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High Tide Photo Challenge

October 24-31st 2011

GLEE and Monroe County need you to document the highest tides of the year.

For a couple of days in late October, the “regular” high tides in the Keys will reach new heights.  Normal, cyclical events will add to current Sea level rise and produce flooding of areas within ~2.6 feet of sea level.  

This normal, but rare extreme high tide event will actually be 1-foot below the most conservative estimate (3') of where normal sea water levels are expected to rise to by the end of this century (upper end estimates are 5’ above current sea level).  With what is happening in the Arctic and Greenland, many respected scientists now foresee a likely sea level rise of at least 1.5 feet just within the coming 50 years.   The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact Counties, consisting of Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, are using 3-7 inches by 2030 and 9-24 inches by 2060, based on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports.

Call to Action:

In order to help Keys residents (and the rest of our nation and its leaders) visualize what will happen if we don’t take strong, immediate steps to decrease carbon emissions (80% reductions by 2050), GLEE and Monroe County are holding a photo challenge to help document what awaits us.  

1) Pick your Site(s): We want photos from all over the keys!  It is important to choose a site that is both low and recognizable as a “usually above ground” spot.  For those in Key West and Stock Island, these maps can help: Sea Level Rise Maps for Coastal Areas

2) Time Your Tide: It is important to be there at the right time.  Once you have chosen your area, check the tide chart for the right time for your area (high tide time can vary by up to an hour depending on where your site is located).  http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/floridakeyssites.html

3) Send it In: Email your best shots to keysglee@gmail.com.  We will web-post the best shots on our flickr site and highlight them in our November eNewsletter and with a press release.  All high tide photos submitted to the cause will become the property of GLEE to circulate nationwide, with full credit to the photographers) 

 

Greening businesses in a plastic-free Keys!

GLEE provides Keys businesses with easy access to information for greening any type of business operation on our Green Business web page at keysglee.com. Check out our Green Business Directory where all members and their services are listed and green certified businesses are highlighted. 

GLEE’s Green Business Program offers free downloadable tools that will help you conserve resources, reduce waste and save money. Eliminating use of plastic retail bags and Styrofoam, both made from petrochemicals and toxic to the environment, is one measure you can take to green your workplace. Water conservation is also a priority given our limited resources and ongoing drought.

Sign up for a free Green Business consultation or attend a free workshop and GLEE will help you work toward green certification and all the benefits that come with it.  It's time to tailor your workplace  operations to respond to the growing demand for green products and services and the need for  eco-conscious practices. Click here and send us your name and location for workshop details.

Or sign up to be a GLEE Volunteer to help this program grow..

 

Sustainability Demonstrated by Green Living Awardees

GLEE’s 4th Annual Green Living Awards were presented in a ceremony Saturday, May 7, at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Gardens.

Volunteers Needed to Help Green the Florida Keys!

Want to know more about organizing grass roots efforts and events? Want to collaborate with like-minded individuals, promote green business and sustainable practices?

Now more than ever, GLEE needs individuals like you to help sustain the momentum with programs, outreach and implementation. In exchange for your efforts, we'll teach you useful skills that you can use in many aspects of your life and work.

Please review the current Volunteer Jobs and contact us if you can help! Send an email to keysglee@gmail.com for more information.

 

Straight Talk on Commercial Recycling

Greg Sullivan of Waste Management (WM), recently answered questions about the ins and outs of commercial recycling on KONK Radio's EcoCentric View.

"Working with businesses to become green certified, many are setting up commercial recycling accounts for the first time," said Bridget McDonald, coordinator of GLEE's Green Business Program. "There seems to be a lot of fear and confusion about the cost of recycling."   

Sullivan said the fee depends on the size and number of the recycling containers as well as the number of pick ups, so it's a different fee for every business depending on needs.

The table below shows current monthly fees for commercial recycling in Key West. In other areas of Monroe County, rates may vary due to the various waste hauling companies and contracts (5) in place throughout the Keys.

Recycling might cost a bit more to set up, but for many businesses, recycling is either saving them money or their waste hauling expenses remain the same once recycling is implemented. Here's why -- what had been going into the solid waste bin, is now being recycled, reducing solid waste volume, and in some cases, reducing overall fees.

Sullivan also answered some frequently asked questions GLEE gets about commercial recycling with Waste Management.  

To read more on commercial recycling,  click here and scroll down to the Q & A. 

 

GLEE Expos Offer Keys Communities Green Resources, Workshops

From Key Largo to Key West people are learning how to green their lives thanks to the many who participated in the Green Living Expos Nov. 1-7.  If you were there, check out the slide shows of each event at the link below. Couldn’t make it? Check out the link below for green products, services and other sustainable needs offered by our Sponsors and Exhibitors.

Look Who Participated in GLEE’s Expos

 

Hundreds Pledge to Reduce Oil Use at Hands Across the Sand

More than 400 demonstrators showed up at Key West's Smathers Beach to show unity in the stand against off shore oil drilling and to support clean alternative energy.

Oil spills are terrible. We all abhor what BP has done to the water, the wildlife, and the way of life of citizens of the Gulf of Mexico and the world. However, we need to understand the connection between OUR consumption of oil and the aggressive manner in which oil companies are feeding our addiction.

Join the Florida Keys green movement to manifest clean renewable energy solutions for the Keys while pledging to reduce your consumption of fossil fuels and products made from petrochemicals.

Take the pledge to reduce your use of oil and all fossil fuels by 10%, starting today.

Email your signed pledge to keysglee@gmail.com