Amanda Zimlich is the owner of Otter’s Pond Bed & Breakfast on Orcas Island off the coast of Washington state.

Before becoming an innkeeper, Zimlich worked as a chef and in food product development. In 2019, she bought Otter’s Pond and became the owner and operator. Besides managing the day-to-day operations of the inn and cooking her guests’ breakfast, Zimlich does all the housekeeping.

“One of the funny things that people always ask me is, ‘Wow, you really do everything, all of it?'” Zimlich said. “It’s very much a labor-intensive thing sometimes. But it’s a labor of love, and it saves me quite a good chunk of money.”

In the last few years, Zimlich has been working to make her inn more climate-friendly. Three years ago, she secured a grant to install heat pumps on the property. Heat pumps are a more energy-efficient way to heat large spaces than conventional technologies like electric heaters or furnaces. Next, Zimlich wants to install solar panels along the pond to make her property even more sustainable.

Above all, Zimlich finds a lot of satisfaction in “making people happy” and “making people comfortable” at her bed-and-breakfast.

“I think Orcas Island is a magical place and giving other people the opportunity to experience it, that is really special,” Zimlich said.