Glynwood is committed to minimizing our carbon footprint and incorporating responsible environmental practices in all aspects of Glynwood Center’s operation.

Glynwood Center is comprised of older buildings, so some of the most important energy-saving work is the least visible. For example, we are well along in a process of replacing old boilers with new ones that are at least 33 per cent more efficient. We are also working on windows, re-insulating some, replacing others with windows chosen for their high insulation factor. All replacement appliances have Energy Star ratings. Energy audits are currently underway on all of our buildings.

Meanwhile, we are exploring the opportunity of using a geothermal system to heat and cool our major buildings, which will substantially reduce both oil and electricity reliance. Glynwood’s new barn and animal shelter will be sided with wood from the region and rainwater will be harvested from its roof and fed to the expanded garden through a solar powered system.

Our farm and garden operations also use and demonstrate energy-efficient techniques. For example, installation of an underbed heating system in our “radiant greenhouse” reduced propane use by more than 80%. In the garden, standard tractors are being replaced by a reconditioned solar-powered electric tractor from the 1970s and, in true farming tradition, our own reliable draft horse Maggie. Whenever possible, the farm and garden staff scoot around the site in electric golf carts, instead of gas-powered trucks.

Dinners and special events at Glynwood have long featured food from the region and our own gardens. Our inn-keeping staff encourages guests to minimize towel use and has taken steps to reduce the use of linen that requires bleaching and laundering. In addition, green cleaning products are used in all accommodations, meeting rooms and offices, and we adhere to a facility-wide recycling program. Instead of providing guests with individual plastic water bottles, we now leave carafes for water in all the Inn rooms and ask guests to refill their own reusable water containers before a nature walk or to have at meetings.