Posted by admin on May 11, 2009
Well I’ll start off with saying…you do not want to go to when it’s hot! (as was the case when we went as you can see from car temp)
Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is located at 1590 Goodlette Rd Naples Florida 34102
My daughter nor I were overly impressed with the zoo itself though.
The most impressive part was the fact that they had multiple recycling bins throughout the park.
The brochure for the zoo was printed on recycled paper too so that was a green plus.
However, there weren’t any guides or people to really discuss the zoo and any green efforts or any animal conservation efforts.
The zoo itself was mediocre at best. Half of the animals they show on the site weren’t to be seen. Their “mane attraction” (the lion) was nowhere to be seen. Most of the animals were hiding under shade provisions (probably laughing at all the people sweating walking around in the heat of the day looking at them lol).
The most unique animal they had was the fosa (daughter got a pic but it’s not downloaded yet) known as Madagascar’s Legendary Carnivore.
One of their biggest exhibits was for a Toucan who was formerly used on signage to Naples.
Overall, I’d say save your $19.95 for 13+
and $11.95 for kids
unless you like walking around trying to figure out where the few animals are hiding.
Though they are opening a black bear exhibit at the end of the month.
Posted by admin on
When you travel, take steps to continue your green lifestyle.
Yes, it takes more effort but why stop your normal routine because you’re traveling?
This past weekend, my daughter and I went to Naples & Bonita Springs, FL for a long weekend.
Take reusables with you when traveling
To prepare, I took To Go-Ware since I knew our hotel room had frig and yes I used the microwave there too (no hot plate or oven). I took our filtered water in reusable stainless steel bottles so I wouldn’t have to buy any water there.
Fortunately most places there had recycling containers, so they were available for use when daughter has drinks, etc. that we brought from home that weren’t in reusable containers.
So, just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still take steps to be eco friendly.
Posted by admin on
We spent some time walking the shops on 5th Avenue in Naples. At night the avenue is light up with small lights and people enjoying the atmosphere in the store front restaurants and shops.
We made a stop at Life is Good (why isn’t there one of those stores in SE FL?). My daughter also bought nail polish from Del Sol where the items change color when in sunlight. I’m pretty sure it’s not chemical free nor eco friendly, but the nail polish is pretty cool along with the other items and I’m not going to deprive a 13 yr old of color changing nail polish.
On Saturday night they had a “movie in the park” for people to come, gather, enjoy.
This past Saturday was Beverly Hill’s Chihuahua and wow was the park full of kids and dogs! We had our chairs and were amongst the crowd enjoying the free movie. It started at sunset and other than the bugs bothering my daughter it was really cool to see people all together like that.
Posted by admin on
Tin City located in Naples, FL was interesting.
I went after my dad mentioned it. Glad we stopped there.
They had little shops and stores located in the buildings that used to be a 1920’s clam processing plant. In 1976 they converted the plant into what is now Tin City. All the shop owners/workers were friendly and went out of their way to say “good day” even if you were just walking by their shop.
Of course my favorite store was of course the Peace Frogs store. Yes, I know I can get that anywhere..but there’s not one in SE FL, so…..I bought 2 new dresses, tee and daughter got a dress and bracelet.
There’s a SeriousCookie store there and OMG the smell of their cookies being baked filled part of the shop area.
There are waterfront restaurants where you can eat and watch the boats go out and enjoy the outdoors.
It was truly an unique place to visit!
Posted by admin on
Loved the beaches in Bonita Springs and Naples, FL.
The sand is white, clean and the water is clear!
Things we don’t have on the SouthEast Coast of Florida! 
There were numerous public beach areas complete with restrooms, showers, the Naples Pier and recycling bins on the beach too!
You could get up close to birds–we watched this one catch crabs and eat them (course that grossed out my daughter though).
Sea Turtles nest on the beach as well, though we didn’t get to experience that.
Other than it being mega hot this past weekend, the beaches were awesome.
Posted by admin on
There was nothing at all green or eco friendly or even friendly about this place (other than our older woman server).
Now I can see why when I asked at the motel where this place was they looked at me with this look of shock or disbelief, not sure now what to make of their look but I should have taken that as a warning sign.
BonitaChamber (Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce Twitter account) recommended Buffalo Chips Restaurant as a kid friendly restaurant. I guess I should’ve specified that we are green loving non beer drinking types…(though I thought BonitaChamber would’ve seen that on my twitter account), but regardless…..
We get to Buffalo Chips on Old Rt 41 and well this is not a place I’d eat at anyhow since just by the name of it I’m pretty sure nothing vegan but I’m fasting anyhow and my daughter needs to eat! I figure we’d try out a few local dives and see how it went. So, we approach the screened in patio entrance where there’s a sign that says “hippies use side door”…hmmm no side door..geee imagine! Think they have something against “hippies”? Now, imagine me…wearing a dress like thing that has “peace, love” and peace signs on it, carrying my messenger bag from http://www.soul-flower.com/ that has nothing but peace signs on it, along with my yoga sandals, and my big sunglasses that everyone says puts me over the top as being in the wrong era…and daughter is wearing normal clothes but add a peace sign jacket!
As soon as we walk in, we can tell we’re not going to fit in.
And, no offense to red necks and beer guzzlers but that’s all there were here at like 4 pm on Friday.
I ask daughter if she wants to stay, and she’s like “sure, we’re here”…we are seated and an older woman comes to serve us. She, at least, was friendly and quick. The rest of the crowd there was loud and staring at us.
Daughter is checking out all the trophies and awards for “The Best Chicken Wings”, so naturally she orders chicken wings for her dinner. The service is fast but I went into shock when the nice older woman brought out the food on Styrofoam plates! Wow I didn’t even know places still used those! I was in shock, but then again after the “hippies use side door” sign not sure why I was in shock!?
Then, daughter takes a few bites of her “best chicken wings” and can’t stand them. She said the ones she can get frozen in a box from “TGI Fridays” were better than those! So, we’re done there after a few bites. Nice older lady comes and is shocked daughter didn’t like them, but proceeds to clean off table and tosses everything in the trash! Landfill here’s some styrofoam for you
We left and went to go find some edible food for my daughter.
So, all in all…this place is FAR from green and far from “best chicken wings” and gets two thumbs down as a green restaurant or even a good one for that matter.
Now, perhaps if you’re a beer drinker and are into hanging out, drinking, eating wings that you might think are the “best” after a few drinks, then this place is for you. If you’re green, eco friendly and like good food and mellow atmosphere, then this place is not for you and you may just want to visit Fresh Market or Whole Foods and get some real food.
Posted by admin on
We recently stayed at the Flamingo Motel in Bonita Springs, FL. I had heard good reviews on it and figured we’d give it a try based on the reviews as well as their website.
I was pleasantly surprised that the reviews were accurate!
Even though the name is Flamingo Motel, it was nothing like mainstream motels. It’s family owned and they were most polite and helpful.
The rooms were up to date (looked like bathrooms were recently done). Best of all the rooms didn’t have any weird funky smell. Since I’m overly sensitive to smells and chemicals that was a huge plus in my book. Usually we do not stay in motels because of that reason, but there were no smells, no funky aromas in the room!
Their rates are mega affordable (especially right now since it’s “off season”). They’re located about 1 1/3 mile from local beach and preserves and about a 20 min. drive north of the Naples Zoo.
They have a heated pool (don’t find that often in FL), a tiki hut and nice outside area too.
There was nothing really green about the place though other than the fact they did have recycling available.
But, overall as a motel it was:
affordable
nice owners
updated rooms (complete w/compact frig, microwave)
no funky smells, aromas
Posted by admin on May 4, 2009
Managing Your Energy Costs While You’re Away
Often, while you’re away, your home is using more energy than it needs. This can increase your energy bill and cost you money. Here are some tips for managing your energy costs while you’re away on vacation.
These big users of electricity can have a significant impact on the energy your home uses while you’re away.
Heat pump or air conditioner – If you prefer to leave your heat pump or air conditioner on while you’re gone, set it between 85 to 90 degrees. For each degree you raise the temperature, you’ll save 2 to 3 percent on the cooling portion of your electric bill. Remember though, turning your thermostat to a very high setting may affect how hard your refrigerator and freezer have to work to stay cool.
Swimming pool pump – If your pool pump is not operated with a timer, it will run 24-hours a day while you’re gone. If you normally turn the pump off for a period of time each day, the 24-hour operation can result in a large increase in your usage.
Water heater – If you don’t attend to your water heater before you leave, it will continue to work to maintain water temperature. Turn it off at the circuit breaker. (Before you turn the breaker back on, run water from the hot water faucet to be certain the water heater still has water in it.)
Refrigerator and freezer – If you’ll be gone for a few days, turn your refrigerator’s thermostat to a warmer setting — 42 degrees for your refrigerator, 5 degrees for your freezer. If you’ll be away for as long as four weeks or more, you may want to clean it out and turn it off.
In general, you should strive to turn off as many things you don’t need as possible.
Don’t leave anything on that does not need to be left on.
If some items need to be left on for maintenance or preservation reasons, choose levels that will minimize energy use (such as for the refrigerator).
Information extracted from SouthWest.
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