Environmental PolicyThe Story Inn is committed to protecting the environment. We have implemented a sensible recycling program and strive to conserve energy wherever possible. We are confronted by many challenges unique to managing a small historic town as a business, and do all that is practical and within our power. SOLID WASTE. Brown County has no municipal waste collection or disposal system or landfill. This has forced us to deal creatively with the solid waste we produce. The Story Inn generates a good deal of solid waste, principally: food waste, glass, metal, paper and packaging, and ward waste. We also occasionally must deal with the disposal of paints, solvents and appliances.
ENERGY AND WATER CONSERVATION. Our corner of Brown County has no natural gas service, which forces us to heat and cool most of our buildings with electricity. That is extremely expensive. Moreover, most of our buildings are very old and poorly insulated. Market forces therefore compel us to conserve. 1. Propane. We have converted the two main buildings in town, the General Store and Mill, to propane heat. We have installed new ultra high efficiency furnaces in each of these buildings (up to 94% efficiency). In May, 2006, we installed two high efficiency in-line water heaters in the main building, which work in tandem, supplying the restaurant and kitchen with unlimited hot water on demand, in the most efficient manner possible. 2. Electricity. We have eliminated inefficient base board heating in the remaining buildings, and replaced them with ultra high efficiency heat exchangers (which work equally well for heating and cooling). We also set back thermostats in buildings which are not occupied. We have packed extra insulation around our hot tubs and hot water heaters, and wherever feasible, replaced single pane windows with thermal windows and pack insulation behind walls and into attics. In renovating the town, we have had to replace many roofs. When we replace a roof, we employ metal that is both compatible with the history of the structure and aesthetically pleasing. However, we insulate under the metal, which reduces energy consumption. All of the 19th Century lampposts around town have high efficiency light bulbs, their bizarre shape not visible through the frosted globes. All kitchen and storage areas have high efficiency bulbs. We replace filters in furnaces and air exchangers frequently, to reduce energy consumption. Most of our outside lights are activated by photo cells, to reduce energy consumption. 3. Water. We carefully monitor water consumption to identify and fix breaks as soon as they occur. We also watch for running toilets and faucets, since this wastes water and burdens our septic system as well. We never water the grass. We have replaced our dish tank with one which employs higher pressure but uses less water. This conserves water and energy, and places a smaller load on our septic system. We soften the hot water which services the kitchen, employing an efficient softener which conserves salt. WASTE WATER DISPOSAL. We have decommissioned two septic systems and installed two complete new septic systems since 1999, one of which was licensed by the State, the other by the County, Health Departments. These systems treat effluent as effectively as their designs permit. In May, 2006, the Brown County Health Department certified all septic systems to be in working order. If our neighbor fulfills his plans to build a private waste water treatment plant next door, then we intend to decommission our septic systems and hook into his advanced treatment system at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, we will continue to maintain our septic systems by periodically pumping out solids (pumped and transported by a licensed hauler) and by periodically treating the holding tanks with granulated bacteria, to speed the decomposition of solids. Our kitchen is the largest source of effluent, and among the sources in the kitchen, the dish tank accounts for greatest portion. We have installed a 1,000 gallon grease trap specifically to catch the dish tank effluent, which allows the separation and early biodegradation of solids (grease and food particles). From there, the dish tank effluent drains into a system of three other tanks before it is pumped into the leach field. Two of our septic systems have dosing chambers to even the flow throughout the week. This effectively prevents the systems from becoming overwhelmed during peak times (weekends). We have reduced the amount of detergents and chemicals reaching the septic fields by softening the hot water flowing into the dish tank and employing a system which doses the detergents and cleaners automatically. In 2007, we installed a new water softening system that uses salt very sparingly. PUBLIC EVENTS. We occasionally have public events here at the Story Inn. In the case of large public events, we place trash receptacles around the property, and send out employees or volunteers to clean up trash within hours of the conclusion of each event. We sometimes ask our patrons to separate and recycle the trash for us. We dispose of that trash through a local trash collector. With large events, we also provide portable toilets for use by the public. We rent these from an outside service, which disposes of the waste. In this manner, we reduce the load on our septic systems. GARDEN. We maintain two gardens and a small vineyard onsite, which supply us with fruits and vegetables in season. We pride ourselves in having heirloom tomatoes. We do not use any pesticides on these gardens, and use only vegetable compost and grass clippings as fertilizer. We buy produce, eggs and maple syrup from local organic farmers in season. DOMESTIC SPECIES. We have taken care to cultivate several native Indiana plant species onsite. We have selectively harvested non-domestic softwoods planted by the old Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's. In doing so, we have taken great pains to minimize the disturbance to the under story of domestic hardwoods. We cut and milled the harvested timber onsite, and then used the lumber for construction materials. We feed hummingbirds and provide nesting boxes for bluebirds, purple martins and other domestic avian species. MISCELLANEOUS. We print our literature and menus on recycled paper. The owner drives a Toyota Prius (hybrid gas/electric) and a Volkswagen Jetta TDI (high-efficiency diesel). The owner plans to convert the Jetta to burn cooking oil from the restaurant. The Story Inn |