Sustainable Travel in the New Smyrna Beach Area

You do your part in your day-to-day life to live lightly: you collect your recyclables, you use energy-saving appliances, and perhaps you even eschew using your car for short trips, choosing to bike or walk instead. You can continue with your sustainable lifestyle while vacationing in New Smyrna Beach, thanks to the work of various businesses toward the goal of minimizing their impact on the environment and local culture, so the treasures you’ll find in this part of Florida will still be there for generations to come.

Locally-Sourced Dining

Where you eat can make a difference. Choose restaurants that take steps to serve dishes that support sustainability by including local ingredients and those from providers that work to conserve the environment and ensure fair wages for their employees. 

One such establishment is Third Wave Café and Wine Bar. Although their flavors reflect a global influence, the team strives to source its food locally, from like-minded providers. They also collaborate with Smart Catch and Seafood Watch to ensure their provisions are as eco-friendly as possible. Other restaurants that focus on fresh, locally sourced food include Café Verde and JB’s Camp.

Certified Sustainable Lodging

Several area hotels, motels, B&Bs, and rental properties take part in the Florida Green Lodging Program. This initiative rates accommodations that voluntarily commit to conserving and protecting the state’s natural resources. Some of the ways facilities can receive a favorable designation in this program are to reduce waste; conserve water through the use of water-saving toilets, shower heads, and faucets; employ linen and towel reuse programs; and use energy-efficient electronics appliances. 

The Atlantic Plaza Condominium Hotel has earned a two-palm rating, thanks to its efforts to meet the environmental goals of the program. The building offers condos with ocean views and a great location from which to explore the area. Other area accommodations that have received a Florida Green Lodging Program rating include Springhill Suites, Country Inn and Suites, and Hampton Inn.

Things to Do

The Marine Discovery Center, in addition to showcasing the wonders of Florida’s natural world, also works to maintain the local environment. As a participant in the restoration of Mosquito Lagoon, the center collaborates with local seafood restaurants to collect oyster shells to convert them into reef-building material. This practice not only keeps the shells out of the landfills but also works toward building new environments for the lagoon’s inhabitants. The center also helps to restore and maintain shorelines through the planting of native grasses and mangroves.

Of course, one of the most environmentally friendly activities out there is walking. Extra bonuses are you get a little exercise, see your environment at a slower pace, and notice more details, and it’s 100% free!

Support Local Economy

If you’re staying in a rental where you can cook your own meals, stop into one of the area’s farmers’ markets or produce stands. You’ll not only get super fresh, super tasty produce and other foods, but you’ll also directly support the area’s farmers. Take some time to talk with the farmers to learn about their growing practices and to discover what’s in season.

Another product produced locally in a sustainable fashion is antioxidant-rich yaupon tea. Stop into Yaupon Brothers American Tea to learn about this interesting product that was once all the rage in colonial America. Yaupon, which is a type of holly native to the Southeast, has been used by the Indigenous people of this region for thousands of years, and Yaupon Brothers American Tea donates 5% of its online sales to the North American Traditional Indigenous Food System, which promotes Indigenous foodways to address economic and health crises that affect Native American communities. 

Interested in sustainable travel? Explore more eco-friendly options for a responsible and memorable experience in the New Smyrna Beach Area at https://www.visitnsbfl.com/sustainable-tourism