​Water

• Filtered drinking water dispenser with available reusable water bottles

  • We have our own well on-site, which produces clean, non-chlorinated water which fully meets our needs and those of our guests. During your stay, you will never need to purchase bottled water (and their throwaway containers)!

• Low flow toilets

  • Low flow toilets use half the volume of water compared to modern conventional toilets.

• Drip irrigation system

  • Our planted shrubs are acclimated to the high desert environment, and therefore require water. Most of our 4.5 acres are ‘native’ and require no water at all!.

• Lawn care

  • Beautiful, green grass is an amenity we offer, but you may now know that we reduced the footprint of our grass by 60%, thereby cutting our watering by half. In addition, we mulch our grass, thereby nearly eliminating the introduction of soil amendments such as fertilizer.

• No daily room cleaning service

  • This cuts down on chemical cleansing agents, electricity used in vacuuming, and the washing of bed linens.

• Natural cleaning products

  • No harsh chemicals are introduced into our septic system … or onto your skin!

Land

• Recycling

  • We recycle glass, paper and plastic … and encourage our guests to help us by placing their recyclables into in-room bins.

• Composting

  • We compost non-animal kitchen food wastes, and apply the composted material to our trees and shrubs.

• Weed management

  • You may spot us pulling, by hand, weeds that invade our landscaped areas. We apply herbicides in limited amounts, and only in cases where manual removal does not work.

• Local produce when available

  • The Verde Valley has been farmed for millennia. While we do offer some ‘exotic’ foods to our guests, most of our produce is locally sourced … including some from our neighbor’s garden and even mesquite flour from our own trees.

• Dispensers for soap, shampoo, conditioner and lotion

  • The elimination of small-volume, throw-away bottles reduces the volume of recyclables and/or rubbish entering our landfills.

• Electronic locks

  • No lost keys or plastic key cards to replace!

Power

• Passive Solar design

  • Our home has exterior walls which are 16” thick, incorporating multiple layers of insulation. Our south-facing windows are inset so as to reduce the heat entering our home in summer while letting sunlight warm our home’s interior in winter. Windows on the east and west sides of our home are small, to allow some natural lighting while minimizing solar heat gain or loss.

• Solar electricity

  • Our system of 32 photovoltaic panels – installed on our rooftop – can generate more than 15,000 kWh of electricity annually … enough to cover most of our home’s electricity needs.

• Energy efficient lighting

  • We use LED lights in almost every light socket, which not only significantly reduces the cost to produce light but also nearly eliminates the heat generated.

• Moderate air temperatures

  • While some of our guests prefer their rooms to be cool in summer and warm in winter, we seasonally adjust our thermostats to minimize cooling or heating in the main areas of our home. We also take advantage of cooling or warming breezes to naturally adjust interior temperatures. The air system in each guest room is separated from the main house, which means any temperature adjustments made by our guests within their own room does not directly impact any of the rest of the house.