Sustainable Travel

Green Lodging at an Oregon Bed and Breakfast

Friday, July 23, 2010 by Mary Pellegrini

Green bed and breakfasts are becoming more and more popular, adding an environmentally conscious twist to the quaint, quiet and natural charm of a traditional B&B. Interest in Eco Friendly Travel destinations is

The Old Parkdale Inn - Green Certified by the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild

on the rise, and a green bed and breakfast can provide a comfortable and guilt-free stop for conscientious travelers.

A bed and breakfast is a quaint alternative to a traditional hotel. It's a cozier experience for travelers, who receive a peaceful night and a meal prepared for you in the morning. Many eco friendly travelers have found that a green B&B, one in which the house may be LEED-certified, energy efficient, using enviromentally safe products and where the breakfasts served are organic, local, seasonal and sustainable, is certainly the way to travel. For added solace the inn and surrounding grounds are infused with the sights and sounds of nature.

Plan your green vacation today by booking a room at a bed and breakfast certified green by the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild. We are committed to business practices that promote the sustainability of our planet's natural resources and integrate that commitment into exemplary guest services.

Eco Friendly Travel Through Crater Lake National Park

Tuesday, June 1, 2010 by Mary Pellegrini

The "new" eco friendly travel around Crater Lake. Picture courtesy of Herald and News.

Late spring snows have been making for great late season snowshoe adventures but have delayed the opening of the North Entrance Road to Crater Lake National Park for a couple more weeks. But open it will and then visitors can experience one of the most scenic National Parks in our nation, Crater Lake, while on an eco friendly trolley.

With a depth of more than 1,900 feet, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the U.S. It's setting, in a massive caldera atop the Cascades, and beauty makes the lake itself the major attraction. Surrounding the lake are thick evergreen forests and high alpine meadows filled with wildlife and unique fauna.

While visitors typically drive the 33 mile loop road around the lake, this year they will have an opportunity to park the car and hop on one of the three historic-looking trio passenger trolleys from The Shuttle of Klamath Falls. Eight, two-hour tours are planned daily with park rangers providing interpretive information. The trolleys operate on compressed natural gas, which produces 90 percent less emissions and fits in with the park's goal of reducing emissions. Park rangers are encouraging riders to hop off anywhere along the rim, take a hike or picnic, then catch the next shuttle back to your car. Geotourism at its best, enjoying our natural wonders with sustainable travel.

For Crater Lake Lodging choose an Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild member near Crater Lake National Park. Our newest member, Lonesome Duck Ranch and Resort, is located just 35 minutes from the park on the east side and the Historic Prospect Hotel, 28 miles to the west.

Enjoy Oregon Wine Country but Don't Throw Those Corks Away!

Friday, May 21, 2010 by Mary Pellegrini

Oregon's winemakers are stewards of the land. Many use sustainable farming practices in their vineyards where they delicately nurture their vines to produce incredible wines.

For a true taste of Oregon Geotourism we invite you to explore the 16 Wine Regions in our Oregon Wine Country and taste some of our quality wines. Be sure to take some home for your personal wine cellar and as gifts for family and friends.

Willamette Valley Vineyards created Cork ReHarvest, and began the cork recycling movement in the US and Canada in 2008, helping to collect and recycle some of the 13 billion natural corks that are produced each year. We've all seen the cork bulletin boards but cork can be recycled into insulation, furniture and yoga mats. In Oregon, Cork ReHarvest partnered with Western Pulp, which incorporates collected corks into packaging material used for, you guessed it, shipping wine.

Make your reservation at an Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild member inn. There's one is every wine region and after your sustainable travel vacation through Oregon's Wine Country is over and the last sip of fine wine has been savored be sure to recycle that cork.

"Where the boots meet the suits!"

Thursday, April 8, 2010 by Debbie Lusk

Farms, vineyards, restaurants, art studios, inn's, horses, golf, antiques, alpacas, jewelry, fish hatchery's, hazelnuts, wolf sanctuaries and nursery's are just a few places you will find on The Oregon Country Trails! With over 65 rural businesses, tours and adventures, these trails are self guided driving tours that offer a bit of the country to our visitors to Oregon.

Follow a reservoir near villages in Lane county and visit a bio-dynamic garden filled with organic produce or pick fruit from trees in an orchard and bring your basket to fill with our Oregon berries. Take your time and mosey along the route and see things the average traveler doesn't get a chance to see. Staying at one our Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild inns will also provide you an opportunity to linger longer and enjoy all these trails have to offer. With several new trails being formed as I type this blog, there will soon be 16 routes to choose from. By the end of this week, there will be 4 new Oregon Country Trails in Linn county alone.

The four trails already formed in Lane County are:

Alsea Valley Country Trail
Fern Ridge Country Trail
Long Tom Country Trail
River Road Country Trail

It has been an awesome opportunity to be a part of helping to form our trails in Linn County.

Four new trails will be formed by the end of the week and they will offer Lavender Farms, organic fruit and vegetable gardens/stands, restaurants that use sustainable practices, local bakeries, an artist studio where a carousel is being created, seed farms, cafes and bed and breakfasts! Two of the inns on one of the newest trails, The Willamette River Country Trail are Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild members!

So, for a taste of what it's like to live here, to see what the

average traveler doesn't get to experience, stay at one our inn's and travel an Oregon Country Trail! Culinary travel via the back roads, romantic weekend getaways or taking the kids out to pet the sheep...it's all good here...in Oregon on our Oregon Country Trail!

Oregon Farmer's Market...a lesson in culinary tourism!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 by Debbie Lusk

Can you say sustainable travel?...can you utter culinary tourism?...or can you blurt..."wow...I've never seen veggies this green before!"

Well...it began on March 20th in Portland! It's Spring here and it's time for our Oregon Farmers Markets to sprout up all over the state and share their stuff! Flowers, veggies, art...you name it and you can find it. From now till deep in to autumn, you can drive in to just about any Oregon town, city or region and find a farmers market!

Throughout this season, you can enhance your Oregon culinary experience by tasting the fresh faire and enjoying our local goods as they are paired with wines and cheese's and yes...we grow them too! And we do a mighty fine job of it! The Willamette Valley as well as Southern Oregon grow the best grapes for the best wine in the entire state! The cheese's here in Oregon...wow, what can I say?...they are delightful and can also be seen at almost every farmers market in the state!

In the city of Albany, you not only find our lovely home and garden grown goods, you will find local honey, flowers, crepes and even local music to be had as well. It's all about what is here, what we can see, taste and touch and then take home.

If it's made here, grown here or even played here, you can experience it here! We hope when

you are planning your Oregon Culinary Vacation this season, you plan on checking out our Oregon Farmers Markets! See you in the crepe line!

Portland, Oregon. Known for Eco Friendly Travel, Certified Green Lodging and Green Beer

Thursday, March 18, 2010 by Mary Pellegrini

St. Patrick's day is behind us but Green is here year-round in Oregon. Many Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild members provide Certified Green Lodging. And at Hopworks Urban Brewery in southeast Portland, the brewpub calls itself an "eco brewpub."

Many celebrate St. Patrick's Day with green beer, but in Portland, we're not talking the food colored or dyed kind. We’re talking about the organic kind.

Green is no doubt the theme at Hopworks Urban Brewery in southeast Portland. Not only does it serve all certified organic beer. It also uses all renewable energy, runs its kettles on biodiesal fuel, and even sits its customers on furniture made from recycled wood.

"We're really the first brew pub to incorporate all aspects of sustainability in our operation," said Christian Ettinger, brewmaster and owner of Hopworks.

Combining green beer with Portland's National Green status and the Green Lodging Certification held by some Portland area B&Bs makes for an authentic green Oregon vacation.

Blue Plum Inn ~ Portland
Forest Springs B&B ~ Gresham
Nob Hill Riverview B&B ~ St. Helens

These member inns of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild's Green Certification Program are committed to engaging in practices that promote the sustainability of our planet's natural resources while providing luxurious accommodations and sharing their eco-friendly values.

Hopworks Urban Brewery is not alone in its green brewing. It joins other "green" breweries like Lauralwood, which back in 2002 became Portland's first ever organic brewery, as well as Root's Brewing Company which was the first brewpub in the city to serve all organic beer. While you'll find plenty of organic green beer at these pubs, you won't find any green colored beer on this day or any St. Patrick's Day

Bicycle Oregon...a sustainable travel option with a culinary twist!

Monday, March 15, 2010 by Debbie Lusk

Yes, it's that time of year! It's time to get your bikes out of the basement, the shed or garage. Dust the seat off and grab your helmet and you are good to go!

One of the most scenic places in the country to ride bikes, Oregon plays host to cyclists from all over the world every summer. It's not unusual for some our Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild membership inns to be filled to the brim with bicyclists when the weather is perfect here!

There are maps, bike trails and websites that help you plan your bicycling trip. Some of these trails take you through some of the most beautiful country side you have ever seen. Small towns, villages, covered bridges...you name it you can experience it on your bike this season! It's no surprise that Oregon's other favorite thing to do, "eating" and sharing their "really good" food is a perk and available along many of the trails found here. Restaurants and deli's along the bikes routes are expecting you and we have heard nothing but positive experiences from our cyclists.

Many of our inns are located along these bike trails too! Most have storage for your gear, can fill your water bottles, point you in the right direction for pasta to get you through the next day and then send you off with a hearty culinary experience you will not forget!

So, plan your trip, pack your bikes and we'll see you bicycling in Oregon this season!

Presidents Day Weekend getaway to Eastern Oregon: Snow and a movie

Thursday, February 4, 2010 by Heather Tyreman

Still wondering what to do for Presidents Day Weekend? How about enjoying the Wallowa Mountains and the great snow we have here in Eastern Oregon? And while you're at it, start the weekend really early, support a good cause, and see a spectacular film. (That's the teaser from the 2008 movie "The Fine Line" posted above and one of the movies that'll be shown at the event)

The Wallowa Avalanche Center Fundraiser is scheduled for Thursday, February 11, 2010. Here are the details:

Who: Wallowa Avalanche Center
What: Fundraiser featuring "entertaining & educational" avalanche films. Terminal Gravity beer and Embers Brewhouse pizza. Drawings for some great raffle prizes.
When: Thursday night, February 11, 2010, starts at 6 pm.
Where: OK Theater on Main Street in Enterprise, OR
Why: Teach & entertain about ways to be safe in the snow, plus raise funds for a group dedicated for this purpose.
Price: $5 per person (such a deal!) Kids 6 and under are free.

And here's a preview of some of the raffle prizes:

Backcountry Safety Package worth ~$700 from BackCountryAcccess: (New backpack, shovel, probe, and Tracker Transceiver)
Black Diamond 165 Kilowatt Skis from Wallowa Alpine Huts
2 nights/2 skiers at Wing Ridge Ski Tours Huts from Wing Ridge Ski Tours
And, of course, more prizes too numerous to mention

Need a place to stay for the weekend? Check out two unique inns offered by the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild and combine your love of snow with an Oregon culinary experience. Both are located in Joseph, OR--only a 6-mile drive from the fundraiser.

Bronze Antler Bed and Breakfast is known for (among other things), incredibly rich brownies that will melt in your mouth. Heather bakes these from scratch, using Guittard chocolate and farm fresh eggs. If you're looking for a romantic bed and breakfast, consider making the Bronze Antler B&B your choice.

Belle Pepper's Bed & Breakfast serves those same farm fresh eggs, because they come from Pepper's flock of laying hens! Belle Pepper's B&B also carries green lodging certification and is recognized by Sustainable Travel International, the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild Green Lodging Program and the Green Hotels Association.

Both unique inns are ready for you for Presidents Day Weekend 2010. Check room availability for either bed and breakfast. For more details, visit each inn's website.

Green Travel at Member Inns of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild

Sunday, December 13, 2009 by Mary Pellegrini

The Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild is committed to Green Travel and we are encouraging our members to be "Certified Green" through the OBBG Green Certification Program. Not that we have to do too much coaxing. Most of our members already implement many "green" practices, like recycling and composting. But we don't stop there. We apply business practices that promote sustainability of our planet's natural resources such as using recycled paper, minimal use of disposables and using greener cleaning supplies and energy efficient lighting.

On the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild website's Green page you'll find information and details of the Green Certification Program and a list of those inns that have gone through the checklist to become certified. It really is such an easy thing to do, going Green, and our goal this coming year is to have at least half of our 90 member inn Certified. For now you might consider visiting the following Green Certified inns of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild who proudly display the OBBG Green Certification Green Inspection Program logo on their website:

Farm To Table...A Cook's Treasures In One Oregon Bed & Breakfast!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 by Debbie Lusk

Flowers at French Prairie Gardens in St. Paul, Oregon.

All throughout the Willamette Valley, farmer's markets are popping up their tents, propping up their tables and unloading their farm and garden treasures for anyone seeking a purely organic culinary experience. Culinary tourism here is fast becoming the reason why people are planning their entire vacations around food. It is also one of the top 10 reasons why someone chooses a destination to begin with.

Almost two years ago, Sunset Magazine wrote an article on the Willamette Valley and why it is such a treasure trove of really good, fresh, wholesome food. Because of that article, Matt Bennett, owner of Sybaris and Clemenza's in Albany still receives guests that have traveled just to taste the bounty he prepares and serves in his restaurants. With monthly menu changes, Matt uses his culinary skills to prepare his classical meals using only the freshest ingredients found in the region.

Jack and Heidi Czarnecki own The Joel Palmer House in Dayton and have also given visitors to Oregon a reason to eat really good food. On the Oregon and National Historic

Mushrooms growing wild near an Oregon Bed & Breakfast.

Registers, The Joel Palmer House is home to one of the finest restaurants in the Willamette Valley. Gathering mushrooms on the property along with other locally grown ingredients such as greens, herbs and vegetables, the dishes prepared and served here are spectacular. Using a method they refer to as "freestyle", Jack and Heidi also use ingredients found in Mexico, China, Thailand, Poland and India. For example, taste Joe's Wild Mushroom Soup or Heidi's 3 Mushroom Tart or the Rack of Lamb Palmer House with Hazelnut Pepper Sauce and Jalapeno Cornbread, oh my gosh! You can't stop there, so try the Cheesecake with Dayton Berry Sauce or the Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding.

French Prairie Gardens in St. Paul, Oregon is the epitome of the "farm to table" experience. So, if you decide to plan your Oregon vacation around "food", visit the gardens in St. Paul on your way home. Be sure to bring your farmer's market basket and fill it with fresh vegetables, breads, fruits, muffins, scones, cobblers and anything else your heart or belly desires. This 500 acre farm offers a little bit of all that is good and fertile in the Willamette Valley. The rural setting, the animals, the food so fresh from the soil, this farm is another reason why culinary tourism here in Oregon is the heart of sustainability and simply a really good reason to dine on really good food.

And, after you have dined, check out or into an Oregon Bed & Breakfast. In Albany, you have your choice of three Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild membership inns. The Train House Inn, Edelweiss Manor or The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn. In and around St. Paul and Dayton, The Lobenhaus Bed & Breakfast offers a full Oregon Bounty breakfast prepared with fresh seasonal ingredients from their own gardens or local farmer's market.

So many ways to taste all that is fertile and good here in the Willamette Valley. Culinary tourism at it's tastiest!

Culinary Tourism and Sustainable Practices in Eastern Oregon

Saturday, May 23, 2009 by Heather Tyreman

There's a new culinary tourism company here in Wallowa County (Northeastern Oregon) that just brought us information about tours and classes. Source Tours is a new effort of three women who want to bring the bounty of Northeastern Oregon to the public through farm and ranch tours, cooking experiences, bicycling and educational opportunities in our rural setting.

We're excited! They are currently offering four scheduled tours--June 6 & 7 and again August 22-23, 2009 for the "Classic Ranch and Farm Tour. The "Cooking from the Source Tour" will be offered on July 11-12 and August 1-2, 2009. In addition they have the flexibility to offer customs tours.

If you're looking for something different to do on your Eastern Oregon vacation, consider booking a ranch and farm tour--you'll learn directly from the farmers and ranchers of Wallowa County. From the Source Tours website:

This trip is for those with an appetite for an authentic experience. We'll travel through the picturesque Wallowa Valley to visit a grass fed beef ranch, an organic produce farm that supplies restaurants and farmers markets, a family-run dairy and chicken farm, a flock of sheep that inspired a rural economic development project, a brewery, wheat fields and more. Meet local farmers and ranchers and walk through their fields with them while they tell you the story of the land.

And we'll enjoy excellent meals that highlight as many local ingredients as possible. Scores of visitors are drawn to the beautiful scenery of Oregon’s rural landscapes, and with Source trips you can get an insider’s perspective and a rich understanding of the local agriculture, culture and economy.

Some of our hosts are the fourth generation of their family to steward the family ranch. Others made a mid-life career switch and started their business in the last few years. They all have a passion for what they do and how they do it. For the people who live here, and the people who visit here, the Wallowa Mountains are an amazing backdrop to it all.

You'll find four Oregon Bed and Breakfasts that are members of the Oregon B&B Guild here in Wallowa County. All four are dedicated to supporting local agriculture and sustainability of our local farms and ranches:

Pasture near Barking Mad Farm Country B&B on Alder Slope in Northeastern Oregon

Barking Mad Farm Country B&B and the Alder Slope Bed and Breakfast are both located between Joseph and Enterprise, Oregon, on the high ground (called Alder Slope) with commanding views of the countryside. Barking Mad Farm is also an Oregon lodging pet friendly B&B.

In the town of Joseph you'll find both Belle Pepper's Bed & Breakfast and the Bronze Antler B&B. These two B&B utilize farm-fresh eggs generously produced by 22 laying hens who live at Belle Pepper's Bed & Breakfast. We even encourage our guests to take home a dozen or two.

As much fun as a stay at the Oregon Coast hotels can be, a trip to Northeastern Oregon is something that can be fun, educational and tasty too. Ask your innkeeper about Source Tours when planning your Eastern Oregon vacation this year.

It's Always About The Food...Culinary Tourism in Oregon

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 by Debbie Lusk

Epicure: a person devoted to pleasure and refined sensuous enjoyment, especially for good food and drink! That is what you can get in Portland, Oregon. Yes, it's a "foodie" tour and it sounds heavenly. The Portland Epicurean Tour takes you on a wonderful journey through Portland letting you taste a bit of what makes this area of Oregon one of the most sought after "food lovers" heaven and the center for culinary tourism. Go through the back door of a distillery and sample the gin or rum and restaurants to check out the beer, coffees, chocolates, bagels, pizzas, gelatos, cheese's and salmon. Every tour is a little different with it's own offering of foods and drink and appeases even the most refined appetites.

As an innkeeper, I as many of my fellow innkeepers, believe it's almost always

Lodging in Oregon, Pfeiffer Cottage Inn Breakfast Table

"about the food!" In our local travels, we have discovered the joy in finding some new way to use the fresh, local and organic ingredients found in abundance at road side stands and farmer's markets in Oregon. In Oregon wine country, you not only find wine grapes, but there are berries growing on the sides of the road, greens growing in rows along winding streets and huge gorgeous pears hanging off trees in the orchards in the Mt. Hood region. So, how can it not be about the food.

The fact is, Oregon has always been in the forefront when it comes to "culinary tourism" and "sustainability". Long before good, local and fresh foods became the popular trend, Oregon led the way in culinary tourism because of all the agricultural treasures found here. Pair all that great food with some spectacular travel options and you have found the perfect draw for visitors seeking the perfect vacation.

The Apple Inn Bed and Breakfast and The River Walk Inn, both Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild inns, share some of their recipes on line along with other websites that offer many recipes that are typically used at bed and breakfasts. Some Oregon Bed and Breakfasts even offer cooking classes often included in the cost your room giving you and your innkeeper the opportunity to share recipes, a meal, and of course the fun. Finding the goods, and taking advantage of the local "booty", is the prime goal for the makings of the perfect meal.

Flowers in Lemon Curd Jar at an Oregon Bed and Breakfast.

If you are a "foodie", love to cook, and enjoy the whole bed and breakfast package, you might be an epicure! Go to www.obbg.org and click on the "Oregon Bounty" logo to see how Oregon Bed and Breakfasts are using local ingredients in their menu's and still leading the pack in "culinary tourism" in Oregon.

Hood River Organics - A Community Supported Agriculture Coop in the Columbia River Gorge

Wednesday, May 6, 2009 by Mary Pellegrini

It is all about the food. I am so excited to have just signed up with Hood River Organics. This CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Coop will bring fresh, locally grown, organic food to my front porch! Each week throughout the year the participating farms work with multiple other farmers and producers in the Columbia River Gorge area to put together a box of the most delicious, healthy, seasonal food. Did I mention it will be delivered to my door?

Slow food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.

Local Harvest - real food, real farmers, real community - Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Use the map on the Local Harvest Website to find a small farm near you.

Slow food, local harvest, and a commitment to sustainable business practices. These all make for sustainable travel and the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild has implemented a Green Program that encourages and recognizes those inns that are making sustainable travel a reality.

The Old Parkdale Inn Bed and Breakfast near Mt Hood Oregon

The Old Parkdale Inn is proud to be a member of the Green Program of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild. Located at the base of Mt Hood and in the heart of the Hood River Valley, we have been supporting our local farmers for 6 years now. Our farmers grow crops of apples to blueberries, pears to strawberries. Potatoes, greens, onions, all the wonderful fruits and vegies that go into our daily breakfasts. We are so very excited to now have our box of fresh produce delivered to our door once a week. And I'm sure our guests will be, too.

Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild Innkeepers Come from across the state

Wednesday, April 15, 2009 by Mary Pellegrini

Oregon Innkeepers came from both sides of our fine state.

This past week we had the 2009 Annual meeting of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild and every Oregon region was represented. From the Eastern region to the Oregon Coast, from Portland to Crater Lake, the Willamette Valley to Mt Hood and the Columbia River Gorge and of course from Central Oregon where our gathering took place.

The Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild is 88 members strong and counting. As a professional association of Oregon's individually operated Bed and Breakfast inn, our mission is to assure travelers of consistently high standards in a variety of accommodations.

The annual meeting was held at the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge in beautiful Sisters and we would like to thank Sandy Affonso, innkeeper of the Blue Spruce B&B, for her enthusiasm while planning this event.

Roundtable discussions were ongoing at the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild's Annual Meeting

The Oregon Guild supports our members through networking, advocacy and education. Workshops included information on our Association programs. The Green Certification program of the Guild is designed to make sustainable travel a reality in Oregon. The OBBG blog is written by our innkeepers promoting our inns and our state as a tourist destination and we will provide our members the tools needed for them to become guest bloggers.

Time is always set aside for roundtable discussion with topics from marketing to networking. From scones to gardening.

A representative from Travel Oregon will present a report on the partnerships between OBBG and the Oregon Tourism Commission (dba Travel Oregon), the Oregon tourism force. We have partnered with Travel Oregon in promotions such as Oregon Bounty, the Central Cascades GeoTourism Project and Oregon 150

This gathering lasted only a day and a half but our innkeepers return home fueled with enthusiastic ideas to make your stay at an Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild a truly memorable experience.

"I just love this group... just too much talent..
my brain is strained.... I try too absorb as much as possible..."

Annual Meeting of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild

Tuesday, March 31, 2009 by Mary Pellegrini

The Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild is 88 members strong and counting. As a professional association of Oregon's individually operated Bed and Breakfast inn, our mission is to assure travelers of consistently high standards in a variety of accommodations.

The annual meeting for the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild is being held on April 6-7, at the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge in beautiful Sisters, Oregon.

Our keynote speaker will be Sue Kirby, "sparkingly upbeat, funny, inspirational, practical and down-to-earth". The topic will be "Celebrate the Ordinary into Extraordinary" and we look forward to her humorous real-life stories to empower us as we prepare for our busy summer season.

We support our members through networking, advocacy and education. Workshops will include information on our Association programs. The Green Certification program of the Guild is designed to make sustainable travel a reality in Oregon. The OBBG blog is written by our innkeepers promoting our inns and our state as a tourist destination and we will provide our members the tools needed for them to become guest bloggers.

A representative from Travel Oregon will present a report on the partnerships between OBBG and the Oregon Tourism Commission (dba Travel Oregon), the Oregon tourism force. We have partnered with Travel Oregon in promotions such as Oregon Bounty, the Central Cascades GeoTourism Project and Oregon 150

We look forward to seeing our members at the 2009 Annual meeting of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild.