Every year, schools produce millions of tons of waste that can either be recycled or reused, from paper to discarded cafeteria food.  However, The George Lucas Educational Foundation’s Edutopia Web site’s poll reveals that 74 percent of the 118 schools that participated in its online poll have either limited recycling programs or none at all.

“Every school should have recycling programs for office paper, classroom paper, aluminum cans and plastic water and sport drinks,” said Dawn McCormick, Community Affairs Manager for Waste Management of South Florida.  “Office and classroom paper recycling can be as easy as equipping every classroom with a receptacle for used paper that’s collected separately from other garbage. Recycling aluminum cans and plastic water and sports drink bottles in the cafeteria requires only a small effort and is already done in thousands of schools across the country.  Once the kids get into the spirit it takes on a life of its own.”

Teachers can also prepare environmentally themed classroom projects utilizing the many resources on the Web covering everything from recycling to reducing consumption to buying products made of recycled materials. DoSomeThing.org provides a step-by-step plan for starting a school-wide recycling program that describes all of the internal and external issues a recycling committee would have to consider to start recycling.  Its related site, earth911.org, gets into fun, innovative conservation programs, like how to travel to a prom green style.

Waste Management offers www.ThinkGreen.com/classroom, a K-12 resource in partnership with Discovery Education. Complete with standards-based lesson plans, compelling videos, interactive activities and Think Green® Resources to engage students and extend the learning to the home, www.ThinkGreen.com/classroom is a powerful suite of tools for educators seeking new materials to enliven environmental lessons.  Teachers of children grades K-5 will find resources that will help them answer almost any question about the Three Rs of reducing, reusing and recycling.

Parents can help schools achieve their recycling goals by reducing the amount of consumables that children bring to school in their lunch boxes and by buying environmentally friendly school supplies.  For example, kids who bring their own lunch can cut waste by:

• Packing lunches in washable, reusable bags instead of disposable bags and bringing water in refillable bottles.  If parents are worried about losing refillable bottles, buy one with a cap that can be clipped to a lunch bag;
• Using whole fruits and vegetables as snacks, rather than packaged items; and
• Replacing sandwich bags with reusable sandwich-sized containers.

“There’s a lot of home-based common sense that can make a big difference in schools’ environmental footprints,” said McCormick. “Between home and school, we have an opportunity to create a generation that sees conservation and recycling as a routine part of every day, which is just what it should be.”

About Waste Management

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

5:30 PM Reception, Sponsored by

Click here to visit Waste Pro

6:30 PM Dinner & Program

Broward General Medical Center

Auditorium, 2nd Floor (Parking Available in Parking Garage)
1600 S Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale 954.355.4400

Cancellations after Aug. 23rd and non-cancelled reservations will be charged.

MEMBERS: $35.00 PER PERSON NON-MEMBERS: $50.00 PER PERSON

Please visit our Issue Committees Page for descriptions of the 2010-2011 initiatives and the Committee Member Application.

• Amendment 4 will stifle the development of new business, stalling Florida’s economic recovery.
• Amendment 4 will halt new job creation in Broward County and throughout Florida.
• Implementation of Amendment 4 will necessitate frequent, complicated and costly public referenda at taxpayer expense.

With its requirement that Floridians vote on every substantial land use change, the amendment will result in hundreds of referenda in some cities. Rather than supporting “hometown democracy,” as it claims to do, the plan will increase costs for land use approval processes, impede business development and halt Florida’s economic growth.

“A vote for Amendment 4 will severely impede the speed of economic recovery in Broward County and potentially prolong the effects of the recession on our County’s residents,” said Roy Gold, president of the Broward League of Cities and Coral Springs City Commissioner. “As the president of the Broward League of Cities, I stand for issues affecting Broward County’s 31 municipalities, and I am against this initiative and its ability to compromise our Cities’ economic progress.”

The sentiment of the Broward League of Cities echoes that of all of Broward County’s 31 municipalities, which have passed resolutions formally opposing Amendment 4.

The Broward League of Cities is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and resolving issues facing Broward County’s 31 cities and municipalities at the local, county and state level.

“Pembroke Pines is resolutely opposing an initiative we know will completely halt valuable city projects from fire stations and schools to affordable housing and hospitals, not to mention stifling new businesses because of the multiple land use changes required for start-up,” said Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Ortis, Broward League of Cities Past President and Board Member. “We have seen what Amendment 4 can do by looking at St. Pete Beach as a case study, and it has become a ghost town. I truly hope Broward County’s citizens learn from St. Pete Beach’s mistake and vote down this potentially disastrous bill.”

The Pinellas County town of St. Pete Beach adopted a similar “vote on everything” measure in 2006. Since its implementation, local economic growth has halted and the city has faced constant litigation and special votes at the expense of taxpayers already experiencing economic strain from a stalled economy. Even initial supporters have filed lawsuits to overturn the amendment.

In opposing Amendment 4, the Broward League joins other prominent Florida organizations in their opposition, including its parent organization, the Florida League of Cities, 1000 Friends of Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Council of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association, the Florida Chamber, Florida 2010 and Floridians for Smarter Growth.

For more information on the Vote No on 4 campaign, please log on to www.BrowardLeague.org or visit Florida 2010 at www.Florida2010.org.

“It is my great honor to represent this collaborative organization at this pivotal time in the County’s history,” said Roy Gold in his address to the Broward League of Cities. “It is my goal for us to work together so that we may continue to make a positive difference for the 31 cities of Broward County.”

Roy Gold brings more than 30 years of experience in the political field, serving as a commissioner and vice mayor for the city of Coral Springs, chair of the Broward County Management and Efficiency Study Committee, chair and vice chair of the Broward County Water Advisory Board and the Florida Advisory Council for Barack Obama.
In addition to his position as president of the Broward League of Cities, Commissioner Gold is a program leader for Adopt-A-Mile, a site leader for the city of Coral Springs for the Broward County Waterway Cleanup and the creator and director of the Teen Political Forum.

Joining Commissioner Gold in leading the Broward League of Cities is the newly elected executive board. Each member will serve on the board of directors for a one year term:
• First Vice President – City of Weston Commissioner Daniel Stermer
• Second Vice President – City of Tamarac Mayor Beth Talabisco
• Treasurer – City of Plantation Mayor Rae Carole Armstrong
• Secretary – Cooper City Mayor Debby Eisinger

“With the installment of Commissioner Gold, the appointment of our board of directors and the launch of our new website, we are poised to continue increasing awareness and providing resolutions to issues facing Broward County residents,” said Rhonda Calhoun, executive director of the Broward League of Cities. “We are excited for the 2010-2011 year and look forward to serving the community’s interests on topics that affect day-to-day operations at the county, state, and federal levels.”

The Broward League recently launched a newly redesigned website at www.browardleague.org. Through the website, residents can read about current issues facing Broward County, review resolutions the League has passed and the positive impact of the organization’s decisions. The website also offers resource links, a calendar of upcoming events, information about members and valuable articles designed to provide residents with a comprehensive guide to legislation and issues in Broward County and the State of Florida.

The Broward League of Cities is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and resolving issues facing Broward County’s 31 cities and municipalities at the local, county and state level.

“It is exciting to see these bright students awarded for their hard work in high school and given financial assistance to pursue their dreams in college,” said Cooper City Mayor Debby Eisinger, chair of the Broward League of Cities Education Committee.

Broward County high school seniors from public schools, including charter schools, who plan to pursue a major in public administration, political science or other government-related fields submitted applications for the four individual scholarships. Four outstanding candidates received $1,000 for the Florida college or university of their choice:

• Rafael Batista of Davie – Pembroke Pines Charter School
• Aporajita Ali of Davie – Western High School
• Justin Permenter of Pompano Beach – Pompano Beach High School
• Joshua Solomon of Coral Springs – Coral Glades High School
• Shane Bryan of Tamarac (alternate) – Coral Springs Charter High School

“I’m very pleased, particularly in these difficult economic times, that we were able to revive our scholarship program through the generous charitable donations from many city officials as well as the League’s Associate business members and supporters,” stated Wilton Manors Mayor Gary Resnick, president of the Broward League of Cities.

The Broward League of Cities, a non-partisan, non-profit organization comprised of elected officials from Broward’s 31 municipal governments, sponsors the scholarship program as an incentive for students dreaming of pursuing political careers. The scholarships were made possible thanks to the generous personal contributions of elected officials and several League of Cities Associate Members.

“[I] want to spend my life learning how the social world works and why, using this knowledge to help humanity live better and create interest in the pursuit so that others may be inspired to do the same,” wrote scholarship recipient Joshua Solomon for his application. In the fall, he will attend the Honors Program at Stetson University to study political science.

The Broward League of Cities is dedicated to supporting education through several committees and its Board of Directors that advocate for and monitor municipal, school board, and state issues and concerns. During the reception, City officials and business Members of the League contributed to the ‘Showcase of Excellence’ where cities displayed information about educational partnerships and programs in their communities.

“In addition to our Scholarship Program, League members devote their time and effort to opening the lines of communications and working with residents, Broward County, the Broward County School Board as well as State and Federal legislators to resolve issues facing our students and teachers,” said Resnick. “It is imperative we work collaboratively to support education in South Florida.”

Click here to download the Joint League/County Legislative Action Plan

Date: Monday, April 19 – Friday, April 24

Time: Varies by day

Location: Wilton Manors Elementary

Coral Springs’ Annual EarthFest: The even features wildlife exhibits, guided tours, plant giveaways for residents, children’s activities and refreshments.

Date: Saturday, April 17

Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Location: Sandy Ridge Sanctuary

Deerfield Beach: The city has events throughout April including a plant sale, beach cleanup and culminating in a free Earth Day festival.

Date: Saturday, April 24

Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Location: Recycling Drop-off Center

The Sunrise Earth Day Festival: Celebrate green living with live entertainment, activities, a farmer’s market, unique crafts and more.

Date: Saturday, April 10

Time: 10 a.m to 6 p.m.

Location: Sawgrass Sanctuary

Coconut Creek’s 10th Annual Free Tree Giveaway: The city will give away 700 trees and planting tips to residents.

Date: Saturday, April 24

Time: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Location: City Hall

Oakland Park Earth Day Cleanup Program: Learn about ways to recycle and its positive effects in your city.

Date: Thursday, April 22

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Location: Lakeside Sandpine Preserve