Living a Sustainable Life While on Vacation

Spring break is right around the corner and if you’re used to making sustainable choices at home, odds are you’re likely to carry that lifestyle into how you vacation.

One way to make a statement is renting an electric car to get around, especially if your plans take you to Central Florida. Florida ranks third among all states for availability of charging stations, and this is especially apparent in the tourist hub of Orlando. Driving an electric car around the state has never been easier, with about 150 public charging stations in the greater Orlando area and about 300 across Central Florida from gulf to ocean.

This vacation hotspot is also home to one of the largest electric vehicle rental fleets in the country. Enterprise Car Rental in the Orlando International Airport doubled the amount of its Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicles last fall, for a total of 30 available to rent.

The Chevrolet Volt takes vacationers roughly 40 miles on battery power and an additional 300 miles using the on-board engine so you can focus more on recharging your own batteries rather than trying to find a gas or charging station.

When it is time to charge, Orlando amusement parks, including Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World, have 22 stations where guests can plug in while enjoying park attractions.  Here’s where they are:

• 4 charging stations at Animal Kingdom, 4 at EPCOT and 3 at Downtown Disney
• 2 charging stations at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and 1 at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort
• 4 charging stations located at Valet Parking at Universal Studios
• 2 charging stations at the Renaissance Orlando and 2 at the Doubletree Hotel near Sea World

Today both General Motors and the Orlando Utilities Commission are active members of Drive Electric Florida, a team of public and private partners – automakers, utilities, DOE Clean Cities groups and more – focused on growing EV adoption throughout Florida as it benefits Florida’s economy, environment and energy security. 

As you’re making your vacation plans, living out your sustainability values doesn’t have to stop with EVs. Research greener lodging opportunities, too. Many hotels are implementing energy-saving measures, water conservation features and recycling programs. Or partake in the sharing economy by cruising listings on Airbnb or VRBO. When it comes to dining out, seek out farm-to-table restaurants that cook with locally grown ingredients.

With sustainability being an important factor in many people’s lives, finding ways to reduce your footprint while on vacation may not be as hard as you may think.