We asked Tim Mattox of Great World Nature Tours in Bradenton for his insight on sustainable tourism and the role that visitors to Florida’s Gulf Islands can play.

Five Tips to Offset Your Travel Footprint

1. Choose “green” accommodations. Several hoteliers in Florida’s Gulf Islands recently earned their Green Lodging Certification from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, including the Hilton Longboat Key Beachfront Resort, the Hilton Garden Inn and the Courtyard by Marriott - Bradenton.

2. Embrace public transportation. The free island-wide trolley on Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key is a great, inexpensive way to travel. Other options for reducing your carbon footprint include cycling around the islands. Several lodging properties offer free bicycles or rentals for a nominal fee. Or, try renting a hybrid vehicle.

3. Eat and shop local. Lucky for us that the Bradenton area is home to several independently owned restaurants that strive to cook with locally grown and locally sourced foods. They even have an organization to market this concept – Sarasota/Manatee Originals. The area is also home to three weekly farmer’s markets in downtown Bradenton, on Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach and along Main Street at Lakewood Ranch.

4. Check out the area’s abundance of eco-tourism attractions. Try horseback riding on the beach and horse surfing at Great World Nature Tours, check out some loggerhead turtles on Anna Maria Island with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, paddle the backwaters of Sarasota Bay with Native Rentals, or hike through local preserves with Around the Bend Nature Tours.

5. If you choose to fly to our destination, make sure you purchase carbon offsets from your airline or travel company.