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Sustainability

The Umstead Hotel and Spa is committed to our environment. Below is a list of sustainability initiatives currently in practice.

chairs overlooking lake with fall leaves
  • Our own One Oak Farm, located less than one mile from the hotel grounds, is a 3 acre garden producing fresh fruit, vegetables, and edible flowers for use throughout our food and beverage outlets. Using regenerative and organic farming practices, our dedicated farmers provide up to 70 % of the produce used in Herons during the peak spring/summer season. View what we are growing here. Read more about our regenerative farming practices using the link below.
  • A small garden on our hotel grounds produces fresh herbs for use throughout our food and beverage outlets.
  • We partner with 14 local farms to provide the food products for Herons’ seasonal menus. Some of our partners include:
    • Larry's Beans - Coffee
    • Oyster Carolina - Oysters
    • Dawnbreaker Farm - Duck
    • Chapel Hill Creamery - Cheese
    • Chickadee Farm - Produce
    • Anson Mills - Grains
  • Food scraps are composted in a joint initiative with SAS Institute.
  • All guestrooms and suites feature Interel in-room controls, for energy management.
  • An in-room recycling program collects paper and plastic recyclables.
  • Unused or leftover portions of guest room soaps, shampoos, conditioners and body wash are donated to Clean the World Foundation.
  • Purified Water stations are available on each guest room floor, along with in-room refillable glass carafes
Regenerative Farming Practices
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  • We are currently transitioning away from single-use amenity bottles for shampoo, conditioner, and body wash; custom stainless steel multi-use dispensers are being installed in guest room shower stalls
  • Complimentary valet parking for all hybrid vehicles
  • Electric vehicle charging stations
  • Recycling program for paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, batteries and paint
  • The Umstead Spa features eight organic treatments.
  • UV film on our lakeside accommodation windows reduces 70% of UV rays, which further lowers our heating and cooling needs.
  • Light motion sensors and light switches have been installed in employee areas.
  • All interior and exterior lightbulbs on our property are LED
  • Complimentary bicycles are available for guest use.
  • A commitment to ongoing maintenance of our three-acre lake, which features a restored stream, turtle nesting areas, butterfly garden and fountains that circulate the water for optimal plant and animal health
  • Our Salt Water outdoor pool uses far less chemicals, and is better for the environment than chemically treated pools
  • Outdoor heated pool is closed from December through March to further reduce gas and electrical consumption.
  • Installed a Rain Garden in our Landscape to filter pollutants like bacteria and fertilizer. The Rain Garden purifies water before going down the the storm drain and back into the environment.