Summary of Carbon Sequestration at Inn Serendipity in 2021:

• Electricity generation on-site with a 10.8 kW solar electric PV system (originally installed on July 24, 2018). The 10.8 kW SolarEdge photovoltaic system generated 15,228 kWhs. For our complete 10.8kW SolarEdge photovoltaic system generation data, click here. The .7 kW photovoltaic system generated a total of 1,034 Whs of electricity (installed October 29, 2006, replacing an older PV system with no generation data collected); for our complete PV system generation data, click here. The 2.28 kW photovoltaic system added to the roof of the Inn Serendipity Woods cabin generated a total of 1,763 kWhs of electricity (installed April, 2011).

• Use EPA-certified woodstove for farmhouse heat, burning only downed, seasoned hardwood. According to the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, using super efficient woodstoves that burn wood are carbon neutral, since we are releasing the stored carbon that the trees absorbed in their growth.

• Use active solar thermal system (primary) and B100 (100 percent biodiesel) for back-up heating system for strawbale greenhouse.

• Trees for the Future carbon sequestering program with "Trees for Travel" certificates that offsets impacts of guests' travel to Inn Serendipity. The Trees for Travel program also supports community-based conservation and development. In the case with Inn Serendipity, we've focused our donation to help the Trinidad, Sta. Barbara community in Honduras, Central America, devastated by flooding that resulted from Hurricane Mitch in 1998. To date, over 5.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide will be sequestered through our participation in this program over the next thirty years.

• For transport, a Toyota Prius PRIME plug-in hybrid vehicle is used. The vehicle gets between 83 mpg (winter) and 92 mpg (summer).

• As of December 2016, Inn Serendipity is a partipant in the Tesla Destination Charging program, offering free electricity for guests who arrive in a Tesla electric car as well as any guests with either all-electric or plug-in electric vehicles. Both a Tesla Wall Connector and Universal ClipperCreek Connector is available for guests to use to recharge their vehicles with 100-percent renewable energy.

• Purchased Carbon Offsets from Carbonfund.org Foundation
  For those carbon emissions we were unable to avoid, especially related to transportation to conferences, large conference cost, shipping or other aspects of our business, we offset these emissions through the Carbonfund.org Foundation. The covid-19 pandemic completely shut down travel and nearly all business activities from January 2021 to December, 2021; attendance to CES was virtual. This year's offset amounts are as follows (rounding up), using their carbon footprint calculator on their website:
  • Ground transport: a Toyota Prius PRIME plug-in hybrid vehicle is used. For car rentals, hybrids, compact and economy cars are used whenever possible for business trips for speaking events related to Homemade for Sale, Soil Sisters, Farmstead Chef, ECOpreneuring, Rural Renaissance, for Renewing the Countryside, freelance travel writing and photography. Miles Plug-in hybrid Prius Prime, plus 110 rental miles, for a total of 10,770 miles.
    
  • Airline travel (Lisa and John (and Liam)): NONE, due to the covid-19 pandemic. for speaking events related to Homemade for Sale, Soil Sisters, Farmstead Chef, ECOpreneuring, Rural Renaissance, Food and Society Policy Fellows, MOSES Rural Women's Project, freelance writing/photography assignments and speaking).
    
  • Back-up heating: NONE, due to the covid-19 pandemic. 0 total gallons of #2 heating oil
    - farmhouse back-up heating with #2 fuel furnance for personal and business use when away from farm
    
  • Inn Serendipity/JDI Enterprises office expense, travel hotels, paper use and shipping of packages. Nominal, due to covid-19 pandemic.
    
  Total Carbon Emission Offsets Purchased through Carbonfund.org to offset above emissions: 1.05 tons (at a cost of $17.06)

• Farming Practices at Inn Serendipity Farm
  By growing organically, using minimal tilling and seeking to maximize organic matter in the soil through crop rotations and application of compost, it's estimated by the Rodale Institute that such practices may sequester as much as 667 pounds of carbon dioxide per acre per year. Inn Serendipity Farm currently has about 1 acre of organic cultivation, sequestering a conservative estimate of about 500 pounds of CO2 per year, plus 4 acres of pasture grasslands on the farm, estimated to sequester about 1 ton of carbon dioxide per acre per year according to the Farmers Union Carbon Credit program. More than thirty conifers have been planted at the edge of the west, north and east boundaries of the farmstead for wind breaks and buffers. We estimate that our farming practices when combined with the thirty trees planted as wind breaks around the farm offset the approximately 20 gallons total of gasoline used annually for our limited use of a rototiller, chainsaw, gasoline powered lawn mower used at the Inn Serendipity Woods cabin, and DR brush mower.

• Forest Stewardship and Pasture at the Inn Serendipity Woods Cabin Property
  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, "One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen." Therefore, our sustainable forestry practices offer numerous opportunities to help reduce our carbon emissions through:
  • 20 acres managed forest law under a stewardship management plan that includes timber stand improvement practices. Depending on practices, age and species of trees and various other factors, forest enrichment practices may sequester as much as 5 tons of carbon dioxide per acre. Our conservative estimate is 60 tons of carbon dioxide sequestered in total per year (20 acres x 3 tons/acre = 60).
  • 3 acres conservation reserve program with a new tree planting (afforestation) of 550 trees in former cropland. Depending on practices, age and species of trees and various other factors, afforestation may sequester as much as 5 tons per acre. Our conservative estimate is 6 tons of carbon dioxide sequestered in total per year (3 acres x 3 tons/acre = 6).
  • 7 acres un-mowed pasture grassland. Pasture grasslands are estimated to sequester about 1 ton of carbon dioxide per acre per year according to the Farmers Union Carbon Credit program. Therefore, a conservative estimate of carbon sequestration would be 5 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
  Total estimated carbon sequestration at Inn Serendipity WOODS cabin: 71 tons

Our books, including Rural Renaissance: Renewing the Quest for the Good Life, now in its second printing, Farmstead Chef and ECOpreneuring, provide both inspirational stories and practical how-to information to assist others in living and working in a climate-neutral way -- today. Not, as the politicians like to say, sometime in the future.

As more research and information becomes available regarding actual sequestration rates or emissions from various biofuels, we will revise our sequestration estimate accordingly. We welcome input and suggestions for improving our analysis and estimates. Inn Serendipity will continue its efforts to reduce our impacts on the environment in whatever ways possible.