HALLANDALE BEACH GREEN INITIATIVES NEWSLETTER VOLUME 9 | APRIL-JUNE 2019
PLASTICS AND RECYCLING Plastic. It's everywhere. Literally, everywhere. It's the keyboard I'm typing on, the blended fabric of our clothes, the tires on our cars (or bikes), the wrapping on our food, the vessel for our beverage. Recent studies have shown that microplastics are found in 90% of table salts, 90% of bottled water, 83% of tap waters found worldwide, and in varying amounts in the food we eat including fish and chicken. A survey of sea turtles across all the world's oceans couldn't find a single turtle without plastics in their stomach, most averaging 150 pieces of plastic per individual. Plastics have caused a worldwide ecological crisis though humans' momentary convenience.
to not consume that single-use plastic in the first place. Where does your plastic recycling go once you put it in the bin? For the past few decades, it was shipped to China for recycling. In February 2017, China announced it wanted to stop being the world's plastics dump through a Policy called "National Sword" which aims to improve their air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Following China's ban on 24 kinds of imported waste, it seems the plastics recycling system is broken. Frantically in response to China's policy, the US and other developed nations are shipping plastic wastes to Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and Indonesia. Between January and July in 2018, the US sent 178,238 metric tons of plastic What is plastic? "Plastic" refers to items waste to Malaysia and approximately made of polymers and monomers which twice that tonnage to Thailand. In recan be molded to shapes when warmed sponse to the massive amount of waste and harden when cool. Its malleable masent to the Country, Malaysia has already terials, overwhelmingly made of petroleannounced it will phase out imports of all um or oil. Oil is produced by decaying types of plastic within three years. The matter, mostly ancient algae and zoobales of plastic are piling up in unfathomplankton, which got trapped under multiable quantities on land and choking rivers ple layers of sand and mud and exposed with floating debris. In many of these to heat and pressure sometime in the past Southeastern Asian countries, the infra25-500 million years structure necessary for recycling is severely lacking, as China has cornered the marIf you must consume single-use plastics, recycling is the thing to do with recyclable ket almost the entire time recycling has plastics. The ideal thing to do, however, is occurred. What plastics are not recyclable
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are being burned in fields with little to no emissions controls, making an impact on local's respiratory and environmental health. It's also worth noting that only 9% of plastics are recycled, globally, so that pile being incinerated is obscenely large. All for a convenient water bottle. I want to note that recycling does not limit the amount of plastic which is produced. If anything, it signals to companies that people are happy to buy products in plastic as recycling assuages our guilt. Plastics production is slated to use 20% of oil extracted by 2025, creating a tangible driver of climate change. The current level of plastic consumption is simply unsustainable. Please, please, make efforts to reduce your plastic consumption and waste for the sake of the planet.
Title image by CustomMadeÂŽ
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Sustainability Action Plan Update
DIY All Natural Tie Dye
We’ve made some great progress already with the Sustainability Action Plan and other Green Initiatives! HVAC Efficiency Upgrades are underway at the Municipal Complex and Department of Public Works. We’ve launched a Green Event Policy for City-funded and hosted events, a Copy Machine Toner Recycling Program, and the roll-out of our efforts with the Department of Energy through the SolSmart Initiative! Design is underway for the expansion of Water Reuse line in the NE. The Green Initiatives Coordinator presented 3 guest lectures at the Hepburn Center, a Plastics Reduction workshop at YogaRosa Studio, and also spoke as a keynote for the Southeast Florida Water Environment Association.
City Commission voted in support of funding a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory in the next Fiscal Year which will be associated with strong efforts to reach the IPCC 1.5°C Special Report goals to reduce future climate change impacts. This month, Commission will be voting on a comprehensive Ordinance to reduce the stress the City puts on our coral reef ecosystem. Last but not least, Green Fest is coming up on April 27!
Step 1: Source fabric which is 100% cotton. Step 2: Use rubber bands to create your design. Step 3: Pre-soak your fabric in 1 part white vinegar to 4 parts cold water. Step 4: Make some homemade dyes! Always use fresh ingredients. Put the plant matter associated with the color you want in a non-reactive pot. Add twice as much water as plant material. Simmer for about an hour. Orange: Onion skins Brown: Acorns Pink: Avocado skins and seeds
Florida Wildlife and Springtime Springtime is an active time for the flora and fauna of Florida! During early Spring (April-May) baby River Otters are born, most snakes are in the peak of breeding season, and alligators seek new territories and mates. March 1st marks the beginning of Sea Turtle nesting season so be careful of marked nests and turn off your lights at night if you live near the water. Many songbirds breed during this time, including mockingbirds, who are very protective of their nests. Brown pelicans and white ibis babies are born May- June. Gopher tortoises, softshell turtles, and alligator snapping turtles are also seeking mates between April– June. White Swamp Lilies (pictured above) bloom in the Spring in the wet prairies of the Everglades. Rattlesnake Master wildflowers bloom in forested areas as well as wetlands. Wildflowers bring in lots of butterflies and pollinators. Get outside and appreciate the bustling of Florida spring!
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Red: Beets Blue: Red Cabbage Green: Spinach, or grass Yellow: Turmeric (dried is ok)
Step 5: Soak your fabric in the pot of dye and bring to a slow boil. Simmer for about a half hour. Step 6: Take the fabric out and rinse in cold water. Step 7: Hang dry and enjoy! *These plant dyes will also work on eggs*
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Learn and Share!
Green Tips for the Office Sixteen year old Greta Thunberg inspired 1.4 million youth in 128 different countries to participate in the School Strikes for Climate Action on March 15th. These young climate change activists are making news and demanding action for the sake of their futures.
Go paperless! Print double sided. Recycle or re-use every scrap piece of paper (or save it for your compost bin). Participate a Toner Recycling Program. For City Staff, this is easy as there are bins in City Hall, the Department of Public Works, and the Cultural Center! When your lights burn out, replace them with LED bulbs. If you used fluorescent bulbs , save them and bring them to the City's Quarterly Household Hazardous Waste drop off.
Insects provided $57 billion of services to the United States in 2017. Since the 1990’s scientists have recorded a severe decline in insect populations. Anyone with a yard or balcony can support insect life and help combat their decline.
A recent study done at University of Alabama Birmingham found that spending 20 minutes in an urban park will make someone happier regardless of if they’re exercising during their visit.
Packaging materials made of mushroom root systems (called mycellium) have been developed. These products can easily replace Styrofoam which takes hundreds of years to decompose.
Shut down your computer completely at the end of the day. Carpool, take Tri-Rail and/or the Community Mini Bus, walk, or bike to work. Bring your own lunch in reusable containers. Keep a cup or mug on your desk for use throughout the day. Wash and reuse. Ditch the single use cups, stirrers, etc. If you use a Keurig, use the reusable K-Cups instead of the single use disposable cups. If you must use the single use cups, pay for a TerraCycle KCup recycling box. If you do your ordering via website, call to cancel the shipment of paper catalogues and sales advertisements. Instead of traveling for meetings, whenever possible try to use conference calls, video or web conferencing.
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