Natural and Sustainable

These bed and breakfasts reflect the best in eco-conscious building.

• LAS MANOS BED & BREAKFAST (BUENA VISTA, COLORADO)

This relaxing, earthly retreat in Fourteener country named for its mane 14,000 foot or higher peaks, is a glorious Southwestern-style straw bale home. Guests can request a massage from owners Colleen Finley and William McQueen, both certified massage therapists, in their rooms or on a private balcony with breathtaking views of Mt. Princeton. Monarch Ski Resort and Ski Cooper are each about an hours drive away. In summer, rafters and kayakers shoot the Arkansas River rapids. Climbing mountains and dipping in hot springs.

The Green Factor: Completely off the grid, Las Manor runs on solar and wind power. The adobe walls are made from mud collected on the property, wood for flooring and cabinets is locally harvested blue-stain pine killed by beetle infestation. To save enrgy, laundry dries in the mountain air.

• EVE’S GARDEN ORGANIC B&B (MARATHON, TEXAS)

This artsy, quirly oasis is built from adobe and papercrete (light, superb insulation made partically from old newspapers.) The arched, domed architecture is influenced by Spanish, Middle-Eastern and nouveau-California styles. Explore the area’s lively communities: Marathon, Mara, Alpine and Terlingua. Marathon is 40 miles north of Big Bend National Park’s main entrance. The park used to be the main reason to go there, but these days “Far Out, Far West Texas” is an attraction in and of itself.

The Green Factor: Owner Kate Thayer tends an organic garden and sells pesticide-free bouquets; her partner Clyde Curry makes papercrete bricks from old newspapers and junk mail.

• CEDAR HOUSE INN & YURTS (DAHLONEGA, GEORGIA)

Set in the lush north Georgia Wine Country 70 miles north of Atlanta, these yurts feature canopied beds and private decks. Visit Dahlonega’s Holly Theater just west of the historic town square or head to the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi in Amicalola State Park. On you way, stop at the Funky Chicken Art Project, an art gallery set inside an old chicken coop, and visit the Garden of Peace Project .

The Green Factor: As members of the Green Hotels Associatioon, owners Mary Beth and Fred Tanner incorporate passive solar principles throughout the property. The inn’s low-flow toilets and showers and a pesticide free lawn and garden keep with their earth friendly principles. Guests who stay in the light-on-the-land yurts have use if a shower house and composting toilet.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Buy energy-efficient appliances (look for the Energy Star label)