How to Spend Your Summer Vacation

By William C. Probus

Summertime is finally upon us and like a splash of cool water on your face during a humid Miami afternoon, your monthly EDGE newsletter article is here to make your life easier. This month, the column focuses on planet-friendly (and wallet-friendly!) ways to utilize those much-needed vacation days. Following these steps, you’ll reduce your carbon footprint, save money on transportation, and set a good example for your kids!

Take a home-based vacation. Living in Miami, we can be a bit spoiled; we’re one of the hottest tourist destinations on the planet. Because we live here, it’s easy to miss some of the amazing attractions our great city has to offer. For instance, when is the last time you and your kids visited Monkey Jungle? They offer one of the most unique experiences in Miami, as Monkey Jungle’s tagline is, “Where Humans are Caged, and Monkey Run Wild!” Visitors are able to see various kinds of apes and monkeys interacting in an environment most similar to their natural homes. The best part? Getting to Monkey Jungle only requires a short trip to Homestead. Here are some other locally based ideas for travel and fun this summer:

-    Help your kids sponsor a beach cleanup with your neighborhood or church
-    Take your students to the Miami Seaquarium to learn about endangered species
-    Visit the library and spend the day reading on the beach
-    The Florida Keys are less than an hour drive away and provide a totally different beach experience than the city
-    Spend a day at the Everglades National Park learning about the endangered species, or better yet, volunteering your time there

Utilizing Miami and the surrounding area for your vacation plans will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. If you do plan to spend your vacation elsewhere, be sure to use the most eco-friendly means of transportation possible; airplanes release the most greenhouse gases by far. Use the Green Hotels Association to find the most environmentally safe places to stay. You’ll be setting a good example for your children, saving a ton of money in travel costs, as well as becoming a part of the fundamental shift in social conscious.

William C. Probus is a Marketing and Leadership Development Staff Member at The EDGE. He can be contacted at 706.267.9186 or at William@theedgeeducation.com.