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A luxurious tropical vacation to South Florida may sound\ndifficult for eco-conscious travelers to take, but it does not have to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are ways for individuals to travel to an American tropical paradise sustainably. South Florida offers a wide selection of sustainable options from resorts to restaurants, shops and tourist attractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sustainable\nLodging<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If eco-conscious travelers are looking to book a hotel\nonline for their trip to Miami, chances are they will be directed to The Palms\nHotel & Spa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Palms Hotel & Spa is a nature-centric oceanfront\nresort that puts green practices at the core of each visitor\u2019s experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Palms Hotel & Spa is inspired by the beauty and\nhealth benefits of nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would say I am the most eco-conscious traveler around. I\nhave been to many eco-friendly resorts. From my experience, the Palms has\nsucceeded in being the most sustainable. When checking in, employees assured me\nabout how all rooms contained LED light bulbs. I also saw the rooms came with\nlow-flow showerheads, which reduce excessive water usage. Not only was the\nhotel eco-conscious when it came to the showers, but they even provided their\nguests with bathrobes made from sustainable microfiber materials. It was\nrefreshing to see,\u201d stated Mark Kudla, a recent guest at the Palms Hotel &\nSpa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Booking a standard room at the Palms Hotel & Spa comes\nwith a single king-size bed, one bathroom with a shower, and a flat-screen tv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guests at the Palms also have direct access to the AVEDA Spa\nlocated in the lower lobby of the hotel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Being a customer at the spa means enduring an experience that\nstimulates the mind, body, and soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spa professionals perform rituals inspired by medieval\nAyurvedic holistic philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The AVEDA Spa combines all-natural organic products with\nancient rituals to create rejuvenating experiences for guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sustainable\nDining<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The organic eatery DIRT-Eat Clean located at Sunset Harbor in Miami Beach and at Mary Brickell Village in the Brickell area near downtown Miami.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDirt is where clean eating and great taste coexist. We are\na \u201ccounter casual,\u201d all-day dining experience combining fresh, healthy-ish food\nwith convenience and simplicity. We believe in high-quality, nutritious food,\nserved quickly and affordably,\u201d explained Aaron Licardo, regional director of\nOperations at DIRT. \u201cWe know where our food comes from, and we think you should\ntoo. We highlight food artisans and local farmers plus purveyors on the farm\nand friends map at each DIRT location.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n DIRT is a place where friends can enjoy a healthy and\ndelicious meal together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Clean Bowl, which consists of 12 cage-free egg whites,\nturkey bacon, avocado mash, saut\u00e9ed peppers and onions, saut\u00e9ed kale, roasted\nsweet potato, and house-made salsa verde is a staple at DIRT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another ideal sustainable dining option for eco-conscious\ntravelers is KYU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KYU is a contemporary Asian eatery located in Wynwood that\nis committed to utilizing green and sustainable practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are sustainable in many ways. We have an option for\nguests, where they can purchase a $5 donation that goes towards the\nMaryland-based non-profit organization \u201ctrees for the future.\u201d Our restaurant\nalso tries to be sustainable by recycling our menus and having no plastic\nstraws. We work with local farms as well to keep our food as fresh as\npossible\u201d, stated Jen, the reservation reception supervisor at KYU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KYU shows how an eatery can be trendy and sustainable at the\nsame time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sustainable\nActivities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If visitors are looking to engage in sustainable activities\nin South Florida, The Miami Beach Botanical Garden is the perfect destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are big advocates of sustainable, organic\ngardening\u200a\u2014\u200acreating as much habitat for wildlife and people in our otherwise\nvery urban environment. One of our large sustainability efforts is our\nCommunity Compost Program\u200a\u2014\u200awe accept food scraps from the public and turn them\ninto very fertile, organic soil we use in our garden and sell to others for\nthem to do so as well, decreasing the need for chemicals in landscaping and\nincreasing the health of our thriving city. We have diverted and processed tens\nof thousands of pounds of waste from landfills into gardens since 2016,\u201d stated\nSanna O\u2019Sullivan, head gardener at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tourists can visit this free public garden to experience how\neasing the green space is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The garden showcases different types of plants from all\naround the world. Each of the plants signifies the importance of culture and\ndiversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Miami Beach Botanical Garden\u2019s landscape is then part of\ntheir environmental footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Miami Beach Botanical Garden is not the only\neco-friendly tourist attraction that South Florida has to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Biscayne National Park is a Florida landmark that contains\ncoral reefs, islands, and shoreline mangrove forests within the attraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Travelers can fish in the Biscayne Bay, partly located\nwithin Biscayne National Park, which can be an excellent bonding activity for\nthe family or among friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Biscayne National Park has partnered with Florida to make\nsure that fisheries resources are sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fishing in the bay is an activity that is both safe and\nenjoyable for eco-conscious travelers looking for things to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sustainable\nShopping<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n South Florida has cities that have contributed to saving the\nplanet as they have launched eco-friendly boutiques, which are available to\nlocals and visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ANTIDOTE is a showroom located in the Miami Design District\nthat believes fashion and sustainability can be the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ANTIDOTE searches the globe to deliver top-notch sustainable\nfashion brands to its showroom in Miami<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI created ANTIDOTE with the vision of showing sustainable\nfashion in a positive and aesthetically pleasing way. For me, sustainable\nfashion should be creative, affordable, and attractive, while the sustainable\naspect is a plus,\u201d claimed Sophie Zembra, CEO and founder of ANTIDOTE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ANTIDOTE is committed to keeping eco-conscious fashion alive\nby showcasing trends from various parts of the world and incorporating them\ninto their own company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Malls in the Miami area are also valuing the concept of\nsustainability as they have upgraded their facilities to give eco-friendly\nshoppers a better experience indoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Dadeland Mall has made progress in being as sustainable\nin several ways. For example, we provide electric vehicle (EV) charging\nstations in multiple locations throughout the property. The mall also partakes\nin local community engagement activities such as the Simon Youth Foundation.\nLastly, we operate the property with innovative solutions that lower\noperational costs and reduce environmental footprint, i.e., in the area of\nenergy, water, and waste management,\u201d exclaimed Lourdes M. Rodriguez, director\nof Marketing & Business Development at Dadeland Mall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dadeland Mall\u2019s awareness and efforts on sustainability make\nit an ideal destination for eco-conscious travelers to pay a visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More\nInformation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Posted October 8, 2019 By CLAUDIA SAFAVI Tania Morariu, director of Marketing at The Palms Hotel & Spa in Mid-Beach Miami Beach, takes a stroll by the natural style pool to make sure there is no disposable plastic in sight. … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/dirt.jpg\")
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