What Does Earth Day Mean to You?
SunPost Asked Some of South Florida’s Most Environmentally-Friendly Folks to Share Their Thoughts on Earth Day
Michael Laas: Board of Directors at ECOMB and Surfrider; co-founder of Sails for Sustenance
What does Earth Day mean to you?
I see Earth Day as an opportunity, an opportunity to reach out to a much larger audience during a time when they are extra receptive to messages of environmental stewardship and conservation. It is a time for people to connect with the environment and the organizations that protect it through volunteerism, activism, and education.
How will you be celebrating the holiday?
I will be celebrating the holiday at the Environmental Coalition of Miami and the Beaches’ annual GreenRaiser Thursday, April 21st, at the Sagamore Hotel. The GreenRaiser is ECOMB’s annual fundraiser and it generates the support that we need to continue with our environmental programming and campaigns.In addition I will be speaking at a few Earth Day events on the role of non-profits in the environmental movement.
What’s Surfrider have on tap for ED?
Surfrider will be conducting a dune restoration event on Miami Beach in partnership with the Soho Beach House. Surfrider executive members will also be participating as speakers in numerous Earth Day events.
What’s one thing every Miamian can do to help make this Earth a better place to live on?
Consume less and give back more to the environment and to the community. I realize that is three things but we have to use less resources and spend more time actively engaged in making our community a better place to live.
What’s one thing you do each do to make the Earth a better place to live on?
I try to recycle or compost all my waste.
Mike Gibaldi: Surfrider Miami Chapter Chairman
What does Earth Day mean to you?
It means a chance for less Earth-enlightened people to learn to tread more lightly.
How will you be celebrating the holiday?
I’m celebrating by going surfing and doing a local beach clean-up.
What does Surfrider have planned?
Participating in EcoMB’s Greenraiser Thursday night and running one of our dune restoration events Saturday morning.
What have you done personally to help make the Earth a better place to live on?
Use resources more carefully, spread the word to many many others and volunteer with a core group of fellow volunteers to run Surfrider foundation’s Miami chapter.
What can any Miamian do to help make the Earth a better place to live on?
Use less water, use less gas and electricity, create less garbage, and get your family/friends/neighbors/kids to do the same.
Sarah Bucci: Field Associate Environment Florida
What does Earth Day mean you?
To me, Earth Day is everyday. It’s a great reminder of the beauty of the planet will live on as well as our responsibility to it and something we can think about all year.
How’s Environment Florida celebrating the holiday?
Environment Florida just released a new citizen’s guide for Earth Day called “Plug into Clean Energy.” Since buildings use 40% of our energy, making our homes and workplaces more efficient is a great thing people can do. The guide includes low cost tips to use less energy as well as a list of local incentives for clean energy.
What’s one thing you do to make this Earth a better place to live on?
I try to drink water from a re-usable bottle instead of buying bottled water. Not only does it cut down on waste and help the environment – but it saves a lot of money!
What’s one thing every Miamian can do to make this Earth a better place to live on?
Join a local environmental organization!
Michael Gongora: Miami Beach Commissioner
What does Earth Day mean to you?
Earth Day is an opportunity to bring attention to “green” initiatives and recognizing the importance our behavior has on our environment. As an environmental activist I have strived to educate, empower and effectuate change in people’s behavior. Earth Day allows us to highlight the many different ways that we can improve our community. Earth Day also gives a chance to reach out to students such as the Miami Beach High School Environmental Club and others to focus students on how their actions can potentially damage the environment.
What do you have on tap for the holiday?
This year Earth Day coincides with Good Friday. As such, I will be celebrating Earth Day with ECOMB (Environmental Coalition of Miami & the Beaches) at the Annual GreenRaiser event to be held Thursday, April 21st starting at 6:30pm at the Sagamore Hotel. This year I am thrilled to receive an Emerald Green Award for my vision in creating the City of Miami Beach’s Sustainability Committee in 2007. I am again Chair of the Sustainability Committee which works closely with the Commission and City departments to ensure implementation of important initiatives including the City’s Sustainability Plan, single-stream recycling program, bike sharing program and others.
What’s one simple step every Miami Beach resident can take to make this Earth a better place?
We can all improve upon our behavior to have less of a harmful impact on our planet. Some simple things include water and energy conservation, recycling and by putting litter where it belongs. There are a number of simple solutions we can implement in our own homes including showerheads and toilets that use less water, turning off the sink when brushing your teeth, turning off lights and using recycling bins for recyclable material. Every positive action we take puts out less waste into the environment. Collectively we can all make a difference in maintaining a sustainable community for future generations.
Tanja Morariu: Director of Brand Development The Palms Hotel & Spa | Circa 39 Hotel
What does Earth Day mean to you?
April is Earth Month and April 22nd is Earth Day… A day in which we should inspire awareness for the environment and how to take care of it, as well as a day to join hands with the community to care for the world that we live in.
How will you be celebrating the holiday?
I’ll be participating in The Palms’ beach clean-up we’re hosting under the umbrella of the “Adopt-a-Beach” Program between 3:30pm and 6pm on Friday afternoon. We are inviting our staff, our guests, our neighbors and all our friends to join us in our efforts to clean the beach that we have adopted. The response has been fantastic and we already have about 60 volunteers! It’s a community event, which we’ll be hosting every three months (at least). Earth Day is our commitment kick-off!
What have you done personally to help make the Earth a better place to live on?
I head up the Green Team at The Palms Hotel & Spa and encourage our staff of 300 to lead greener lifestyles. Apart from all the water and energy conserving measures already in place at the Hotel, I am particularly proud of having introduced re-usable coffee/drinks mugs for all staff members. We’ve gotten rid of all disposable paper cups/lids in our cafeteria, which means a lot less trash!
Personally, I never use plastic bags when I go grocery shopping! I always have my reusable/foldable totes in my handbag or my basket in my car. Plastic bags are a huge issue as they get used once and then end in a landfill or are exported to other countries for disposal. Back in 2007 I read a report in The Guardian, which absolutely shocked me. It described how plastic bags were produced in China, shipped all the way to the UK, where they were used once, thrown out, and then shipped back all the way to China to be disposed of – and to pollute the streams and rivers of the rural inhabitants there. Shocking!
Another point made by article was: “By one estimate, the U.S. alone requires 12 million barrels of oil for the 100 billion bags its consumers use annually.” And this was four years ago, certainly the numbers have increased now!
Also, I just bought a machine that makes sparkling water from filtered tap water… this means that I will not be throwing out any more plastic water bottles!! I’m very excited about that!
I hope that Earth Day inspires people to challenge themselves and change their behavior to lead more environmentally friendly lifestyles. Change can only happen if each of us makes a commitment to care for the environment – even if it’s just one little change at the time.
Luiz Rodrigues: Executive Director Environmental Coalition of Miami and he Beaches (ECOMB)
What does Earth Day mean to you — and to EcoMB?
For me Earth Day means a day in which I pay respect for our Mother Earth. A day in which I acknowledge that I am simply a dot in the whole spectrum of our powerful planet and that I am not the one in control of things around me: Nature is. However, this is a day in which I always remember, no matter how small of a dot I am, that the way I relate to our surrounding environment on a daily basis and that my commitment to preserve it through education and awareness, play an essential role in the greater spectrum. Like the old saying: think globally, act locally.
For ECOMB Earth Day is reminder that we have a lot of work ahead of us and that implementation of our mission does not have date of completion. It’s a day in which we always remember that our late work nights and weekends pay off when we see cleaner beaches, higher recycling rates in the community, more trees in our parks and streets, reduced water and energy consumption, and much more.
What does EcoMB have on tap for the holiday?
Besides the celebration of our annual fundraiser, ECOMB’s GreenRasier, at the Sagamore Hotel, we are also co-sponsoring several beach clean-ups with local businesses, including The Shore Club and The Palms, on April 22nd, as well as with the University of Miami, on April 23rd, in South Beach.
What’s one simple step every Miamian can take to make this Earth a better place?
Reduce our energy consumption by:
- Turning off lights when rooms are not in use
- Changing incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient ones (CFLs or LEDs)
- Turning up the thermostat when leaving the house or office
- Recycling as much as possible
- Using public transportation, walking, biking, or carpooling whenever possible
- Landscaping with natives plants
