At Hillside House we strive to be environmentally responsible and encourage our guests to join us in protecting our beautiful San Juan Island. 

CONSERVING WATER

Fresh water is our most precious commodity here on San Juan Island.  It is extremely limited and not something we or our guests can take for granted.  We use water-conserving Whirlpool Duet washers and Asko dishwashers as well as low-flow toilets and low-flow 1.5 gpm shower heads.  We removed the three garbage disposals from our kitchen sinks and we have an aerator on every faucet on the property.

We encourage our guests to conserve water through taking shorter showers and using their towels more than once.  We offer  our guests an on-demand hot water dispenser at our snack bar so no water is wasted.  We use linen napkins at all meals as well as china, glass and silver; no disposable service items are used. 

Outdoors we have beautifully landscaped gardens and terraces where we showcase drought tolerant plants.  We have planted many dwarf fruit trees, providing shade, food for birds, and pears, apples and cherries for our guests.  Each of the rainwater downspouts directs water into garden areas so plants benefit.  We sweep our walkways and driveway with a broom, not a hose. 

CONSERVING ENERGY

All our appliances use less electricity and are Energy Star rated.  We use only florescent lighting indoors and out, and outdoor lighting in the parking area is motion-sensor operated.  We use ceiling fans and do not have any air conditioning.  Of course, summer temperatures here on San Juan Island rarely get to 80.

We conserve gas by walking to do nearly all of our errands - post office, grocery store, shops, library, bank and restaurants.  In fact, we average less than 34 miles per month driving our one and only vehicle.

We encourage our guests to consider leaving their car at the Anacortes ferry terminal, walking onto the ferry, and then walking the ten blocks from the Friday Harbor ferry dock to Hillside House.  Once here, guests can then walk, rent bikes, mopeds or scoot cars, or utilize the summer shuttle bus to visit points of interest around San Juan Island.  The shuttle bus is very inexpensive.

REDUCING SOLID WASTE

There is no landfill on San Juan Island.  Every bit of garbage and recycled materials must be barged off the island.  At the San Juan Island Solid Waste and Recycling Center, recycling is FREE while dumping garbage is quite expensive.  We are always very conscientious about recycling every possible item for ourselves and our guests - cardboard, paper, newspaper, magazines, catalogs, mail, plastics, glass, aluminum and other metals.  We also dispose of used florescent bulbs properly. 

To further reduce waste, we use bulk dispensers for all bath amenities, and our cleaning solutions are non-toxic, phosphate-free, biodegradable and concentrated. 

Our commitment to these "green" conservation measures enhances our home and makes excellent business sense as well.  Both we, the owners, and our guests are being environmentally responsible in many ways and protecting our lovely San Juan Island.