Inn on the Beach is Green and Hurricane Aware

In the past few years, Pinellas County has seen an increase in bicyclists, recycling bins and eco-conscious establishments. One such place is Inn On The Beach, in Pass-a-Grille. The hotel has a “Good” rating on istaygreen.org.

Sheila McChesney runs the inn, and she has been responsible for many of the environmentally sound choices, such as offering recycling as part of the maid services, cleaning with eco-friendly products, and using ceramic coffee mugs and energy-efficient lightbulbs. She has the same mindset when it comes to preparing for hurricane season.

“We try not to do those horrible hurricane cuts on our palm trees, which are detrimental to the trees.” McChesney said. “We have a lot of drought- and salt-tolerant vegetation, so that it might survive some salt intrusion.”

Plumerias are a good example of these survival plants, and their white and yellow bulbs are seen scattered throughout the property. There’s a good bit of other greenery around the building, which is a good source of shade for guests and workers who try not to run the air conditioning, McChesney said.

If a hurricane is headed their way, she takes all the balcony furniture and stores it in the hotel rooms so that it doesn’t fly around and do any extra damage.

McChesney added that she makes sure the inn has plenty of flashlights and batteries in case of a power outage, and she opts to use water filtered from the faucet rather than buying water bottles.

“If there’s any kind of storm, we’re in the A evacuation zone, so we’ve got to leave first,” McChesney said.

McChesney's focus is mostly on making sure the building won’t be hazardous to anyone or anything else. Above all else, she's looking out for her guests while trying to stay eco-friendly.