None of the Nature’s Gate products are tested on animals, nor do they contain animal ingredients or animal byproducts.

The products are biodegradable and packaged in recyclable contains and/or made out of recycled materials.

We offer you…

Nature’s Gate Organic Lavender & Aloe Liquid Soap
Nature’s Gate Organic Lemongrass & Clary Sage Volumizing Shampoo
Nature’s Gate Organic Cucumber & Mint Body Wash
Nature’s Gate Organic Lavender & Aloe Lotion with Vitamin E
Nature’s Gate Organic Chamomile & Lemon Verbena Moisturizing Conditioner

If you have allergies to perfumed products (albeit natural botanicals), we also provide, for your comfort, Gourmet Rose unscented product in each room. This liquid glycerine soap is suitable for use as a handwash, bodywash and shampoo.

Gourmet Rose liquid glycerine soap is 100% natural with no sulfates, colours, alcohol, dyes, perfumes, scents, detergents or surfactants. It is vegan, hypo-allergenic and biodegradable. It contains: Saponified Oils of Coconut & Olive, Oleic Acid, Glycerin, & Purified Water.

In addition to this range of toiletries we also offer you a welcome pack of amenities including vanity kit, shower cap, sewing kit, shoe mitt. These amenities are recyclable and/or compostible. To add to your relaxation during your stay we offer you complimentary spa slippers. These are washable, so please do feel free to take them home with you and continue to use them there.

LAUNDRY

We wash in cold water using phosphate-free, perfume-free, enzyme-free and dye-free, biodegradable laundry liquid. It comes in a recyclable container.

We remove the need for softener by adding chemical-free, hypoallergenic “Ecoballs” to the wash. They are said to produce ionized oxygen that activates the water molecules naturally and allows them to penetrate deep into clothing fibres to lift dirt away and also to be antibacterial. Sandra has been using Ecoballs for about three years now, and for our own washing we often use ecoballs alone without any detergent. For the B&B laundry, however, we use a combination of the two.

We have a towel re-use and sheet re-use policy which reduces detergent and energy use.

We've recently bought a spin-dryer which removes a huge amount of water from the laundry before it goes into the dryer. It reduces drying time by over 30 minutes and for many fabrics, they are almost dry and can be finished without the use of the tumble dryer

CLEANING

We use products which are safe for you and for the environment. At the same time, we can assure you that these products work efficiently to ensure hygiene.

For the toilet (bowl cleaner) we use 'Nature Clean' toilet bowl cleaner, which is non-toxic, biodegradeable, septic & grey water safe. It contains no hydrochloric acid, phosphates, harmful clays or dyes. The natural disinfectants in this product are thyme oil and tea tree oil. It is not tested on animals and contains no animal ingredients and is packed in a recyclable container. For the seat and toilet we use 'Nature Clean' all natural household disinfectant which kills 99.99% of germs, mould and mildew. Using aromatherapeutic plant extracts it is proven to kill salmonella, staphylococcus, pseudomonas and other bacteria and atheletes foot fungus. Even though this product is a powerful disinfectant, it contains no perfumes, dyes, ammonia or chlorine. The active ingredient is thymol and the product is biodegradable, not tested on animals and contains no animal products.

For the Kitchen & Bath we use 'Nature Clean’ All Natural spray cleaner. It's hypoallergenic, non-toxic, no bleaches, perfumes, dyes, phosphates, animal products or suspected carcinogens. Botanically derived from a blend of natural soaps and essential oils. A cruelty-free product, made in Canada in a recyclable container.

For the kitchen we must meet the regulations set by the Provincial Environmental Health Department which are put in place for your protection to ensure food safety and hygiene. They require disinfection of surfaces and utensils with a solution of household bleach (1 tsp in 1 litre water, which is a weak solution but very effective against germs) and is made up on the premises to ensure no additives or dyes are added.

For dishwashing, we use ‘Nature Clean’ All Natural liquid. Hypoallergenic and unscented. No dyes, perfumes, phosphates or suspected carcinogens. Septic tank safe, free of sodium lauryl (laureth) sulphate or DEA. Biodegradable & not tested on animals, made in Canada in a recyclable container.

For the windows we use 'Nature Clean' ammonia-free glass and window cleaner which is hypoallergenic and non-toxic. The Natural astringent and antiseptic property of the cleaner comes from witch hazel wildflower and there are no harmful phosphates or enzymes. Again, the product is not tested on animals, contains no animal ingredients and is packaged in a recyclable container.

For more information on the Nature Clean range, visit www.franktross.com

TO CONSERVE WATER

We have a towel and sheet re-use program
Xeric Landscaping
Timed soaker hose watering system for polytunnel

IF YOU SUFFER FROM ALLERGIES

We use environmentally-friendly cleaning & Laundry products
We have a plug-in air purification system available for your room on request - it's an electrostatic ionic purifier which reduces airborne pollutants such as dust and allergens
No Pot Pourri or room deodorizers
Hypo allergenic mattress and pillow covers with frequent laundering
No smoking
No pets
We have our own well, so there is no chlorine in water
For sanitization we use a low concentration bleach mixture made on the premises to avoid additives when sanitizing
HEPA filters in vacuum cleaners help maintain quality air indoors

ENERGY

We have three panels so far for Solar Power
We are heated by wood (a renewable energy source)
We are currently installing a Solar Hot water System
We are retrofitting for Passive Solar, including increasing the amount of glazing on the south-facing side of the house and using reflectors to gain maximum solar energy in the winter
We have retrofitted for EcoEnergy savings, e.g. insulation, lagging pipes, energy-saving mechanisms, compact flourescent light bulbs, LED light bulbs
We are gradually replacing our appliances with Energy Star Appliances
We have replaced many of the windows with Energy Star rated windows

COMPOSTING

By composting non-protein food scraps and incorporating the resulting loam into the land, the soil is nourished and moisture retention improved. Composting lightens the load on the landfills.

PERMACULTURE

To read more about Permaculture at the Romany Rest B&B click on permaculture

TISSUE AND PAPER PRODUCTS

We buy recycled computer paper
We provide recycled toilet tissue and kitchen towels which is made mainly from recycled office paper which would normally have ended up in landfill. There is no chlorine bleach used in the manufacture of these tissues.

Did you know?

If each household in Canada replaced one box of virgin fibre facial tissue with a box of tissue made from 100% recycled fibre, we could save:
o 11,654 trees
o 853 cubic metres (1100 cubic yards) of landfill space equal to 48 garbage trucks
o 15.9 million litres (4.2 million gallons) of water, or a year’s supply for 32 families of four - http://kleercut.net/en/book/print/8

RECYCLING

We now have a bin in each room for the recycling of plastic, glass, paper
The province of Prince Edward Island has a fantastic recycling scheme where we are able to ensure that the majority of our garbage can be recycled

ECO-FRIENDLY FOOD

Wherever possible we aim to serve food which is locally produced and organic. Sometimes it is not possible to get both, but you can rely on us to source the healthiest and most environmentally-friendly food we can obtain. In the case of tea and coffee we aim to serve organic and fairly-traded products.

Local food supports the local economy and reduces 'food miles', i.e. the distance food must travel before it reaches the consumer. This lessens our dependence on oil, reduces air pollution, and decreases wear and tear on the roads. Locally grown and shipped food has reduced packaging, reducing landfill.

We produce some of our food ourselves and are committed to growing organically and are in the process of applying for organic certification. We have recently applied to become members of the Maritime Certified Organic Growers Co-op Ltd. Other items are purchased locally from organic growers or from the Farmer's Market in Charlottetown.

Well, those are some of the ways in which we are trying to be green. We are improving all the time, so hope to report back on some new measures very soon.