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Mother’s Day is just around the corner on Sunday, May 13. On Mother’s Day celebrate mom in environmentally friendly ways and give her a green Mother’s Day.

Body Care

Pamper mom with organic body wash and bath salts. (General body wash often has petroleum or parabins in it, both of which can cause cancer or have other dangerous, long-term side effects). When selecting bath goodies for mom, make sure that they are cruelty free and made without any animal byproducts. Alba Botanica has fantastic parabin/petroleum free body care items. There are many wonderful body scrubs out there, but green, organic scrubs and body washes will protect mom’s health while helping her feel like a queen.

Books

If mom doesn’t already have an e-reader, consider getting her one because the more you read, the greener of an option the e-reader becomes. If she’s an avid reader, pick her up a Kindle or other e-reader so she can download her favorites. If she really loves real books (and really, who doesn’t enjoy curling up with a real book?), get her some gently used books from a site such as Better World Books.

Traveling Mom

While nurturing her kids was probably a great adventure, it’s time for mom to see the world and explore new places. If mom enjoys packing a bag and seeing the world, make sure she’s got the eco-friendly supplies to do it. A stainless steel water bottle is a must have for any traveling mom. If mom’s taking a flight, get her some carbon-offset credits. If she’s the slow-and-easy type of traveler, you might want to plan a train trip for two, so that you and mom can see America from the window of a train. Plus, train travel is one of the greenest ways to explore.

Cards for Mom

While you could go with traditional Mother’s Day cards, let yourself get creative and make her a collage using pictures cut from magazines using what you already have. Get creative with pen, crayons, or even pictures from magazines and put your unique collage into a frame. If you’d rather go with a traditional card, find one printed on recyclable paper.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By Etsy Ketsy

When I was a kid, Saturdays in summer meant that it was time to pick strawberries. It meant piling in the car -sometimes with my two cousins – and heading over to Batten’s Farm, located in Davie, Florida. That was in 1992.

Several years ago, Batten’s Farm  closed and it seemed like all the locals went into kind of low-grade mourning.

Goodbye to Berries

One friend of mine actually called me to report that she’d bought strawberries at a regular supermarket. “Nothing like Batten’s,” she sighed into the phone, recounting happy memories of Batten’s strawberries and milkshakes. While I didn’t get misty eyed over store-bought berries, I too found myself getting nostalgic whenever I drove south on Davie Road and passed the old farmstead, the small building shut up tighter than a drum, its white shutters gleaming in the sunlight. With it went the ripe, better-than-in-a-food-store strawberries, the friendly owners, and the barnyard animals in the pen out back. Worst of all? The milkshakes and boiled peanuts that I used to share with my late father were gone too.

Batten’s Reopened in 2011

And last summer, it reopened, thanks in part to the Davie-based non-profit, the North-South Institute, which operates Batten’s as a farmer’s market, with local Broward County farmers selling produce.

Recently, I went to Batten’s and had just as much fun there now as I did when I was a kid.

A New Generation of Local Food and Fun

Some things have changed. The new owners have installed ceiling fans in the building and there’s now a refrigerated section in the back for sodas, boxed foods, and of course, their famous and beloved strawberries.

The milkshakes are back too, just in time for spring.

But the best thing of all? The promise of hanging out for an hour – or all day if I wanted to – slurping a coconut milkshake and hanging out with the barnyard animals. Batten’s is perfect for kids or for a solo walk around the small farm.

If You Go

Batten’s Farm is located at 5151 Davie Road, Davie, 33329. Visit their website, call 954-990-7820, or find them on Facebook.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By tamburix

Last time we did a gay travel app article for men. This one’s strictly for the women. Usually, there’s nothing cozier than curling up with a book or magazine, but when you’re exploring the globe or checking out some national treasures, travel apps are a handy way to get your information fix. Plus, the more books or magazines you have, the greener a choice it is to download apps, instead of wasting paper.

Travel

The lesbian version of Gay Scout, check out Gurl Scout, a practical travel app that’s divided into different cities. Look up lesbian-friendly restaurants, bed-and-breakfasts, resorts, and more. Over 7,000 businesses in more than 1800 cities and towns are listed in this fantastic app. It also works with Google Maps. Want to travel and volunteer at the same time? Go to Sweet.com and click on the RSS feed to download the latest from this eco-friendly, all-lesbian travel company. Looking for some e-books? Although geared toward straight women The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2011 is great. If you’re looking for globetrotting fiction, check out Justine Saracen’s novels, all available in e-book format. Her Ibis Prophecy books follow a lesbian archeologist through the Egyptian desert. The first book in the series,The 100th Generation, was a finalist for the Golden Grown Literary Society’s Popular Choice Award. Either BellaBooks.com or BoldStrokesBooks.com has an impressive collection of more downloadable novels, perfect to read on vacation.

If you’re looking for a quiet, artsy, lesbian-friendly getaway, download travel guides for Asheville, North Carolina. (Travel Hint: Bookworms will love Malaprop’s Bookstore and Café, a lesbian-owned independent bookstore that is jam-packed with events from poetry readings to author panels.)

Culture

If you’re local to South Florida, download She Magazine, available here. Chock full of all kinds of South Florida info for LBT women, She is a great way to tell what’s up in South Florida. If you’re looking for national magazines that you can load onto your e-reader or smartphone, check out Curve or OutTraveler, the gay and lesbian travel magazine.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By loungerie

We can learn a lot about green travel and nature from these two writers. We can learn how to love life a little more and launch into adventures with a sense of humor.

Thoreau and the Pond: Deliberate Life

Some, such as Henry David Thoreau, decided to live on Walden Pond for a period of two years, and then recounted his life in the woods in 1854’s Walden. My undergraduate English professor often joked that in the area of Massachusetts near Walden, one could buy tee shirts and buttons that said Thoreau Went Home On Weekends and while it’s true that Thoreau made his two-year home on land owned by his good friend Ralph Emerson, I don’t think that undercuts the beauty of what he managed to accomplish. Thoreau did something extraordinary and took himself out of society to get away from the hustle and bustle of 19th century Concord. (This fantastic blog post focuses on Thoreau as a master of perception-based travel – what we might today refer to as a ‘staycationer.’)
Thoreau’s major work had a “sit around and wait” feeling to it, but when he really gets going, his writing hits a nerve and stays there. As an undergraduate, I remember slogging through an excruciatingly boring section about watching beans grow, and then out of nowhere, Thoreau would transform before my eyes, becoming a magician of nature: I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to dig deep and suck out all the marrow of life.
The twenty-year old that I was willingly forgave Thoreau his notes about beans and farming to get to sections like that, where his writing practically becomes a spiritual dare to dive in to nature.

Bryson and the Woods: Laugh At Yourself

Bill Bryson is another writer who made nature come alive for me in A Walk in The Woods, though I have no illusions about my own ability or desire to hike the Appalachian Trail. But Bryson’s tale of a middle-aged man who ropes his best friend into the hike of a lifetime is utterly hilarious. If Thoreau double-dog dared you to live in your own local woods and see what life really meant, Bryson’s books promise that there is some grand, hilarious adventure just up ahead.

Green Travel Matters

Green travel matters . It seems that every moment technology is growing by light-years. At some point, here’s my personal dare. Figure out what joy means for you, hit the woods, do some hiking. Building your own cabin on a friend’s land is purely optional, but I believe it matters that you try something new, be open to Bryson-style hilariousness, and like Thoreau, make your own journey into a spiritual dare; allow yourself to get lost in your own backyard and see where you end up.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By Luke Wisley

This past weekend, I went to Hollywood Beach, right near the Desoto. I almost never go to the beach, but all my work was done and it was time to play. I decided to make the nearby Hollywood Beach the setting for my solo adventure. I can’t remember when I’ve had so much green fun, and right in my own backyard! Looking to have some ecofriendly fun? Hit the beach!

Green Lifestyle

Hollywood Beach supports a green lifestyle. From the green and comfortable Desoto Inn to the electricity saving lights that shine over the Broadwalk, Hollywood Beach supports an eco-conscious lifestyle.

The Turtle Café

Turtle Café borders Keating Beach (a part of North Hollywood Beach Park, located just at the end of Sheridan Street) and is a great place to sit and people watch. (The burgers aren’t bad either.) In front of the aptly named Turtle Café is a protected turtle preserve. 90% of sea turtle nesting happens right here in Florida, so I had fun watching some adorable baby turtles.

The Broadwalk

The Broadwalk is a 2.5 mile promenade of shops, restaurants, and hotels on the west side, and of course, the Atlantic ocean on the east side. First built in 1925, Broadwalk renovations were completed in 2007, and in 2010 the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk was named one of best broadwalks in America by Travel and Leisure editor Nilou Motamed, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a wonderful place to people-watch, soak in the cool ocean breezes, rent a bike for two, or simply wander around with a backpack full of green snacks to munch on. The Broadwalk is the perfect place for a beautiful stroll and is a great place to take a break from busy weekdays.

Green Yummies

Don’t forget a handy selection of green snacks for your beach afternoon. Trail mix, organic fruit, or raisins are perfect light snacks for a day of beach fun. Be sure to take a reusable water bottle with you – temperatures can soar, even in our so-called winter. If you’re there on a Sunday between 9 am and 5:31 pm, stop by Josh’s Organic Market (located on the Broadwalk and Harrison Street, by the Ramada Hotel) for a smoothie or some fresh produce for the week. Josh is something of a local treasure; his reasonably priced market is practically legendary among veggie lovers in South Florida.

From the crystal-clear ocean to the golden-red sunsets, Hollywood Beach is a laid-back, eco-friendly, and relaxing place to spend your weekend.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By Fabio – Miami

Being green and gay is all about being exactly who you are while giving back to nature. These two unique travel companies make sure you’ll have the time of your life while supporting eco-friendly travel.

For Women

Lesbian travel company Sweet  offers the best of lesbian travel combined with green principles.

• Where They Go: If cruising to Italy or France or rafting down the Colorado River suits your fancy, then Sweet is for you. But, if you also dream of vacation adventures where you can give back to the locals, then look no further than Sweet.
• Carbon Neutral Cruises and Travel: All cruises are carbon neutral. Don’t worry about footing your own carbon footprint. Sweet will do it for you. All of their travel – whether by air, land, or water – is offset. Sweet is an entirely carbon-free company, and they even contributed to a reforestation project in Louisiana.
• Giving Back: Most of Sweet’s vacations come with an option to help support local areas in a variety of ways, such as taking part in beach cleanups or planting trees. The “Sweeties” travel the world, bringing green goodness to all, and on one recent trip, actually sterilized feral cats. (Can’t you just hear your friends asking, “So, what’d you do on your vacation?”) On an upcoming cruise to the Bahamas, the Sweeties will donate goods and time to the Rainfurly Home for Children.

For Men

If you’re looking for all-male trips, check out Out Adventures.

• Carbon-Offsets Included: As of 2011, all trip prices include a carbon-offset charge. Plus, Out Adventures operates on the core green principle of “leave no trace.” In other words, Out Adventures makes sure to carry away any trash and leave the environment just as they found it.
• Small and Supportive: Travelers with Out Adventures can look forward to small group travels (with a maximum size of 12) that support local leaders, businesses, and culture. With 2012 trips from Nepal to China, Out Adventures brings you into the adventure.
• Three Styles For You: Out Adventure travelers have a choice of booking three styles of adventures: Active, Comfort, and Inspire. If you choose an Active adventure, have a blast kayaking, walking, or biking your way through your unique vacation. If you want to relax and hole up in a cozy little B-and-B, then Comfort is the style for you; however, if learning about the locals and yoga on the beach sound more exciting to you, go with an Inspire vacation.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By muskva

In order to protest the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), Wikipedia was among the many websites to black out during the week of January 16. No matter what your political beliefs are, the fact that several websites went dark starting on Wednesday, January 18th marked a gigantic internet protest.

It also led to hundreds, if not thousands, of college students unleashing their full-fledged panic on Twitter , worrying that they’d never get their homework done without the help of Wiki.

Where Would Green Travelers Be Without Technology?

Along similar lines, what would the lack of technology do for green travel? Let’s suppose for a moment that all personal computers and iPhones went down for one week.

Would Twitter would be alive with panicked green travelers bemoaning the loss of their GPS-systems?

Getting back to nature completely is powerful, but could we do it?

What if every last person took one day a week to turn off everything and then went out into the world to find something interesting to do that didn’t involve a phone, a computer, or a tablet? If America’s student population seems confounded and terrified by the temporary lack of Wiki, where would that leave green travelers? While there’s plenty to be said for the information age, what do we have left when information goes silent?

Brush Up on our MapReading Skills

How many of us are conditioned to reach for a map app instead of having an instinctive directional knowledge? Being without personal technology would give us the chance to get back to the travel basics of map reading (although once we get the personal technology going again, this travel app won an EPA award in late 2011).

Talk to People

If we’re left without our personal technology, we might have to ask directions from total strangers. Even if we’re not usually techzombies wrapped up in our phones or iPads, relying on a sense of community might be a rusty skill for some of us, and might make us feel as new for us as for some of those Wiki-starved college students who seem to have forgotten how to use a library.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By huronbikes

Green travel is all about going out into the world with a huge sense of adventure and a tiny carbon footprint. Saving money is also green-friendly and what traveler doesn’t want to save some green by going green? When I go on the road, I love these simple, eco-friendly tips.

Don’t Stuff So Much:

If I really feel like challenging my inner eco-warrior, I make sure to pack only what I need, sometimes even foregoing the suitcase for a carryon or backpack. This makes travel more simple for a few reasons: the heavier your bag is the more 1) expensive and 2) bulky it will be. Save money, reduce the plane’s fuel use, and save your energy, all at one time. If you really need to take a bigger bag, make lists of what you want to pack beforehand or pile travel stuff on the bed before packing it into your bag. If you must take a lot of items, check out these great and detailed tips on the “bundle” method of packing .

Goodwill is Good:

There is nothing more fun than thrifting, so if you’re looking for new vacation clothes without a hefty price tag, check out a local charity-run store. While you may not find eco-friendly fabrics such as hemp, you’ll certainly find quirky, inexpensive items. For those who want to wear designer duds on vacation, don’t overlook thrift stores, especially in high-end neighborhoods. And what’s more green than going secondhand? I’ve lost count of the cool, used things I’ve found. A few years ago I went to England in March and my favorite thrifty find came in handy – a tweed coat, marked down from $85 to a mere $5, which kept me toasty the whole week long.

Neutral Tones:

When packing a suitcase, try to go with neutral or matching colors. It will be easier to make outfits out of several matching-colored items. (I’m all for wearing all black if it means I don’t have to worry about making sense of my suitcase.) While that doesn’t mean you have to sport one color, packing clothes that go with most anything or of similar shades will make packing and dressing easier.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By Foxtongue

Reusable Grocery Bags

“Aren’t we green enough already?”

The person who asked that question had just discovered that I write for a green blog. We’d had a very nice chat about the nature of recycling, paper vs. plastic, and why travel awareness is important. And suddenly, she asked me, basically, why there’s still a green movement. She wasn’t being confrontational. She was just echoing a concept that I’ve seen before – isn’t it everywhere, already? Aren’t we greened out, yet? 

Green Movements

Frankly, I can see her point. To some extent, the concept of being “green” has become woven into our culture in the last several years. Once upon a time, reuseable shopping bags were nowhere to be seen or you had to bring your own. Now, they are offered for sale in every supermarket that I’ve been to. Don’t want to waste paper or plastic? No problem, you can buy a shopping bag for a dollar. Every major business offers an online bill payment option to save paper and my nine-year old niece could probably run small seminars on the importance of recycling.

Green Enough?

Do you need to be political to care about the earth? If you want. Do you need to buy hemp sheets? If you like; they’re certainly comfy. But above all, the reason we’re not green enough yet is that there is no enough when you’re trying to save your resources. Being aware should at least become part of our daily consciousness. There’s not an off switch for the hole in the ozone layer, but bit by daily bit, we can help our planet along. A good friend of mine is not what I’d consider green. He doesn’t particularly care about LED lights yet, he’s not into any exotic kind of eco-friendly fabric, and I promise you he does not stay awake at night fretting about the price of organic travel luggage, but when he recycles, everything, and I mean everything goes into a bin. That’s something.

So, if everyone knows it and if everyone seems to be on the bandwagon anyway, why is being green still so important? The very idea of being green is so, so simple that it may seem that we’ve done enough. We avoid porous water bottles, we haul our recycling bin to the curb, and we learn about green travel. Why is there still more?

Protecting our Resources

There is more because we’re doing all of this for the same reason that our grandparents saved buttons and scraps of tin in past decades: because we’re running out of resources and we want to take care of what we have. Period. We’re doing this because it’s logical to save what you have when your resources are dwindling, and it makes sense to learn how to do that. So why are we not green enough yet? Because  it’s not about enough. It’s about consistency. we need to look out the window and remember, daily, why this matters. We can’t afford to have eco-amnesia.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By MD Anderson’s Focused on Health

The Riverwalk is located in Fort Lauderdale, in the downtown historic district. It is a 1.5 mile long brick-lined walkway along the north bank of the New River. Many of the city‘s historical landmarks can be seen along the way.  The path starts near the oldest surviving structure in the city, the lovely pine and oak house known as Stranahan House. This gorgeous stretch of river front has been preserved by the city of Fort Lauderdale, ensuring the quaint park, which houses some interesting nautical ‘art’, is extremely clean and safe, and the outlining buildings, including the renowned Florida Grand Opera House, are showcased.

Take this pleasant stroll along one of the rivers of a network of canals known as the Venice of America, in the warm Florida sunshine, and enjoy a breeze and the view of the marina. It is truly one of the most romantic walks you will take along Florida’s most enchanting mile. The Riverwalk connects two main streets that run through the district- Las Olas Boulevard and Himmarshee Street. Along these streets, amidst lush tropical landscaping and wide, tree lined walkways link downtown Fort Lauderdale attractions, including the Broward Center for Performing Arts, the Museum of Discovery and Science, Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art and the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival- all within walking distance of one another.

If yachts and mansions float your boat, check out the year-around sightseeing cruise departing three times daily from the New River Docks. The cruise takes you along the Intracoastal Waterway and into Port Everglades, to enjoy the sights of large mansions, celebrity homes in Millionaires Row and massive yachts on the water. Visitors can also see some of the world’s largest cruise ships while in a smooth gliding tour cruise.

Treat yourself and loved ones to a scrumptious meal in one of the many restaurants right on the river or  hop on a water taxi and experience the marina’s fisheries across the way.  You can even become part of the Riverwalk landmark by purchasing a personalized, engraved signature brick.

The Riverwalk is the perfect place to unwind, fall in love or just have a truly unique experience. Even waiting for the various draw bridges along the way to be raised and lowered is a marvel. It is enjoyable anytime of the year, however if you are a music enthusiast, visit in February and dance to the Riverwalk Blues & Music Festival outdoor concerts.

By Nuria Almeida

Photo by Christopher Gosselin