Message from the Sustainability Manager
Dear Sustainability Champions,
Spring was a busy and successful season for the City’s sustainability initiatives! Thank you to everyone who supported and participated in our various events. Some amazing achievements are highlighted below:
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Blue Flag Beach
On May 2, 2025, the City celebrated our first Blue Flag Beach award for Spanish River Park beach south of Tower 18. Our beach is only the third in the United States to receive this prestigious honor for dedication to sustainability, environmental education, water quality, and safety. Be sure to check out our Blue Flag Beach website or the information board at Spanish River Park’s central pavilion to learn more about the beach and the current activities being offered for free as part of our Blue Flag programming.
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Trees
Alongside city partner, Community Greening, during April and May, we planted 40 trees at Countess de Hoernle Park as a Centennial Grove and provided 225 shade and fruit trees to city residents as part of our tree giveaway and drop-off programs.
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Sustainable Yards Series
On May 28, the Office of Sustainability held the last of four Sustainable Yards Series lectures that had been taking place monthly since February. Participants learned how to choose appropriate native plants for their landscapes, create a bird-friendly garden, attract pollinators, and incorporate resilient grasses and groundcovers into their yards. Attendees were provided 1-gallon native plants at each lecture to enhance their own landscapes.
Eight residents attended all four sessions and at the last lecture received a large flowering plant and certificate of achievement for their dedication to Florida-Friendly Landscaping practices. The Office of Sustainability thanks Kara Kruger, local extension agent for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, for her incredible talks!
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Dune Restoration Events
Since the beginning of the year, six dune restoration events, involving removal of invasives and installation of native plants, have taken place at South Beach Park and Red Reef Park. The events are run with City partner, Institute for Regional Conservation. The most recent event on June 2, 2025 also involved a BioBlitz where attendees used the iNaturalist app to document plants at Red Reef Park for the Society of Ecological Restoration’s Make a Difference Week. Annually, this week coincides with World Environment Day and encourages restoration action via local volunteer events across the globe.
Our next dune restoration events are scheduled for August and September, so be on the lookout for registration information later this summer!
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What an incredible start we’ve had to our year! Let’s keep this momentum! Within this issue, you’ll find information on:
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The Sustainable Summer program
- An upcoming water and energy conservation workshop
- Opportunities to contribute to our Resilience Adaptation and Action Plan
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Shark conservation (after all, it is the 50th anniversary of JAWS this summer, and sharks are such an important apex predator locally!)
I hope to see you at our upcoming events. Stay well and stay sustainable!
Tina Batoh-Jennings
Sustainability Manager, City of Boca Raton
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Take Action
ALL SUMMER LONG
Every summer is Sustainable Summer in the City of Boca Raton. Join us throughout the months of June, July, and August to learn about how YOU can practice more sustainable actions.
Each month will have an interactive calendar of suggestions on how you can incorporate sustainable practices into daily life. Check the website for updates on events and programs to be added throughout the summer.
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Wednesdays from June 11 - July 23, 4-5pm, is for Eco-Heroes at the Spanish River Library! 7–8 year-olds learn about those who have made a positive difference in the environment. Enjoy fun, eco-friendly activities - planting, recycling, and more. FREE. Registration required.
JUNE - Energy Reduction
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All month: Check out the interactive calendar and learn how to reduce your energy consumption and save money on utility bills.
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Sat, June 7: The Office of Sustainability will be at Spanish River Library from 9am-12pm to help kickoff Color Your World, the Boca Raton Library’s FREE Summer Reading Program. Stop by the Sustainability table for suggestions on conservation themed books to add to reading lists for all ages.
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Sun, June 8: World Ocean Day celebration at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center from 10am to 2pm. Get inspired to protect the oceans at this all ages FREE event!
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Sun, June 8: Make & Takes - Soda Bottle Butterflies at the Children's Science Explorium from 11:30am-12:30pm. Build a monarch butterfly mobile from recycled soda bottles and natural materials. Ages 5+. No pre-registration is required. $5 per project, while supplies last. So, get there quick!
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Fri, June 20: Pop-up Workshop #1 for the City’s Resilience Adaptation and Action Plan (RAAP) - From 6pm - 8pm, attendees at the Summer in the City concert will have an opportunity to comment on project priorities to be included in the City's RAAP. Stop by our tent across from Mizner Park Amphitheater (at the northernmost section of the center esplanade) to provide your valuable input, then stick around and enjoy the concert.
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Tues, June 24: From 6-7pm at the Downtown Library, join WE-LAB, the Office of Sustainability and Utilities Services for a free water and energy conservation workshop. The first 50 registrants that attend will receive a free water and energy toolkit.
(Click on the image below to enlarge and print the flyer.)
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JULY - Waste Reduction
AUGUST - Water Conservation
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Sat, August 23: Dune restoration event. Location to be announced. Stay tuned for information on registration.
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Sustainability Heroes
Blue Lake Elementary School PTA recently received the Palm Beach County Council of PTA/PTSA 2024-2025 Environmental Award for their successful beach cleanup event in December of 2024, and for launching a school-wide Earth Day contest focusing on the theme of “Powering the Future with Renewable Energy.”
This initiative engaged students in active learning about solar, wind, and hydroelectric energy sources. Each class participated in an educational lesson on renewable energy and had the opportunity to create a collaborative project showcasing their understanding. A winning project from each grade was chosen. The winning classes attended a special Mad Science assembly.
Blue Lake Elementary PTA has also established an ongoing Sustainability Committee dedicated to promoting environmental awareness and action within the school. This committee supports green initiatives such as recycling programs, reducing waste, and incorporating sustainability education into school activities. Keep up the great work, Blue Lake!
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Creature Feature
Atlantic white sharks! With the 50th anniversary of the release of the movie Jaws coming up on June 20 (see more in the Watch section, below), it’s a great time to look at the conservation success of the white shark population off Cape Cod.
After decades of heavy hunting, seals were largely eradicated from Cape Cod by the 1960s. Due to this lack of prey, and broader fishing pressures, the white shark population also experienced significant declines. White shark sightings became extremely rare in the Cape. The passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, however, led to a rebound of grey and harbor seal populations in Cape Cod. Their numbers have exploded over the past 20 years. With abundant prey available, The cape has now become a global hotspot for white sharks. Their resurgence demonstrates conservation in action. To raise awareness for the importance of white sharks off the New England coast and to conduct robust research on their population dynamics, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) was founded.
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You can visit their Shark Center in Chatham, MA and download the Sharktivity app to report shark sightings and track tagged sharks. Through the conservancy’s tracking efforts, 800 individual white sharks were reported in Cape Cod waters between 2015 and 2018. If you happen to be in Cape Cod, make sure to stop by the Shark Center or book an AWSC excursion to view white sharks on the water.
| | Read, Watch, and Listen with the Office of Sustainability | |
Read
An Immense World by Ed Yong
This beautifully written work brings to light the incredible ways that non-human animals sense the world around them. It doesn’t skimp on the science, yet presents perception in an enchanting way that captivates experts and the casual reader alike. This is a great read to inspire conservation.
Check it out at the Boca Raton Public Library!
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Watch
Jaws
The movie that spawned the summer blockbuster, turns 50 this year! While the movie scared some out of the water, the character of oceanographer Matt Hooper (played by Richard Dreyfuss) did the opposite, instilling a fascination with sharks and prompting many to pursue careers in the marine sciences. Moreover, Peter Benchley who wrote the novel Jaws and co-wrote its movie adaptation, became a staunch advocate for shark conservation. Stream the movie or wait until August 29 when it will be re-released to theaters for a limited time.
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Listen
The Food and Resource Economic Podcast (UF/IFAS), "The United States Shark Fin Band"
The United States has banned shark finning-- a practice that leads to the demise of tens of millions of sharks every year. As apex (top) predators, the loss of sharks has cascading negative impacts on entire marine ecosystems. In 2022, the United States made the sale or purchase of shark fins within the US illegal. This podcast is a great primer for learning about possible economic and environmental impacts of the policy, both locally and globally.
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Did You Know?
There are local stores like One World Zero Waste where you can purchase sustainable and plastic-free items (i.e., home goods, health and beauty products) but also shop sustainably. You are encouraged to bring in clean containers to fill up with bulk items including organic dried fruits, pastas, and spices. Farm fresh produce can be ordered weekly for pickup in-store, all free of plastic packaging!
Check out One World Zero Waste for a sustainable shopping experience, and get a head start on July’s Sustainable Summer theme, which is waste reduction.
| | Are you, or someone you know, going above and beyond for sustainability in the City of Boca Raton? Submit them for the next edition! Email us at sustainability@myboca.us | | | | |
