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Summer is almost here and South Florida is offering up her many treasures. There are many reasons to take a staycation – a local vacation.

Cheaper

If you’re staying in town and going to local exhibits, beaches, and museums, you’re saving money. Out of town hotels can be expensive and the average week-long hotel bill – whether for couples or for families – can be much more than people currently want to spend. That money can be saved and used for local enjoyment. Plus, with the price of gas on the rise, vacationers may want to skip the long road trips and relax with fun that’s a little closer to home.

Local Adventures

I’ve lived in South Florida for most of my adult life, and until recently, I never made it to the beach even though it takes me only fifteen minutes to get to one. In fact, one of the good things about saving money on a staycation is that suddenly the place where you live becomes new and exciting and interesting. With just a little research (and we’re taking care of that part for you!), you can find everything in your own backyard. Why not grab a camera and document your local adventure? Enjoy creating unique day trips made up of Florida’s exciting experiences.

Romance

From romantic bed and breakfasts like the Desoto or romantic day trips to Villa Viscaya or the magical allure of the Coral Castle, there’s plenty to do in Dade or Broward counties. A stroll along Hollywood Beach’s famous 2.5 mile broadwalk or a night out on romantic Las Olas Riverfront are popular ideas for cozy couples.

Fun for Kids

South Florida offers many fun things for kids to do. The kids can build sandcastles on the beach or learn about marine life through South Florida museums such as the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale and the Miami Science Museum, which also offers a summer camp. Florida also offers a variety of parks and playgrounds for little ones.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By heather0714

Earth Day is over for 2012, but here are some little-known eco holidays to give us an excuse to celebrate nature. Two holidays focus on penguins, one on trees, and one on….trains? Yes, trains because trains are a fantastic way to travel green (and if you can’t migrate on foot like the penguins, may as well hop a train).

National Train Day

On May 9, celebrate this green way to travel by hopping a train to Anywhere, USA. Remember, trains are a wonder for green travel because they release less carbon emissions than either cars or planes. Plus, train travel is often cheaper than either highway or air travel. On trains, you can get to know your neighbor and experience the beauty of the landscape.

Penguin Appreciation Day

I didn’t know that penguins had a day of honor, but apparently and much to my surprise, they have two. On January 20, penguin lovers now have an excuse to celebrate this adorable, flightless bird, and there are many reasons to appreciate them such as their friendliness and their highly social natures. Clearly, penguins are ready to party down – they even look like they’re wearing tuxedos. (That’s the only penguin joke in here, we promise.)

World Penguin Day

Just in case one 24-hour period to appreciate penguins isn’t enough, celebrate penguins worldwide on April 25. What does one do on penguin day? On either one of these days, learn about penguins by watching the Morgan-Freeman-narrated blockbuster March of the Penguins. You could also help protect these grounded birds from climate change, as researchers believe that penguins who live in Antarctica are in danger from recent warming trends that have impacted their population and their food supply.

Love a Tree Day

For those who feel that Earth Day is too all encompassing of a holiday, the single-minded focus of Love a Tree Day may be just the eco-holiday for you. On May 16, go out and show your trees some affection with Love a Tree Day. How to celebrate? Plant a tree, visit your favorite woodland area, water a tree by soaking the root system, or simply kick off your shoes and wander around a national park. There are plenty of tree traits to love: their shade, their beauty, and the fact that they produce oxygen and clean the air. So, spend some quality tree time on May 16th. (We won’t tell.)

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Northeast Region

When I was a kid, my parents took me to see Back to the Future. Ever since the first time I watched the Delorian speed through time, I was hooked. A few years later the sequel returned with a bona fide flying time machine. So, ever since the age of ten, I’ve had my fingers crossed that one day reality would catch up with the movies and we’d get to drive flying cars.

And soon, for the steep price of $279,000, we’ll be able to do just that. 

Part Car, Part Plane, All Groundbreaking

Released earlier this month, the Transition, a “roadable aircraft” developed by Terrafugia was shown at the New York International Auto Show. According to the Washington Post, the car has completed its first flight and a select few are slapping down the 10 grand deposit required for purchase. On its first test flight, it flew for eight minutes at 1400 feet. (Your average airplane flies for several hours at a height of about 35,000 feet.) However, the Transition won’t be able to get you out of bad I-95 traffic. Drivers of the Transition will need a runway to prepare for lift off.

The Transition has two modes: a driving mode and a flying mode. The idea is that drivers will be able to drive it to a nearby airport where they can take off. Upon completion of the journey, they’ll be able to land at their destination airport and drive it off site.

Green?

It’s a little too early to tell if the Transition will be eco-friendly, but if both cars and planes produce heavy carbon emissions, then what of the Transition’s carbon emissions? After all, this flying car is a machine that is both automobile and airplane, the love child of two of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions. What does the green future hold for new inventions like this? Undeniably, the Transition is a giant step forward from the days when we dreamt of Marty McFly’s Delorian or longed for the futuristic freedom of George Jetson’s flying car. What kind of fuel will it use? Will there be a green version? Will we one day purchase carbon credits for flying cars? As we soar into the future, it will be interesting to see.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By lotprocars

One of the easiest ways to go green is by reusing items and recycling your old stuff. My old high school friend Allie was the queen – I mean the past master – of thrift stores. Once, I watched her find a pair of Michael Kors jeans – retail value of $100 – for a mere five bucks. “Get them. You need these.” They were two sizes too small, but I bought them – and still have them, a proud souvenir of a good thrifting day.

I’ve been to them all: Goodwill, garage stores, and swap parties, but so far nothing has rocked my world harder than Out of the Closet. Billed as “the world’s most fabulous thrift store,” Out of the Closet has many locations spanning California, the new store in Amsterdam, and four right here in South Florida. The two Broward locations are right in the “gayborhood” of Wilton Manors and one located just a few moments away from Wilton Manors in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Sunrise Blvd.

Free HIV/AIDS Tests

Many Out of the Closet locations provide free and confidential AIDS testing and counseling. The tests are conducted in a private section of the store. Several of the South Florida locations offer this free service. For a complete list of the locations that offer free HIV/AIDS tests, please go here. The stores also benefit the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, so when you shop at OftC, your money is going to a very good cause.

Books, Clothes, and More

I’ve been to both the Wilton Manors location and the Sunrise location. The Wilton Manors location is just off Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors, Florida. The Sunrise Blvd location is in a huge freestanding building. It reminded me of a John Waters movie, with just that kind of wacky, kitschy vibe. If you like your thrifting with a bit of flash, check it out. My personal OftC Haul consisted of a half-filled journal, a book with a love letter scribbled on the end pages, and many tee shirts, one featuring Speed Racer (Go, go, Speed Racer, gooo!). There are pride buttons and bracelets aplenty, especially at the Sunrise location, which is bright and airy – a fun place to spend a long weekend looking at interesting and quirky odds and ends.

Pick Up

Out of the Closet will come to your house to collect old stuff, too. (Warning for the shy: the second the massive pink and blue truck pulls into your neighborhood, you will instantly be – just as the truck reads – out of the closet.)

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By anna_logical

It won’t take much to be green on St. Patrick’s Day. Come out to the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival on Saturday March 10, 2012 in Fort Lauderdale.

Fun

The day kicks off with the annual Leprechaun Leap, a family-oriented 1K walk. There’s a great line up throughout the day from 11 am to 6 pm, including an Irish blessing, Irish step dancing, storytelling, a puppet show, and three bands – Hootnanny, Against the Tracks, and Avalon. The festival officially begins at 1:30 and will include face painting for the kids, bounce houses, pony rides, and more. The event is sponsored in part by Whole Foods, among other corporate sponsors.

The Parade

The parade starts at Las Olas Boulevard (SE 8th Avenue) at noon and ends at 1:30 on Andrews Avenue. The festival will award over $3,000 in cash prizes to the best float, including categories for marching bands, pipe bands, school floats, and non-profit floats.

Green Festival Tips

To be green at Fort Lauderdale’s yearly Irish festival, remember to pack plenty of eco-friendly sunscreen. (Avoid the spray on kind if you can, which can be harmful.) Recycle bottles and trash, and avoid plastic utensils if possible. While most beers or burgers that have been dyed are usually made green with safe, plant-based dyes, it never hurts to double-check. Make sure to either bring a reusable water bottle or recycle the bottles that you buy, as somehow almost 80% of plastic water bottles wind up in landfills.

Everyone loves festival goodies! If you’re going to take home all those fun little Saint Patrick’s Day festival toys (green beads, foam hands, plastic shamrocks), either recycle them when you’re done using them or find ways to reuse them. If you’re not  going to use them, either don’t take them home or donate them to a thrift store.

If You Go

The Saint Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival is free and open to the public. Parking is $5 in certain areas between the hours of 7 am and 4 pm. Have fun painting Fort Lauderdale green!

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By mbsz

We at the Desoto blog love Valentine’s Day as much as the next bunch of eco-friendly travelers. However, Valentine’s Day generates quite a lot of waste per year. Put your heart into making February 14th a green affair to remember.

Don’t Go Card Crazy

According to the U.S. Greeting Card Association, one billion paper cards are purchased for Valentine’s Day. That’s a lot of little red envelopes! Instead of buying your significant other a card, try to go with recyclable cards or e-cards. Free e-cards for Valentine’s Day are available online. Better yet, channel your inner five-year-old and get creative with a glue stick and some construction paper. You can easily create a creative and personalized card or poster by looking through old magazines to find pictures that represent your relationship. Maybe you both enjoy going to the beach? Clip some magazine pics of beachside sunsets or other fun things that are unique to your union. The sky’s the limit when lovers decide to make DIY cards.

Flower Power

Here’s another spooky, non-green fact. Everyone loves massive bouquets of roses, but over 180 million of those little red symbols of romance are bought for Valentine’s Day. Because they don’t last that long and need to be thrown away after only a few days, roses and other flowers generate a tremendous amount of waste. Make an empowered, eco-friendly choice and skip the flowers in favor of some cute plants that might last as long as a good relationship.

Earth Love

If you really love the old-time romance of sending cards, but also want to plant something with a strong foundation, try these adorable eco-friendly cards, printed on seed paper that grows into wildflowers. Talk about getting lovey-dovey with the earth.

Homemade Fun

Make the most of your Valentine’s Day dollar and stretch your money by getting busy with glue and construction paper. The decorations can be saved or reused next year, or recycled on February 15th. Better yet, if you’d like to find some funky, green decorations, check out homemade craft marketplace Etsy for natural or upcycled items.

Yummies

Valentine’s Day without chocolate is enough to make anyone’s heart break. Even if you’re ringing in V-Day solo style, chocolate is a must. For maximum green goodness, go for organic goodies.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By Old Shoe Woman

Green travel can be divided up into three camps: the beginners, the intermediates, and the heavyweights. Where do you fit in – and how can you improve your green travel habits?

Eco-Friendly Products

Are You a Beginner?

Beginners recycle only sometimes while at home, if they can find the bin. Maybe you’ve forgotten to inflate your tires if you’re traveling by car, or you’ve forgotten to book a nonstop flight because it will use less C02 then a plane trip that will take several stops. A good way for the beginners to move up to the intermediate level? Look into carbon credits and never leave home without the water bottle.

Are You an Intermediate?

If you’re at the intermediate level of green travel, you use carbon credits to offset major plane trips and your road trip tires are always inflated. You always use stainless steel water bottles when on long trips. When traveling by plane, you remember to book a nonstop flight and also know the importance of only packing what you need. A good way for intermediates to move up to the heavyweight level? Continue to stay aware of ways to go green, no matter where you are. Make sure that you’re aware of national directories that can support all kinds of green travel.

Are You a Heavyweight?

Wow! Not only do you use carbon credits to offset trips, but you’re able to stay aware throughout your green vacation, perhaps thanks to organizations like Sustainable Travel International. Your knack for recycling doesn’t go on a holiday when you do. No, you’re able to find recycling bins within a ten-foot radius of your hotel. Renting a car? Not if you can find suitable public transport or a fantastic car-sharing program. If you’re on a camping trip, you follow the green camping golden rule: only remove what you brought with you. Most importantly? You’re always willing to learn more – and make personal adjustments that can help you find your individual eco-friendly path.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By Sommer Poquette

“Sometimes it feels too complicated to go outside. Maybe we should all just watch nature movies on YouTube. That way, we wouldn’t have to worry about the environment.”

While waiting in line at a local bookstore, I overheard a 30-something man make that statement.

Ouch.

The person who made that remark was obviously joking, but I was amazed. Something made him say it. Maybe he was feeling lazy about the environment. Maybe he felt too responsible. Maybe he’d just come back from a hiking trip, got eaten alive by red ants, and thought the safest way to deal with nature was to avoid it completely. But I was utterly shocked – and intrigued. Imagine if we all did that – an entire society, avoiding going outside and just watching videos (about exactly what we’re avoiding) on the computer! How Ray Bradbury of us, Bookstore Guy.

There it is, folks! Step right up! Our green guilt and our obsession with technology, wrapped up in his three little sentences. As technology continues to grow and our awareness about green issues grows, my fear is that, one day, our knowledge base will tip us into permanent guilt or exhaustion or laziness, and we will be so busy experiencing nature through technology and social media that we’ll have forgotten what it means to experience nature for its own sake, in real life, away from the ease of keyboards and touchscreens.

When my dad was a kid, his parents had one room that no one was ever allowed into. They called it the Good Room. In the Good Room, old couches were covered with plastic sheets and seldom-used antique dishes forever collected dust in the cabinet. Even modern families have different versions of the Good Room, but across the board, the idea is the same: What do we put in the Good Room? Stuff we’ll never use or are scared to use, because we’re terrified we’ll accidentally destroy it. It didn’t matter if my dad wasn’t going to play Frisbee with great-aunt Sally’s good china or not. The Good Room was off limits. Is nature becoming the new Good Room, too “complicated” to interact with, because we’re afraid we’ll wreck it?

I hope it hasn’t because that will defeat the purpose of any kind of eco-awareness. I hope that we can continue, unlike my Youtube-watching friend, to get involved with nature and have respect for life outside our front door. I hope we can continue to learn about and protect our oceans, beaches, parks, and forests while still being a part of an active, ever-changing world – and while still enjoying in person what we’re trying to protect, not from behind the “safety” of a computer screen.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo by Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden

In past years there has been a great deal of controversy surrounding cruises and the eco-aware community. Are cruises green? Well, in recent years, cruising has been one of the worst ways to travel if you’re trying to build a green lifestyle. Why?

Cruise ships are like miniature towns where everything is unlimited: food, water, and Internet access. Can every single person (of the roughly 3,000 aboard) monitor his or her usage of resources? It’s a challenge to be sure – and then, there’s the problem of sewage. As of 2011, over 20,000 gallons of sewage are collected per 24-hour period on a cruise ship, according to the EPA. The EPA also found that a cruise ship creates over 70 times more trash a day (food waste, packaging, cans, bottles, etc.) than other kinds of ships. That’s a tremendous amount of trash. And what if you, like many, many Americans, simply adore boarding a ship for a little relaxation on the high seas?

Go Small

Try to avoid the mega-ships and go with smaller, ecofriendly cruise lines, known as pocket cruises. Why? Simply put, the smaller the ship, the less waste it will generate.

Split Up Your Experience

Cruises are fun because they combine everything in one place, plus you can smell the ocean breezes. Try splitting up the cruise into two parts: water fun…and hotel experience. So if you know that you love mega-cruises for the gambling, then consider checking out a nearby casino. Love cruising for the food? Try finding a good local restaurant in lieu of unlimited cruise chow. Are you like most cruise lovers and just want to be on the water? Book a small beachside hotel for your vacation and prowl the sandbar to your heart’s content.

Water Sports

Want to avoid the green guilt altogether? Try taking part in modes of water worship such as sailing or kayaking, which have a far, far smaller carbon footprint than cruising. Combine this with the above tip and you may find that you’ve pieced together all that you love about cruises, but on a much smaller, varied scale.

Photo by Monica R.

By Marissa Cohen

Big Agnes Website

Fall is here and green travel can also include a woodsy getaway where you can enjoy the oranges and golds of the season. Here are some simple campground tips to ensure that your camping trip is eco-friendly, so that you can enjoy the great outdoors and still respect the environment.

Campfires

Nothing is cozier then building a campfire when you’re out camping. But make sure that when you roast marshmallows, that you’re doing it over a fire that’s carefully contained to a pit or a ring of stones. Create the fire at least ten to fifteen feet away from tents and your living area. Try to stay away from chemically treated wood and make sure that the fire is entirely put out once you’re finished. (Give yourself at least a half hour to make sure the whole thing is out.) Also, if you’re looking to build a campfire, you may want to consider either bringing firewood with you …or gather only branches across a wide radius, allowing yourself to spread out the impact of what you’re taking.

Tents

Looking for a tent made of greener stuff? Nemo and Big Agnes offer tents made with recycled materials. Tents that are made from organic or renewable resources such as hemp or organic cotton are also a good choice when camping (Remember, hemp can naturally keep the bugs away.). However, they may be on the pricey side. Want to find a secondhand tent? You can find most anything online, and tents are no exception.

By Marissa Cohen