Overview of Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast

Featured in the New York Times, USA Today and ABC News, Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast is located on a 5.5-acre organic farm in Browntown, Wisconsin. One of fewer than a hundred "demonstration homes" for Real Goods, an Energy Star Small Business and Co-op America Green Business Network and Green Routes member, Inn Serendipity serves as a showplace for energy conservation and more sustainable living. The Inn was recognized as one of the "top 10 eco-destinations in North America" by Natural Home and 2004 recipient of the Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Small Business Award.

Inn Serendipity features, among other things, a solar hot water heating system, super energy-efficient Sun Frost refrigerator, Lopi Endeavor woodstove, FSC-certified, sustainably harvested wood in several remodeling projects, and floor tiles used in the bathrooms which are made from recycled auto windshield glass. The Inn derives 100-percent of its energy from renewable energy sources -- mostly from the sun and wind -- making the Inn essentially "fossil fuel" free. The hearty vegetarian breakfasts served to B&B guests feature fruits, vegetables and herbs from the Inn's organic gardens and features locally-made cheeses.

The following offer specific details on some of the many renewable energy and conservation efforts undertaken on the farm, home-based business and homestead:

• 10 kW Wind Turbine System
• .7 kW Photovoltaic (PV) System
• Domestic Solar Hot Water System
• Woodstove Used for Winter Heating
• Conservation and Efficiency Strategies
• Overview of Greenhouse made from Straw Bales
• Detailed Information on Strawbale Greenhouse
• Solar Thermal System for Heating Greenhouse

Due, in part, to the tree re-planting underway on the farm and at the 30-acre Inn Serendipity Woods cabin property in Vernon County as well as the Inn's support of CarbonFund.org and the international tree-planting Trees for Travel program of the non-profit organization, Trees for the Future, the Inn is operating as a carbon negative business and homestead. Planting trees helps sequester carbon dioxide (CO2), the leading contributor to global warming, and serves other important ecological purposes like providing wildlife habitat and erosion control.

Download the articles featuring Inn Serendipity and Rural Renaissance in:

• Mother Earth News, June/July, 2004 The Rural Renaissance: This Earth-friendly couple uses modern technology to create a satisfying, sustainable country home

• Home Power magazine, August, 2004Inn Serendipity: Sustainability as the Bottom Line (requires Adobe PDF Reader for viewing)

• Michigan Today, July, 2004, The Rural Renaissance: Some who've seen Paree are heading back to the farm

• USA Today, March 14, 2006Wisconsin certifying "green" tourism businesses

• Yoga Journal, Sept/Oct 2005, Green Acres: Help renew the environment on your next vacation

• green*light, June 29, 2006, The Ultimate Green Getaway

• A featured story for the non-profit organization, Renewing the Countryside.

Comprehensive Farmstead Overview and Self-guided Booklet
Print out the 20 page booklet, The Good Life Guide: A self-guided tour of Inn Serendipity & the renewable energy systems that make it possible for a more detailed overview of the renewable energy systems employed on the farm.

For more general information about Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast, visit the main website.

Rural Renaissance Book by Innkeepers
Rural Renaissance: Renewing the Quest for the Good Life, by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko, details their quest for the good life, moving from Chicago to a small hobby farm in Wisconsin. It can be ordered through bookstores or for a 30 percent discount off the list price from the on-line store that supports Renewing the Countryside. Your purchase helps support the Rural Renaissance Network program of Renewing the Countryside.