Williamston, N.C. — Chloe Tuttle didn't have to make any changes around her Big Mill Bed and Breakfast in order to have it be recognized as an eco-friendly inn.

"Growing up on a farm, conserving is what you do," she said.

Contributed photo (ENLARGE)

Innkeeper Chloe Tuttle in the old red truck in which she transports guests around her Martin County farm.

But Tuttle, who has operated Big Mill B&B in her family home for the past 16 years, is proud of being named one of the Top 10 Eco-Friendly Inns by BedandBreakfast.com, the leading online bed-and-breakfast directory and reservation network. Big Mill is the only North Carolina B&B on the list; others are in Vermont, Wisconsin, Belize, California, Maine, Michigan, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

"It is gratifying to be recognized for our belief that we can address global warming one light bulb or plastic bottle at a time," the innkeeper said.

At the least, a "green" B&B offers property-wide recycling, optional towel replacement service, water and energy conservation programs, local purchasing and use of non-toxic cleaners, says a press release from BedandBreakfast.com. But Big Mill and the other top inns take environmentalism to another level.

"I don't waste anything," Tuttle said.

Turning a home into a bed-and-breakfast inn may be recycling at its finest — reinventing a single family home as accommodations for travelers. It's what Tuttle decided to do after her parents passed away, leaving the family's 200-acre Martin County farm in her hands.

"I was born in this house," Tuttle said one recent morning as she sipped a cold drink in the Big Mill's homey kitchen. "My parents bought the land and house in 1922."

She calls her youth "idyllic." Living on the farm where her father grew tobacco and cotton, she explored the woodland and fished in the creek that powers the mill from which the bed-and-breakfast gets its name. She rode her bike on the dirt roads, picked huckleberries in the spring, swam in the lake and caught fireflies in the summer, collected pecans and pears in the fall.

After college, Tuttle was a cook aboard a private sailboat for seven years, sailing from Maine to Guadeloupe, primarily in the Bahamas.

Sixteen years ago, she returned to her home — and decided to open it to the public. "I had traveled a lot right out of college, and staying in bed-and-breakfasts was the most inexpensive way to go," she said.

"And this place is too big and too perfect. It seems like I should share it with others."

Her recycling efforts began immediately, as she renovated a portion of the home and several outbuildings to create four rustic but elegant rooms with sitting areas and kitchens for guests. She reused wood and building materials whenever possible, even recycling tobacco sticks, once used on the farm to cure tobacco, as part of the decor.

That's just the beginning of Tuttle's conservation efforts. She composts and uses organic methods to grow much of the produce and fruit that's featured in Big Mill's Continental breakfasts; she hangs the inn's bedding on a clothesline to dry; she recycles wine bottles by giving them to a local vintner to refill; she uses well water instead of plastic bottles of water; and she purchases energy-efficient appliances. She encourages guests to open their windows or use each room's ceiling fans instead of running the air conditioning. She donates items to thrift stores and uses cloth bags for shopping. Pet cat Moses is even billed as the "organic pest control officer."

Tuttle said when she heard that BedandBreakfast.com was looking for eco-friendly inns, she knew that she needed to respond. "I just told them what I've always been doing," she said.

"With a North Carolina license plate that says NVIRONUT, we try to practice what we preach."

Big Mill Bed and Breakfast, 1607 Big Mill Road, Williamston, offers two rooms and two suites to guests. Rooms are $73-$135 per night, with complimentary in-room Continental breakfasts. Call 792-8787, e-mail info@BigMill.com or visit the Web site www.bigmill.com.