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July 13, 2023
Delivered July 17, 2017 10:00 AM:
Subject: Greetings from Miami Waterkeeper. We are excited to share some updates and recent successes with you!
Florida Passes First Plastic bag Ban!
Miami Waterkeeper was proud to support the City of Coral Gables as they passed the ban of plastic bags! Miami Waterkeeper gave comments at the first and second reading of the proposed ordinance. We worked with commissioner Vince Lago and other environmental groups to educate the Mayor and Commission on this issue. On second reading, the ordinance passed unanimously. This is the first ban of its kind in Florida! This ban is the first step towards preventing wasteful practices that can result in marine debris.
Our Junior Ambassador, Simone Schwedel, spoke in favor of the ban - check out her comments in this Youtube Video
Photo from the Center for Biological Diversity.
Did you know? The average American family takes home almost 1,500 plastic shopping bags a year. It takes 500 (or more) years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill. Unfortunately the bags don’t break down completely, but instead photo-degrade, becoming microplastics that absorb toxins and continue to pollute the environment.
We thank Commissioner Vince Lago and the Coral Gables City Commission for their inspired leadership on this issue. Read more on our blog and check out our Miami Herald story.
Miami Waterkeeper is a proud supporter of the new Port of Miami anchorage spearheaded by the Coast Guard, which increases protection for corals and their habitat. This redesign better defends threatened species and critical coral habitat while still allowing safe navigation in and around the Port of Miami. We are proud of our contributions to this process and applaud the Coast Guard for their great work on this issue! Read our comments HERE. Miami Waterkeeper has been working hard to protect our coral reefs near Port Miami - read about our legal actions HERE.Fighting for a better Bay!
What better way to celebrate the anniversary of Biscayne National Park’s designation than by joining forces with more than 30 organizations spanning government, academia, and non-profits at the inaugural Biscayne Bay Marine Health Summit? Over 200 attendees at the summit discussed the state of our bay and collaboratively built a 10-year plan to ensure efforts towards a brighter and healthier future for this critical body of water, which houses precious marine life, serves as South Florida’s aquifer, and drives our clean water economy! Miami Waterkeeper Staff Attorney and Program Director, Kelly Cox, gave a breaking news update at the summit about a recent 760,000 gallon sewage spill impacting Biscayne Bay. Read/listen to Kelly's interview with WLRN HERE.
(Top Left) Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts Harvey Ruvin honored at the Summit for decades protecting Biscayne Bay. Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava was presented with the first "Harvey" Award in Ruvin’s honor. (Top Right) Summit participants brainstorm ideas for the 10-year plan in an education-focused breakout session. (Bottom Left) Panel discussion about pollution sources and solutions for our bay. (Bottom Right) Miami Waterkeeper's Kelly Cox giving an update on the recent sewage spill
Keeping the Public Informed: Crappy News
On June 20, 2017, Miami-Dade suffered a massive sewage leak, sending over 760,000 gallons of raw sewage into the Biscayne Canal and resulting in a no-contact advisory for nine days for parts of Biscayne Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway - including Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve. At Miami Waterkeeper, we believe these chronic sewage spills are unacceptable. We are constantly working to ensure our water is swimmable, drinkable, and fishable. Join us in taking a stand and sign our petition HERE.
Donate to keep our water clean
Newest Miami Waterkeeper Junior Ambassador Graduates!
Just a few short months ago our inaugural class of Junior Ambassadors completed their program with an exciting day of events! We ventured to Crandon Park with Debris Free Oceans and conducted a clean up along the beach. Our Junior Ambassadors snorkeled the fossilized reef and seagrass beds and saw rays, pufferfish, conch, and more!
The day was completed with a picnic graciously supplied by our partner, Rubio’s Coastal Grill, and our graduates were presented with awards and gear! A special thank you to our generous donors who contributed snorkeling gear to the program. The Junior Ambassador program helps students become versed in the complex relationship between social, environmental, governmental, and economic issues that are central to cultivating a culture of environmental awareness and advocacy in South Florida, which is relevant worldwide. The program is offered at no cost to participating students, as part of Miami Waterkeeper’s mission. Take a look at our video featuring some highlights from this year’s program and an overview of what our Miami Waterkeeper Junior Ambassador program offers!
Upcoming ways to get involved...
- Take part in our final Senior Ambassador series training session
- Join us for Sushi and Sake benefiting Miami Waterkeeper
On July 28, 2017 Sushi Maki's new location in Coconut Grove (next to Monty's Raw Bar) is hosting a happy hour! From 6 to 9 pm, 20% of all sales will be donated to Miami Waterkeeper. All are welcome to join us for sushi, sake, bubble tea, and other delights for a great cause! Click here for more details.
Follow us to stay up to date with our events!
Board Member Spotlight
David and Maria Schwedel are co-chairs of Miami Waterkeeper’s (MWK’s) Board of Trustees, which works primarily to build MWK’s capacity through marketing and fundraising. The couple has generously supported MWK and been instrumental in broadening our scope in our community. David, a Miami native, is an energy technology investor who founded and now serves as CEO of Gables Energy Partners, LLC. Maria, originally from Cuba, has nearly a decade of career experience in banking, audit, and finance. The couple shares a commitment to our natural environment and strives to make a difference for the betterment of our South Florida water-based economy. They and their three young children spend all of their leisure time on or in the waters surrounding Miami, the Florida Keys, and the Bahamas. Their eldest child, and only daughter – Simone – is ahead of her years as one of the youngest graduate of MWK’s Junior Ambassador program. She also spoke at a City of Coral Gables commission meeting to help MWK advocate for the successful passing of the city’s plastic bag ban – the first in Florida!Partner CornerMiami Waterkeeper is able to defend, protect, and preserve South Florida’s watershed with the generous support and involvement of our dedicated partners and donors. Among them is TUCCI– founded and headquartered right here in Miami. We wholeheartedly thank TUUCI’s entire team for their continued philanthropy! For over 20 years TUUCI has been creating the most innovative, unique and stylish shade platforms in the industry. Founded with a passion by Miami native Dougan Clarke, TUUCI was born from the marine industry. This means every single parasol, lounge and cabana they create has been meticulously engineered to perform without question, in any environment. Beyond function, TUUCI products turn heads with their unparalleled and unique sense of style. Their parasols, pavilions and lounges are your ticket to the ultimate shade experience, with incredibly durable, 100% replaceable parts and an unmatched design. With a global presence throughout the US, Europe, the Far East and South America, TUUCI’s journey is simply to complement the shade the natural world already provides. To learn more, visit https://www.tuuci.com/company/.
We've updated our membership levels and rewards! Become a member of Miami Waterkeeper! In addition to supporting your local waterways and helping us to fight for your rights to a clean and healthy environment, members enjoy added benefits including merchandise, invitations and discounts to special events, access to special content, and more!
Make a gift today! We are a small organization with oversized impact. We rely on community support to keep us going, and we need your financial support now more than ever. Your gifts will go towards education, outreach, and legal advocacy to ensure a clean and vibrant watershed in South Florida. Please consider making a donation to Miami Waterkeeper today.
Going Gold – We’re Gold on Guidestar! Miami Waterkeeper recently earned the Gold GuideStar Rating!
Support your Miami Waterkeeper
We hope to see you at one of our upcoming events!
Miami Waterkeeper
(844)-847-2295
2103 Coral Way
Coral Gables, FL 33145
United States
Miami Waterkeeper’s mission is to defend, protect, and preserve South Florida’s watershed through citizen engagement and community action rooted in sound science and research. We work to ensure swimmable, drinkable, fishable water for all. Through our efforts, we hope to maintain a clean and vibrant South Florida watershed and coastal culture for generations to come.