After winning her 10th Virginia Green Travel award in 10 years, Pickett Craddock is setting her sights on Earth Day this Saturday. She’ll be passing out reusable shopping bags donated by Food Lion at the Halifax Farmer’s Market with others. And she’ll be cleaning up some of the trash on county roads with Community Cleanup bags available at the Halifax Farmer’s Market and other locations.
“For me, the coming Earth Day is a good reminder of the importance of protecting our planet.,” says Craddock. “We should use renewable energy and avoid wasting our resources.”
Once again, Craddock’s Oak Grove Bed & Breakfast in Cluster Springs has been given the Green Travel Leader Award by the Virginia Green Travel Alliance
At the group’s annual conference in Virginia Beach on March 22, Craddock received the coveted award from Tom Griffin, the executive director, who cited her outstanding commitments to the environment for many years.
The inn is known for its extensive array of solar panels and its pioneer electric car charging station. The B&B dries sheets on a clothesline, waters many plants from rain barrels and weighs its trash and recycling and compost in attempt to reduce its carbon footprint.
Craddock noted that information on the harms of plastic bags will be given out at the reusable bag give away at Halifax, and a collection of cigarette butts will be taken to be converted into timbers for construction. At the South Boston Farmer’s Market on April 29, tree or plant plantings will be given away and information will be handed out on composting.
Caption: Pickett Craddock (center) with Rita McClenny, president of Virginia Tourism Corporation (left) and Tom Griffin, executive director of Virginia Green Travel (right).