September 2009

September 2009

Topics in this months newsletter

Green Business Made Simple

Local Businesses Take the Green Challenge for Certification

Local businesses in GLEE’s pilot Green Business Partner (GBP) program are learning that it can be easy being green (Sorry Kermit!) as they take the steps to qualify for a Green Business Certification.

Marc House

Monroe Association for ReMARCable Citizens (MARC) formed a green team in May and began making adjustments to their operation by following the checklist and other tools provided by the program. MARC passed their on-site assessment with flying colors in August, as many of the changes they implemented were added to the green practices already being taken at the facility.

“We are now recycling, have started composting our food waste from the café, have put two rainbarrels to work and installed low-flow faucet aerators on all sinks to help us conserve water,” said JoEll Bradbury, MARC’s Green Team leader. These are just a few of the steps MARC staff identified as ways to improve their 90,000 square foot operation that includes offices, a plant store, nursery, café and classrooms. Three energy-saving tankless water heaters were installed when the agency moved into the May Sands facility several years ago, and the AC units throughout the facility rate at least 13 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating), which is a ratio of BTUs of cooling divided by energy used. The most efficient AC SEER is 23.

Aluminum cans used at MARC were already being recycled by client/entrepreneur Dan Dell of Dan’s Cans, but by establishing a recycling account with WM and composting food scraps, the agency is saving a small dollar amount each year through waste reduction. However, the “green” savings in CO2 are even more significant as MARC continues to reduce waste, while conserving energy and natural resources.

Chamber of Commerce

The Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center completed the GLEE Green Business Partner program requirements within weeks of receiving the tools. Staff at the 1,500 square-foot facility have vowed to continue to make improvements as funds become available.

The chamber was already using low-flow (1 gal. per min.) faucet aerators and low-flow toilets (1.6 gal. per flush) in the visitor center bathrooms. They have also set up a recycling account with WM and are now considering downsizing their dumpster to a 95 gallon tote due to less waste through recycling. The Green Team, with the help of chamber directors, improved their energy conservation with new weather stripping on doors and windows, and will gradually install T-8 florescent lighting, which consumes 40 percent less energy than the T-12 lamps they’ll be replacing.

The team learned through a free KEYS Energy audit that they can also save money by adding insulation to their ceiling. It is estimated that energy consumption can be reduced by 20 to 40 percent when the ceiling and attic are properly insulated. Other savings will come from turning down the temperature on the water heater to 120 degrees and installing a timer so that water is heated only during business hours.

“We have a couple of AC units that are old and will be replaced with Energy Star units when the time comes,” said Carole Stevens, LKCC Executive Director. Stevens will also look into what becomes of the grass clippings from their picnic area and consider using it as a natural mulch rather than adding it to the waste stream. Plastic water bottles at board meetings will be replaced by a pitcher of water and reusable cups.

The Green Business Partner program will become available to all Florida Keys’ businesses in October, once the businesses in the pilot have completed the process and details of the program are in place.

For more information, write to GLEE Program Coordinator Bridget McDonald at info@KeysGLEE.com.

“Benefits for businesses who participate in the program are many,” said McDonald. “It’s a good way for businesses to tighten their belts, but it also instills an awareness of the impact we have on our local environment and how we can improve.”


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Immediate Action Needed on Clean Energy & Climate Change Legislation

The Alliance for Climate Protection (ACP), Repower America action meeting in Key West on August 19drew a standing room only crowd. Citing the potential for an 11.3" sea level rise in Florida by 2025 without immediate action to address climate change, ACP regional field director, Vicki Weeks urged residents to get involved right away.

"We had a great turnout with a lot of people stepping up to the plate. It was a good start, but we need to get a strong clean energy bill passed this year, and to do that, we need everyone in the Keys to take action right now," said Repower America's field director, Vicki Weeks.

Things you can do:

  • Call 1-877-9-Repower (1-877-9-737-6937 - yes, there are 11 numbers) to record a voice petition to Florida's Senators - send that number to your own email lists to make a call
  • Print out and collect signatures for the Repower America petition - return to 801 Georgia or 913 Eaton in Key West, or Good Food Conspiracy in Big Pine, by 9/3/09
  • Meet at 5PM on 8/30/09 at 801 Georgia St. in Key West to participate in the Repower America canvass - or, if you want to canvass your own neighborhood, contact Vicki for a canvass packet
  • "Call for Change" - contact Vicki to volunteer a few hours to make calls to activate clean energy supporters.
  • Vicki Weeks (305-731-6336 or vicki.weeks@climateprotect.org) for more information

Need more information? Check out these helpful links.


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EcoWeek 2010 Scores High with TDC in Upper Keys

EcoWeek

On August 11th and 12th, EcoWeek 2010 went before the 5 District Advisory Committee's (DAC) for the. We submitted a grant application to the TDC for funding to help pay for advertising and promotion. We applied to all districts as this is a Keyswide event. The funding we received is as follows:

In August, organizers of EcoWeek 2010 went before the various DACs of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council to seek funding for the county-wide event that will help market the Florida Keys as an eco destination, while raising awareness with locals – including government and businesses -- about the need to green the Keys.

The results for funding follow:

  • DAC V (Key Largo, Tavernier) $25,000
  • DAV IV (Islamorada) $20,000
  • DAV III (Marathon) $4,500
  • DAV II (Lower Keys/Big Pine) $5,000
  • DAV I (Key West) $0

Total funding is $54,500. “This is super for a first-time event to have this much funding and we should be very proud!” said EcoWeek co-organizer Christi Allen. “But, as you can see, the Upper Keys DAC's believed in EcoWeek 2010. The Middle and Lower Keys were willing to support, even if it is minimal. The Key West DAC did not even consider this a viable event to fund.”

Allen said she realizes that these committees do not always represent the voice of their respective community and she and co-organizer Michele Beach, both Key Largo business women, believe there is support and enthusiasm in creating the Florida Keys as an eco-destination. “We have had the time and contacts to develop events in the Upper Keys in the last couple of months, and we believe this is why they funded us more,” said Beach.

“It is now up to the communities to show the DAC's that there is "Economy in Ecology," said Allen, attributing the term to Donald Lanman, marketing director for First State Bank.

The TDC has recently launched an advertising campaign to promote the Florida Keys as an eco-destination and EcoWeek organizers throughout the Keys are planning to impress on the TDC DACs throughout the Keys, that this is a vision they embrace and will continue to manifest.

During the next 16 months prior to EcoWeek 2010, organizers will be open to ideas for events and environmental goals surrounding the event. Dates scheduled for the 2010 event include: Upper Keys Nov. 1-7; Middle Keys Nov. 4-10 and Lower Keys, Nov. 8-14. EcoWeek will be presenting at the Marathon Chamber of Commerce at noon Tuesday, Sept. 15. Plans to present to other chambers and civic organizations are in the works. If you belong to or know someone in these organizations and can help facilitate arranging speaker spots, your help is welcome.

The TDC funds granted will allow for a massive national and international advertising campaign for EcoWeek 2010 and the national advertising campaign will be weighted heavily for the Upper Keys due to the higher DAC funding. But Allen said anyone hosting events during the November event will have the opportunity to create income– whether for businesses, organizations, non-profits or related causes, while at the same time giving back to the community by supporting local environmental projects, carbon reduction and sustainable eco-tourism.

To learn more about how you or your community can participate in EcoWeek 2010, go to www.ecoweekfloridakeys.com for more information, or visit. Facebook: Florida Keys EcoWeek.


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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

John Hammerstrom: Rain Man of the Florida Keys

By Chantez Neymoss

It’s the rainy season, and as rainwater falls onto roofs and drains into gutters all over South Florida, the rain that falls onto John Hammerstrom’s roof is “harvested” and used. With water restrictions and drought a familiar fact of life in Monroe County, collecting this valuable and yet free resource has never made more sense.

While an easy use of rainwater is available for non-potable uses, Hammerstrom (and GLEE founder Diane Marshall) recognized the high quality of rainwater and further treat the rain, using it as their primary drinking-, showering- and cooking-water source.

Hammerstrom lives in Key Largo in a “green” home that is certified by the Florida Green Building Coalition. He and Diane embarked on their home-building effort in 2000. “We asked the basic question: What sort of house are you supposed to build in Florida to have the smallest environmental footprint?” said Hammerstrom. The answer to that question has taken the couple on a journey that has taught them—as well as many other members of the community—the most effective ways to reduce our environmental impact.

After a trip to the Florida House Learning Center in Sarasota, a county-run green teaching facility and other “pilgrimages” to such places as the Solar Living Institute in Hopland, California, John and Diane were able to design a home that has set an example for sustainable living using efficiency, conservation, renewable energy and basic common sense for living in the Keys. Complete with Monroe County’s first utility-interconnected photovoltaic system, small, shaded south-facing windows, light-colored exterior, and extensive rainwater harvesting, Hammerstrom explains that in many ways, the concept of a “green home” is not that complicated. Designed in much the same way that houses were designed before electricity — with overhangs, white roofs, and sun and rain harvesting—Hammerstrom said that simple elements like these are key to increasing a home’s efficiency.

Since moving into their house in 2002, the project continues to be a learning experience for both John and Diane. Inspired by the Florida House run by the Sarasota County Extension Service, Diane decided that Monroe County could benefit from the same kind of program. Her conversations with the UF Monroe County Extension Service, the South Florida Water Management District, Florida Keys Electric Cooperative and Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority were the beginning of the event that became an organization – the 2005 Key Largo GLEE Exposition.

For Hammerstrom, this experience became an opportunity to educate himself further about rainwater harvesting. With the frequent drought conditions plaguing Florida and other parts of the world, he is banging the drum for water conservation – and the ease and practicality of rainwater harvesting. Beginning with little knowledge about cisterns or rain barrels, Hammerstrom’s enthusiasm has led him to become an “Accredited Professional” of the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA). In an effort to encourage a rainwater-harvesting industry in the Florida, he worked to create continuing education courses and credits for those in the construction and building industry.

Having successfully petitioned Florida’s Construction Industry Licensing Board to get the courses approved in time for the Green Living Expo in March, Hammerstrom even found ARCSA-qualified instructors to teach rainwater harvesting in conjunction with the 2009 GLEE Expo. More than 20 local contractors, plumbers and other building trade professionals took the courses created by Hammerstrom, thereby providing trained rainwater harvesting system installers.

In the spirit of Green Living and Energy Education, Hammerstrom now devotes his time to educating interested individuals and groups on how to properly capture and use the rain that falls on their properties. Education is not the only focus of Hammerstrom’s work in Monroe County. He was also instrumental in the implementation of the rebate the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority now offers for rainwater harvesting. Insert link to info on website. He also serves on the board of the county’ Green Initiative Task Force, which is in the process of assessing green projects that could receive federal stimulus funds.

With the help of Hammerstrom and his work with GLEE, every citizen of Monroe County could cut expenses and ease the strain on our limited natural resources by implementing simple changes. “I would not pick one strategy,” Hammerstrom says, suggesting a multi-faceted approach to greening the home. “The greatest return on a person’s investments is to be had from being more energy efficient, and that could take the form of planting trees to shade your windows,” he suggests, “It could be cleaning out the dust from underneath your refrigerator so the coils can function properly. It could be caulking your windows so you’re not cooling the great outdoors—each person’s lifestyle would dictate a different high priority.”


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Slow Food in Motion

Labor Day Family “Eat In” at Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden

This Labor Day, families and others interested in healthy eating are invited to attend an “Eat-In” to be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7 at Nancy Forrester's Secret Garden, 1 Free School Lane.

The “Eat-In,” hosted by Mana Project and Help Yourself, has been planned in support of Slow Food USA's National “Time for Lunch” Campaign, an effort to bring healthy “real” food into schools, instead of the over-processed and “junk” food too often being served at most schools.

The registered “Eat-In” supports the Slow Food Movement’s National Day of Action, with free admission to Nancy Forrester's Secret Garden and the family food event.

Organizers of the event, including Charlie Wilson of Help Yourself, an organic food stop and restaurant on Fleming Street, support the Slow Food philosophy and want to help children grow up enjoying food that is both delicious and good for them. The program is designed to inspire healthy habits that last throughout life. Petitions that support nutritious food in schools will be available.

Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden is an environmental treasure and a hidden oasis in the heart of old Key West. A magical forest of tropical trees and plants, winding paths and talking parrots, it is the perfect setting for this back-to-nature-and- healthy-foods event.

Visitors can bring their own picnic lunch for a communal “Eat-In” or try local foods to be offered. The Eat-In will feature:

  • Nancy Forrester’s Breadfruit Lunch created by Dede Quigley
  • “Help Yourself” Demonstrations on Making Chocolate Pudding (with avocados and coconuts), Organic Box Lunches and other delicious offerings
  • “The Guana” with local coconuts. Drink fresh chilled coconuts; learn about the health benefits and how to crack your own.
  • Local simple foods in the “Key West” tradition
  • Weave your own “Lunch Basket” with Angela
  • Visit with the Parrots
  • “Going Green for the Parrots:” Parrot wisdom on eating healthy food.
  • Strolling Musicians, Artists
  • Raffles
  • “Time for Lunch” campaign information & petitions.
  • Free Gifts

To sign the petition and locate or register an "Eat-In" go to www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch


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GLEE Blessed by Summer Youth

Volunteers

Volunteers Draven Steinbecker, Anna McDonald, Chloe XX and GLEE Intern Chantez Neymoss assemble material to be handed out in the Key West Recycles education campaign. Young volunteers spent several hours preparing handouts to go to each city residence in the door-to-door canvassing project currently taking place in Key West. The campaign is a joint effort of GLEE and the city to educate citizens about recycling while notifying them of the mandatory recycling ordinance adopted by the city in January.

Phillip Neumann and Geoff Patomson, working with GLEE through the South Florida Workforce program, take a break from canvassing Key West to help FDEP’s Cristina Lindley clear the Saddlebunch Keys of weeds and exotic invasives. The bike path is part of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail project being developed throughout the Keys.


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It’s not easy being green – but it could be fun as FF contestant!

Pretenders in Paradise 2009, the ultimate costume competition of Fantasy Fest chose the theme “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” This year they are looking for talented costumers decorated in their most eco-friendly gear. Now in its 26th year, Pretenders seeks to entice with an atmosphere of trash turned into treasure. Hosted at the Pier House Resort & Caribbean Spa, contestants will revel in this biodegradable battle for $10,000 in cash prizes.

GLEE is seeking creative and willing individuals to help produce a winning custume(s) and 3 min. musical production. Go to Pretenders in Paradise to see the contest requirements.


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THUMBS DOWN

No Eco-events for Key West

While most of the Tourist Development Council (TDC) District Advisory Committees (DACs) throughout the Keys saw the value in supporting EcoWeek 2010, a keys-wide event that promotes eco-tourism, the Key West TDC did not. Instead they have continued to fund high-carbon events with high-impact environmental consequences.

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THUMBS UP

County Creates Recycling Coordinator Position

On August 19, 2009, the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners approved the hiring of a Recycling Coordinator for the County. This new position is the product of the collaboration between the County and Waste Management Inc, Marathon Garbage Services and Keys Sanitary Services, and would be a County employee under the supervision of Public Works Director Dent Pierce.

The Recycling Coordinator will focus on developing/implementing school and public education programs, outreach strategies, promote business recycling, increase public awareness of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” and promote backyard or on-site composting. “This is a very exciting initiative geared towards increasing local awareness of our environment. By encouraging residents to reduce consumption of natural resources and increase their recycling, we can fight global warming, reduce energy costs and create jobs,” said Monroe County Mayor George Neugent.

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AAA to Designate Green Lodging Properties in new TourBooks

The American Automobile Association’s (AAA) 2010 TourBooks will have a is adjusting their rankings of lodging facilities to not only include hotels, motels and other lodgings that are AAA approved or Diamond rated, but will also depict those that are ‘green.’

As of June 2009, there were 540 designated Green Lodging properties in Florida alone, ranging from four-room inns to 1,000-room resorts, making it easy to choose a place to stay while away from home that is practicing the same greening efforts observed at home. The many ways that facilities are choosing to incorporate green are as varied as the accommodations themselves, from recycling water from a washing machine’s final rinse cycle to the next load’s pre-rinse cycle – to switching to environmentally friendly pesticides and fertilizers to better protect groundwater. Or from using more efficient appliances to conserve energy and reduce lighting costs – to recycling the used oil from the hotel’s kitchen and turning it into bio-diesel for lawn equipment.

No matter how this multi-million dollar industry is becoming greener, they are contributing to a healthier environment by saving millions of gallons of water annually and vastly reducing energy consumption. To learn more about Florida’s Green Lodging Program, go to http://www.dep.state.fl.us/greenlodging/, and click to read more about AAA’s new ‘eco’ ratings.

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Constructive Alliances Continue to Grow through Leadership Monroe

Kudos to GLEE President Alison Higgins and all members of the Leadership Monroe Class XVIII that will begin in October. Leadership Monroe County seeks to build relationships for constructive alliances among Florida Keys leaders. The program is aimed at residents who are active in leadership roles in the private sector, government, or nonprofit community organizations. Leadership Monroe County operates under the auspices of the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys.

Members of the class from the Upper Keys are Michele Beach, Don Fanelli, Roman Gastesi, Sara Hamilton, Judy Hull, Robby Majeska, Michael Mayer, Dr. Brenda Pierce, Stephanie Scuderi, and Cale Smith. From the Middle Keys are Norman Anderson, Candy Fincke, Chris Gratton, David Grego, Rick Ramsay, Mary Schmidt, Yesenia Ramirez and Ginger Snead. From the Lower Keys are Keith Bland, Neal Carbaugh, Wendy Coles, Alison Higgins, Ani Madruga, Jim Reynolds and Greg Wheeler.

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