In our continuing mission to highlight and praise green initiatives around the country and the world, we're pleased to share the following news from Orlando:
- Epcot grows more than 30 tons of food in its Land Pavilion to help supply the Disney restaurants.
- SeaWorld Orlando is experimenting with two Hydrogen-fueled shuttles. The SeaWorld resort is apparently also home to the largest manatee rehabilitation facility in the world.
- Orlando's NBA team - the Magic - are hoping to get LEED certification for their new new arena - the Orlando Events Center, set to open in 2010. Besides using energy-efficient HVAC systems, the new stadium will sport a light-colored roof designed to reduce the building's heat load in Orlando's tropical climate. The arena will incorporate recycled materials and send its own construction waste to be recycled elsewhere. Some suites will sport bamboo flooring, while low-VOC sealants, adhesi ves, paints and carpeting will be used throughout the facility.
The swanky Ginn Reunion Resort has an extensive recycling and composting program for paper waste and leftover food. Items that cannot be recycled (bedding, partially used shampoo and conditioner bottles, furniture, dishare) are donated to local shelters. Low-flow faucets and CFL bulbs encourage efficient use of energy and water. Little guests even have access to organic baby food! In the near future, Ginn plans to use reclaimed water for irrigation purposes and boost its recycling program by adding bins to its conference spaces. The resort is a participant in Florida's Green Lodging Program.
- Update 3/12/09 - Several other Orlando hotels - the Rosen Shingle Creek, Rosen Centre and Rosen Plaza - recently joined a select group of only 11 hotels to achieve the second level Two Palm rating in the Florida Green Lodging Program. The Rosen hotels have not only implemented measures to save water, energy and reduce waste, they also provide recycling bags in individual guest rooms and recycling containers in public areas. The hotels have full capabilities for hosting Green meetings.
The Palisades Resort is another participant in the Green Lodging Program. Opened just last summer, Palisades impressed us with its extensive recycling program. We'd encourage other hotels to take a lesson from Palisades and supply eco-minded customers with recycling bins in the hotel's public spaces. The resort's manager of Green Programs says that many incandescent bulbs in the hotel will be replaced by next year with energy-efficient CFL bulbs as the property strives to receive a higher level of green certification. For families on a budget, we found that the Palisades offers plenty of space and consistently pleasant service at a reasonable rate.
- Like many American cities, Orlando is built for automotive travel. But that's not to say you can't find more eco-friendly modes of getting around. We hopped on the West Orange Trail with bikes rented from West Orange Trail Bikes and Blades (407-877-0600). Rentals start at just $6 per hour and this paved biking and jogging trail currently extends more than 20 miles through communities such as Winter Garden and Apopka. The trail is mostly flat, although we did encounter a few hilly spots. Florida planners planners say that the West Orange Trail will eventually be linked with other Central Florida bike trails into a 200-mile loop. For what it's worth, the League of American Bicyclists has given Orlando a Bronze level award as a biking friendly city, but we hardly saw any cyclists on the city streets. We applaud the West Orange Trail and other city trails like Cady Way Trail (which we did not have a chance to experience), but encourage Orlando to expand its network of bike lanes and perhaps look into creating some protected cycle tracks like New York City has begun creating.
- Loved the Harry P. Leu botanic gardens, a 50-acre tropical oasis now owned by the City of Orlando. If you're a fan of camellias or roses, get three to the Leu! (And if you live near Orlando or happen to be in town on Wednesday between 3-5 p.m., feel free to stop by the Leu's free walk-in plant clinic where a Master Gardener will give advice on overcoming horticultural issues. The plant clinic info comes from the Leu's website, but you might want to call in advance - 407-246-2620 - just to make sure the plant doctor is in.)
For general travel tips on Orlando, visit the
Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau website.
Did you know that the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) is installing a one-megawatt rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system? The Center says its solar cell system will be the largest PV project in the Southeast.
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