Being A Green Inn 18 May 2012, 7:53 am
| Worm composter |
-We have three different kinds of ways to compost leftover food waste, a worm composter, two outside barrel composter and a European electric composter, that we use a lot in the winter when our outside ones aren't composing.
-We recycle most everything as the city of Portland has a great curbside recycling program.
-All left over bake goods get frozen and brought to the Soup Kitchen in town.
-We only use environmentally friendly cleaning and laundry product, in fact we make most of our cleaning products.
-Our lights are LED or CFLs and we have sensor lights in the common area and halls.
-All our painting and remodeling projects are done with earth friendly or recycled products.
- We also try to "Buy Local" as much as possible, coffee, dairy, maple syrup, honey, wheat flour to name a few. We are a member and supporter of Portland's Buy Local movement.
These are just a few of our practices here at the Wild Iris Inn. We also always welcome suggestions from our guests!
Wild Iris Inn "Growing Green Since 2002"
Come for a Bike Ride In Portland! 2 May 2012, 1:52 pm
Spring is here and we just dusted off the Wild Iris Inn bikes and got them into the shop for their spring tune up! We have two bike for guests to borrow while staying at the inn. Portland is a great bike friendly city.A new Portland Bike Map was publish this year that shows all the great bike trails in greater Portland that you can borrow while at the inn.
Also Summer Feet Cycling, 866-857-9544, www.bikeportlandmaine.com, has two bike tours in Portland, a 5 Lighthouse Tour that runs daily at 10am and a Explore Casco Bay, that take you out on the ferry to Chebeaque Island for a ride around and lunch at the inn which is offered Saturdays in July and August!
Or bring your own bike and have your own riding adventure!
So hop on your bike and do some exploring!
Wild Iris Inn 273 State Street Portland, ME 04101 800-600-1557 www.wildirisinn.comDiane@wildirisinn.com
Deering Oaks Park Rose Garden 2 Jul 2011, 12:00 pm
I took the dog's for a walk yesterday in Deering Oaks Park and stop by at the Rose Garden. It was so beautiful! How lucky were are at the inn to have such a awesome garden just a couple minutes walk from our front door! Kudos to the city and volunteers who do such a great job of maintaining it. So when you come to the inn don't forget to take this short walk and visit the incredible rose garden.
Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com
Scarborough Marsh Audobon Center 27 Jun 2011, 9:13 am
Last week my sister and I took her one person canoes to the Audubon Center at Scarborough Marsh. It took us about 20 minutes from the Wild Iris Inn to drive there. Since we brought out own canoes it was free to launch but they rent both canoes and kayaks for $16/hr. There are two ways to paddle depending on the tide we chose to go toward the ocean so the paddle back would be easier. We spent a couple of hours exploring the marshes and checking out the various birds along the way, including two beautiful snowy egrets! They offer various programs and tours, check out their website at http://www.maineaudubon.org/explore/centers/marsh2.shtml . It is definitely worth a day trip if you enjoy paddling!
Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com
2 Jun 2011, 10:58 am
Tuesday I made my annual spring pilgrimage to the Maine Botanical Garden's in Boothbay Harbor. It was a picture perfect spring day and my friend's Keri and Nini joined me. It is only about an hour and fifteen minutes from Portland so it makes a great morning adventure and then go out to lunch in Boothbay. The Azaleas were in bloom and looked gorgeous. We also saw lots of other beautiful spring flowers while meandering through the woodland paths and the gardens. You can check out their website at http://www.mainegardens.org/ as they have many interesting events going on throughout the year. It is definitely worth a visit.
Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com
Park Your Car & Borrow a Bike at the Wild Iris Inn! 10 May 2011, 10:18 am
The Wild Iris Inn just got two bikes at Gorham Bike Shop Swap last weekend. So now guests can park their cars while staying at the inn and borrow our bikes to explore Portland and the coast. It is a great way to see the sights and be green! Portland Trails, http://www.trails.org/ has a great trail map of places to explore in the area, from beaches to parks to waterfalls. You can ride to all the different lighthouses in the area or take the bikes on the ferry to an island and go explore. Portland is a very bike friendly place! So come to the Wild Iris Inn in Portland and park your car and explore!Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com
New Chicken House 10 May 2011, 6:04 am
So my chicken coop kit finally arrived three weeks late and they sent me the wrong model! At this point I decided not to send it back as I would end up paying for shipping back and who knows when the other would come. This is the smaller version and still suppose to be able to house three chickens.
So I assembled our Dixie chicks, Martie, Natalie and Emily's new house yesterday afternoon. It is very cute but tight fit for three Rhode Island Reds! I am going to fence off about a fourth of the backyard so they will have more outside area to scratch around this week and in about a few more weeks I can move them from my basement to their new home. I think my city chicks will be quite cozy and happy in their new home! I of course will love having fresh eggs for the inn and their dropping will be a great addition to my compost barrels!
Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com
Chickens at the Wild Iris Inn! 26 Apr 2011, 11:59 am
I have decided to bring a little of my love for the country life and get some chickens for the inn! Since we are an eco-friendly inn they should fit right in and fresh local eggs for breakfast! So I thought I would be very clever and build my own coop but after pricing out wood and checking plans I opted to buy a kit on Ebay which is made to house up to four chickens. So I am awaiting that delivery which I will still have to put together. My three baby chicks are schedule to arrive at the end of the month but will have to reside inside for awhile until they get bigger. Portland just past a chicken ordinance which allows for up to five chicken (no roosters) in your backyard. You have to register your chickens with the city. So I had chicken when I lived in rural California but this will be my first with city chickens! I will post my completed chicken house and three little chicks when all is assembled and chicken are pecking about my backyard garden!
Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com
Holiday Fun in Portland 1 Nov 2010, 9:51 am
Well the Fall season is slowing down, leaves falling off the trees and the inn is quieting. We are taking some time to do some repairs and painting during this month. We order some eco-friendly carpet for the bedrooms which I am excited about. They are made from recycled plastic but looks and feels like regular carpet. We will be painting our common area with some eco-friendly no VOC paint this month.Winter is just around the corner and it felt like winter early this morning when I took my dogs out for a walk. I do love this time of year when the morning air is crisp and cold and the sun comes out and warms things up for the afternoon.
Lot of interesting things happening in Portland during the holidays so it is a perfect time to come for a visit. Whether it for holiday shopping trip to our wonderful shops in downtown, check out Merry Madness on December 16th, where all the shops are open late and serving wine and goodies. Catch a play at one of the theaters or just enjoy some of great art and music venues. The State Street Theatre has just reopen and some some great acts lined up, check out their website, http://www.statetheatreportland.com. I just had a tour of the newly remodeled theatre and it looks great! So come have some fun!
Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com
Take Me Out To The Ballgame! 13 Jul 2010, 10:30 am
My brother Stacy and sister-in-law, Louise stopped in Portland for a visit at the inn on their way up to Deer Isle. We decided to go to a Sea Dogs game at Hadlock field. It is short ten minute walk from the Wild Iris Inn. We bought general admission tickets which were all of $7.00. You can also buy box seats for $9.00. It was nice to see lots of families enjoying an evening out together. It definitely is a fun affordable family outing. Sea dogs were playing Hartford that night and it was a great game and they won 7-4. So on your next visit to Portland this baseball season check out their website, www.seadogs.com and see if there is a home game. It was a great way to spend a warm summer evening. Don't forget to try a Sea Dog Biscuit while you are there!Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com
