Happy Earth Day - 2019. Green, then silver, then Gold. Keep pushing for sustainability.

Where are we in regards to protecting our fragile ecosystem?

Do you know the approximate age of the Earth? 4.543 billion years. Yet today, 4/22/2019 is just the 49th Earth Day celebration. ACTING on Earth Day is more than just a movie night, it is taking action and participating, doing things differently, ending (sub)Urban Sprawl.

A brief history of Earth Day: The April 22 Earth Day was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson, and was first organized in 1970 to promote ecology and respect for life on the planet as well as to encourage awareness of the growing problems of air, water and soil pollution.

I am proud to have led Palmetto Bay and created more than a simple Earth Day Celebration, but set Palmetto Bay to be committed to Earth Day 24/7/365. We don’t just recognize a day, we are now in big, in such a big way, that we take a full week to celebrate. Green activities, all free to the public, have been going this past week. We continue to involve our youth in partnership with the local schools as they are going to inherit what we leave behind.

It did not escape my notice, and it is sad that Palmetto Bay failed to get involved in Baynaza in 2019. I think 2019 may have been the first year we left it up to the County. Baynanza should be inter-governmental and represent collaboration, that no one group can undo what others refuse to do.

I was pleased to announce on Friday, July 20, 2018, that Palmetto Bay was certified by the FGBC as a Green City. Next stop is Silver and then Gold Certification so long as the subsequent councils continue to subscribe to the green footprints cast before them.

 

 

Participating in a python hunt to 
remove an invasive species

Today, Monday, April 22, 2019, is the 49th Earth Day Celebration.  What, if anything, are you doing to mark this event?  Please feel free to CLICK HERE for past updates on Earth Day. I recommend that you also take the time to review the Official Green Page of Palmetto Bay: "Palmetto Bay Village Green" which has both information of all the events of the week as well as the ongoing green efforts of our village. 

Prior relevant blog posts: Some relevant posts on my personal blog include Invasive Species, creating a backyard oasis, Celestial Events: there have been many posts throughout this blog covering these topics and how they are relevant to our South Miami-Dade Communities. Please take the time to check a few out. It is all about my transparency. I am about preservation of Palmetto Bay. That means thinking differently, saving the 22 acres of the rapidly deteriorating Pine Rocklands at the Palmetto Bay Village Center.

Finally, on a silly, but fun note, no special day is complete without viewing Google's special Earth Day animated doodle on the Google site.

Happy Earth Day – 2019!

Eugene Flinn