Do You Really Know How Green You Want to Be?

This fun green survey over at thedailygreen.com polls users on everyday habits and determines how green you REALLY want to be. I took the survey and and you can see, I have a heart of green (I could have told you that) and am ready to take the next step in my eco-commitment.

And how about you? How green are you? Take the poll over at thedailygreen.com and let me know how you compare to G.G.

Sunset on Naples Beach

Tourist Apology

I'm not just traveling in Florida - I'm vacationing. I'm more lazy, more focused on comfort, and more willing to let my principles slip for convenience. I'm also traveling with my family - they don't want to wait for me to sift through online food listings for local, slow, or green offerings. They're willing to get a cheaper hotel even if it means we have to drive further to almost any destination. They don't worry about taking long showers, or making sure the lights are off in the hotel room.And they prefer to drive than walk, to powerboat than paddle. Just like me, they're mindset is one of play and indulgence.

To make matters worse, I'm also away from my natural environment - the minimalist lifestyle I've carefully crafted over the years. At home I can bike or ride to work because of residential choices I've made. I know exactly where to go to get the healthiest food - both from stores and from restaurants. Even my sailboat purchase was a balance between convenience and environmental impact.

Now, I know what you're saying - and you're right - with the right amount of preparation I could have constructed a minimalist vacation. I could have started to socialize my family members on choices, taken a bigger role in planning our events, and I could have worked harder to identify and control more aspects of our experience.

But I didn't. So now the line between what is easy and what takes effort has moved away from my baseline. Instead of taking up the slack between my standards and those of the mainstream consumer society in which I find myself, I'm just going with the Florida norm. And I'm not impressed.

Let's start with food: fish (including sea bass) is still offered in restaurants with little indication of origin or method of capture. No mention is made of organic - let alone local - food, including Florida's domestic wine. Most convenience stores offer the same mass-produced junk you see anywhere in America. Even if there are some businesses that are focused on these issues, the issues themselves aren't important enough for businesses to address them - even with small steps.

Trash is another pet-peeve: neither the convenience stores nor the hotel where I am staying offer recycling bins (let alone a composting bin). At an upscale shopping area in North Naples, I was horrified to see a plastic bag floating right next to posh boats and condos. Even the beach was tarnished - I couldn't walk fifteen feet without seeing cigarette butts and random paper trash tucked into the bushes.

Transportation is also problematic: while this part of Florida has some of the best maintained roads I've seen anywhere in the United States, the mass transit options seem very limited - in all the travel literature I read about popular destinations I only saw options that targeted larger groups, not smaller families. While I saw a lot of bikes in downtown Naples, I couldn't imagine trying to navigate Highway 41 from my hotel down to any of the places I'd like to each or shop.

But not everything is negative - I was lucky enough to stumble on a recent news report that lists local establishments that are making strides to recycle. Everglades National Park has recycling containers, bike tours, and kayak rentals. The grocery chain Publix offers small - but clearly labeled - organic food sections. They also have a beautifully appointed spread of fresh seafood that was labeled to indicate the country of origin. Even more impressive, the grocer in charge of the display even knew which items came from Florida (mussels, clams, pink shrimp, and grouper). I even found a restaurant that is unabashedly organic without being strictly vegetarian - but they close too early (7:30) for our feeding schedule.

I talked about this dilemma with GG - she just happened to be passing by Naples today - as we walked along the beach and enjoyed a warm, stormy sunset. After tossing a few ideas around, we realized that tourists present as much an opportunity for a sustainable Florida as they do a challenge. What if every rental car included complimentary fabric grocery bags and the road maps included recycling drop-off points? What if travel websites had an indicator for which hotels had met sustainability benchmarks or carried sustainability certifications? What if every hotel provided a condensed, updated list of local establishments that met environmental standards?

Notice that most of these ideas incorporate current resources - many grocery stores offer fabric bags for sale. Florida does have a small (but growing) list of certified hotels. And there are many independent sites that track local foods, recycling resources, and transportation alternatives. The key is to make these resources easier to incorporate into the existing tourism infrastructure. I believe that while individual businesses play an important part by pursuing initiatives out of self-interest, I think that a broader effort on part of the official tourism organizations to integrate and expose these innovations to "mainstream" tourists is probably the best way to provide a beneficial feedback loop. And that's exactly what GG and I are hoping to support by writing this blog.

One final note: I'm not absolving anyone (including myself) of personal responsibility. The links above reflect (a small amount of) research I should have done as part of my vacation planning, not as a token post-facto attempt at satisfying my own guilt. Any mistakes, oversights, and outright inaccuracies are my own - which just shows how difficult it is for a modern tourist to wade through volumes of information and effective, rational decisions.

Thoughts That Keep Me Awake

I love Diet Dr. Pepper. I don't love the fact that I tend to go right for the 20 oz. plastic bottle instead of the smaller can. I love even less that I have yet to see a convenience store that offers recycling bins for either type of container.

The Drive

At the rental car counter in the Tampa airport, I asked if there were any hybrids and/or flex fuel vehicles available. I really expected a blank stare, but the lady behind the counter actually did a search on the computer before letting my hopes down. Apparently there are a few Prius vehicles in the fleet, but none were in at the moment.

Before we headed south to Naples, the family (my mom and my sisters) decided they wanted a nice place for dinner. We ended up at J. Alexander's. The waiter was new and we were hungry, so instead of my typical Guantanamo-inspired interrogation as to the origins of the fish on the menu, I simply ordered four sides as part of the vegetable plate: Mac 'n cheese, baked beans, mashed potatoes and cole slaw. All yummy, and way too much food. So of course we ordered dessert - warm cheese cream on the carrot cake was the best (although Key Lime was a hit with my sisters).

The drive down was good until about thirty minutes outside of Naples - we ran into the construction/traffic accident bottleneck that seems so common anytime any serious road repair happens on Florida byways. We ended up idling our way through a five mile stretch. Fourty minutes later, we were back again at highway speed, only to run into yet another stretch where traffic slowed to a crawl, merged, and then sped back up.

Is there really an effective approach to the kind of fuel waste (let alone environmental impact) that occurs during chronic traffic delays? I also can't ignore the impact I have - as a tourist - on traffic patterns, road expansion (more asphalt, less trees), and specific fuel consumption. As I get ready to sleep in my nicely air conditioned hotel room, I'm left with one nagging question: what if I had paid the extra money to fly right into Naples?

Florida Green Dreams

GG asked me to share my perspective on being a tourist in Florida who sees things through an environmentalist/minimalist bent. Two minutes into the Tampa airport and I'm already asking myself if the beautiful, airy terminals are worth the amount of air conditioning necessary to cool down such empty space? If they teach us in business school that saving a dollar adds more to the bottom-line then making a dollar in sales, then I'm going to assume that translates to efficiency and conservation.

Not that I expect anyone is going to tear down the terminal...

Ditch the Hitchhiking and Share a Ride

While walking or riding a bike to the office is a good thing for the environment and your body, it's not often feasible. The next best thing is to carpool. Fewer cars on the roads mean fewer carbons polluting the air.

Don't have a co-worker you're willing to share a ride with? Find a ride-pal over at eRideShare.com, a free service connecting commuters.

What's the VISIT FLORIDA office doing? VFg3's research indicated nearly 50% of the staff said they'd carpool to work. During Green Launch Week in January, a groovy carpool ride board was posted in the employee break room with high expectations. Sadly, no one has connected.

On the plus side, the Green Team committee, which evolved from the VFg3 project, will evaluate this and other issues in converting the VF offices to more environmentally responsible workplace.

Personally, I'd like to see the proposal of a 4-day work-week considered. Four days in the office means fewer cars on the road and reduced energy consumption in the office. Wonder how that proposition will go over...

Can You Really Have a Green Vacation in Florida?

G.G.'s been touting how easy it is to have a green vacation in Florida but what happens when we put theories to the test? Is it really easy to have a green Florida vacation? I mean, I had an awesome time in Pensacola last December, but that really wasn't a vacation, that was a staff retreat. (Here she is birdwatching with some of the VF crew.)

Soon enough, we'll be having a guest blogger sharing his spring break vaca to sunny Florida and all the green vacation opportunities he finds (and by green, I don't mean margaritas). Stay tuned!

Green Passport Launched During ITB in Berlin Last Week

Still not convinced traveling green is easy to do? The United Nations Environment Programme launched the Green Passport during ITB in Berlin last week. The Green Passport is designed to create global consumer awareness about the impact made when traveling. The Passport offers easy to follow green tips for travelers planning a vacation (or "holiday," as you non-Americans prefer).

The Passport is divided into different sections, depending on the vacation planning process. There's information about planning a green vacation, how to get there, getting around once there, how to act while there and what to do upon returning home. Site visitors can also submit their own green travel tips.

Have I mentioned how easy it is to use this Passport?

See! Traveling green isn't that hard.

T-Shirt Bags are a Green Good Thing

Attending numerous conferences means I accumulate numerous t-shirts and conference bags. I keep the groovy ones, some are given to friends and family and others are donated to Goodwill. But what about making something useful out of those t-shirts?

Check out Martha Stewart to see what she and her team have come up with, a t-shirt converted into a shopping bag! Now that's a green good thing. (BTW - fast forward through the part about gourds to see the green t-shirt bag).

Traveling Green Just Got Easier with Greentravelhub.com

G.G.'s been out of sight lately but she's back! Want to travel green but not sure where to begin? The Web is full of green travel information but try Greentravelhub.com

The site offers green travel options for hotels, rental cars and flights (non-green options, too). What's even better is 20% of the profits benefit an environmental organization. Check out Greentravelhub.com to be green travel savvy.

Pepsi's Gone Green Along with All Laundry Detergent, Who'll Be Next?

Mainstream America seems to be catching up to the going green concept and in my inbox this morning, had an email from the Pepsi Cola Company touting its efforts to go green. Also in the email was mention of All Small and Mighty Laundry Detergent going green, too.

Both have green Web sites with fun, interactive components to help consumers go green.

Wondering when I'll receive an email from the Coca Cola Company learning about their green efforts.

Mission Accomplished! VFg3 Revealed

VFg3 made their first public debut in front of the corporation's higher ups yesterday and to say the least, it was a success! So much of a success that G.G. will probably be sticking around longer and "Team Green" will be established within the office to keep the green ball rolling.

So what does VFg3 stand for? VISIT FLORIDA Girls Gone Green. We chose this because all six of the sales representatives are women and wanted to have a little fun and parody the legendary "Girls Gone Wild" (or Girls Gone Mild, depending on what part of the Sunshine State). If the VF guys are feeling left out, a "G" can double as "Girls and Guys."

Each of the six sales reps presented a portion of the 45-minute presentation. G.G. was introduced early on, too. As part of the required multi-media presentation, the Power Point included video. Organic and other environmentally conscious food were served during the presentation. Water bottles with the VFg3 logo were given away to the higher ups along with green bags reading, "VISIT FLORIDA Goes Green," which were left over from this year's Governor's Conference on Travel. Of course, this blog served as another component of multi-media.

What's next? The Executive Committee said they'd like to see "Team Green" established in the office not only to help VISIT FLORIDA go green but serve as a leader and resource for the tourism industry to go green. Immediately, all six sales reps were assigned to the committee. Who would have thunk a simple goal could make such an impact. Stay tuned!

Think Twice Before Snubbing Your Green Nose at a Bus

One of the VFg3 sales reps attended the National Tour Association (NTA) Annual Convention in Kansas City (Nov. 2 - 6) and came back with groovy green facts about motor coaches (aka: buses). Now don't be snubbing your nose at the concept of traveling on a motor coach. These aren't your grandma's buses these days. Coaches are comfortable, provide a smooth ride, and best of all, someone else is driving while you nap. Besides, motor coaches these days are a good thing for the environment.

Our VFg3 sales rep extraordinaire heard from Motor Coach Industries (MCI), whose slogan is "Go Green, Go Coach, Go MCI," to learn how they're decreasing their impact to our planet.

For instance, did you know one motor coach can potentially remove 56 cars from the road?

More shocking is that the U.S. transportation system accounts for one-third of the U.S.'s greenhouse gas emissions, that's more than 515 million tons of CO2 annually!

These and other factoids are found at the MCI's green facts page.

In September of this year, the American Bus Association (ABA) released the "Penguin Packet" to launch the "Save a Penguin, Take a Motorcoach" campaign. According to the packet, motor coaches are:

• Almost seven times more energy and fuel efficient than single-occupancy.
• Five times more efficient than transit buses.
• Three times more efficient than commuter rail.

Think motor coaches, they're a good shade of green!

Does the Tourism Industry Understand the Color Green?

During this whole VFg3 project, G.G.'s been wondering if the tourism industry understands the meaning of green. After doing a quick survey of destination marketing offices (DMOs, most of them being Convention and Visitors Bureaus - CVBs), G.G. can attest some offices are doing the basics - recycling and some energy conservation. But what about policies of purchasing green products from green vendors? Or, purchasing carbon offset emissions when traveling?

Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) understands the color of green. The association, which serves as the world's premier resource for DMOs, purchased staff travel carbon offsets for the 93rd annual convention in 2007. That's pretty cool.

With all the talk of going green, I recently came across the Hotel HotSheet USA Today blog and a post about a ecotainers being introduced in the Hilton Garden Inn hotel line. Ecotainers are "all-natural hot beverage cups coated with corn-based plastic" and "requires less energy and generates less greenhouse gas during manufacturing." Sounds pretty cool and tasty!

What's astonishing is that the 300-plus Hilton Garden Inns annually consume 6 million Styrofoam-based cups!

Even more interesting in the blog post is a link to an article on Hotel-Online.com called, "The Colour of Hotels The Politics of Going Green" by Barry Napier, which links to Napier's article called, "The Real Deal Behind Green Hotels and Carbon Footprints."

Napier not only questions global warming but points out scientific studies disclaiming it. In turn, hotels (especially the small ones) and the rest of the world (because we as consumers are helping the green hotels profit), are being duped and wasting money by going green. He makes the distinction between "going green" (reducing waste, saving money) and "saving the planet" (in essence, he says the planet is not in peril).

Give his articles a read, they're interesting food for thought.

Imagine Florida without the Keys

Thinking of Florida without the Florida Keys and the Everglades seems impossible but according to Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University by 2060, this could be a very likely possibility. According to GDEI's November study called, "Florida and Climate Change: The Cost of Inaction," sea levels are anticipated to rise by 27 inches if Florida doesn't do anything to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Now if the Keys and other popular tourist areas disappear (beaches will be threatened), this will have a significant impact on tourism. As the report points out:

• Florida will be at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer by 2100, making it hotter and less attractive to tourists (Florida will truly be one hot destination!) during the low and shoulder seasons.
• There will be fewer places for tourists to visit in the Sunshine State meaning fewer places visiting meaning fewer things purchased. By 2025, GDEI predicts (if nothing is done in Florida to reduce carbon emissions) a $9 billion impact and $40 billion by 2050.
• Hurricane damage will increase due to hurricane intensity (warmer water temperatures , too.
• The cost of doing business in Florida will be expensive and this no doubt be passed along to tourists, making Florida an expensive place to vacation and live. Insurance rates will probably rise due to increased hurricane activity and it'll cost more to cool buildings with warmer temperatures.
• Foods associated with Florida, like oranges and shrimp, may not be able to survive the climate change. Warming waters may destroy the shrimp's habitat and land reduction and warmth may or they may not be able to thrive due to reduction in land.
• With warmer waters, marine habitats will change, coral reefs will bleach and die, popular snorkeling and diving destinations will no longer be popular for tourists.

It's not all doom in gloom. If Florida steps up to the plate to reduce greenhouse emissions, as directed by Gov. Charlie Crist's Executive Orders signed in July 2007, conditions can be stabilized. Global warming is inevitable but it can be slowed and stabilized.

G.G. has to ask, does the cost of inaction outweigh action?

G.G.'s Acting Debut

Today's the only day this week all of the VFg3 reps are in the office and only day prior to their Dec. 10 presentation to the higher powers. Ends are being tied, lines are being rehearsed and G.G. filmed her portion of the program yesterday. It was somewhat simple because the higher powers are away planning next year's events. As the saying goes, while the cats are away, the mice will play!

Fast Company Says Tallahassee is a City on the Verge of Being a Green Leader

The magazine Fast Company published an article in July/August this year listing fast cities - cities moving forward. While Miami made the list for being a cultural hub, Tallahassee, Fla. almost made the list and was recognized as being "on the verge" as a green leader for its Go Green Tallahassee initiative. Tallahassee's Go Green efforts promote environmental responsibility. Let's hope the state's capitol city will set the example for the rest of the Sunshine State.

VFg3: Crunch Time!

Hard to believe less than two weeks is the big presentation by the VFg3 Team to their superiors. While there have been limited days when everyone is in the office together, everyone is pulling their weight to make the presentation happen.

During a recent meeting, results of the in-office survey was revealed (in short, most of the staff support more green efforts within the company) along with a summary of disposable goods purchased last Fiscal Year (July 2006 - June 2007). G.G. found these results most alarming, specifically upon learning 31,000 Styrofoam cups were purchased and consumed during this time. Mind you, 66 employees work in the office, meaning each employee used an average of 470 cups in a YEAR!!!

Also, various destinations throughout the State of Florida were surveyed to understand what they are doing in the ways of going green.

Gathering all this information definitely sets in motion a plan for VFg3's company to set in motion a sustainable plan and become the leader for the Florida tourism industry in reducing carbon emissions.

Still Confuzzeled About Where to Start Being Green?

G.G. realizes it can be overwhelming going green. Surfing the Net is information overload and frustrating figuring out a beginning point to go green.

My tip? Start out small and take small green steps, every effort helps. Here's a great resource with various tips for going green in the home, it's called Going Green. Check out the A to Z tips for going green.

Some small steps you can take to go green include:

• If you live in an area of the country that runs your AC most of the year, place small trash cans underneath the condensation pipe and use that water to water your plants.


• Recycle everything your curbside service will allow.


• Take shorter showers, eliminate soaking in the bath tub, hand wash dishes and do laundry minimally.


• Purchase re-usable canvas grocery bags instead of using the plastic ones stores have.


• Use environmentally friendly cleaning products.


• Pack your lunch in Tupperware/Rubbermaid vs. Ziploc bags (or at least reuse the Ziploc bags).