A European-style Bed & Breakfast is nestled near the Old Town Center for the Arts and the Manheim Gallery just off Main Street on N. Seventh Street. But the cozy facility is also state of the art when it comes to environmental friendliness.
It is all thanks to Annabel Sclippa. Annabel and her family have lived all over the world, but the cozy house in Old Town makes for delightful quarters for a brief stay in Central Arizona. She takes seriously caring for the earth.
Bella attracts fellow travelers in a couple of publications geared toward a green consciousness, istaygreen.org and greengreenworld.com.
Approaching from the outside, the garden in front of the traditional Old Town home is a delight in flowers and fragrances.
The flowers and herb gardens surrounding the front porch include the makings for the breakfast table. When we visited, she was starting her spring crop with salad greens and spinach for omelets. There is also parsley. Most of the flowers are also edible, she says.
For outside lighting Annabel uses solar or LED spot lighting to keep costs minimal.
The porch is sheltered by pecan and almond trees. "I got 30 gallons of pecans last year." And the trees, when they leaf out, provide cooling shade during the heat of the summer.
"Buying locally is also 'green,'" she observes. "All the bread comes from Orion's Bakery and the fresh-laid eggs are from Nancy Burnett's chickens.
She brings back coffee from the village where her mom lives in Costa Rica.
The chocolates are Dutch, fair trade and organic.
Guests may fill water bottles for hiking from the water filter on the tap or sample some of the organic or traditional teas.
The B&B, she says, attracts many people who are already familiar with Cottonwood, and who want to stay in a bed and breakfast within Old Town. Others are attracted by her listings.
One woman is spending a month traveling the U.S. by train and attending green events and staying in green B&Bs. She has an event in Sedona for five days.
A family of 10 will be staying the week before.
Annabelle's uses organic and biodegradable products. Linens will be changed at the guest's convenience, or they may chose not to change them.
The rooms use fans for guests' comfort. She points out that the curtains that offer privacy and sound control on the doors also have a space for airflow at the floor.
During the last year, her own apartment was added to the back of the house and the facility was also equipped with a greywater outflow. That will supply the 10 new fruit trees she planted in the back yard.
She is now working on the compost for her vegetable garden.
Oh, don't be surprised to find Annabel in a wheelchair from an earlier auto accident. She has plenty of stamina and energy. She did a parachute jump last week.
