But what if the plastic we collect could do even more than be recycled? A recent study from the University of Copenhagen has found a way to turn PET plastic—commonly used in bottles and clothing—into a special material called BAETA (Bis-AminoEthyl Terephthalate-Amide), a durable, powdery substance, that can capture carbon dioxide from the air. This exciting research suggests that the very plastic polluting our planet could one day help reduce emissions. If you’re interested, read more about the discovery here: Scientists made plastic that eats carbon. Keep in mind, though, that this technology is still in development, and the BEST way to be sustainable, is to make a conscious effort to refuse plastic items, especially single-use plastics.

Summer Activity Highlights

Resilience Adaptation and Action Plan (RAAP) Pop-Up Workshops (June and July):

Two workshops held prior to summer concert series events at Mizner Park, provided the opportunity for residents to comment on project prioritization that will be included in the City’s Resilience Adaptation and Action Plan. Feedback from the 60 participants indicated strong public support for resilience strategies such as enhancing natural buffers and improving stormwater drainage. These items will be elevated in the project prioritization framework to be included in the final RAAP (a draft of which will be completed this fall).

Screening of Good Natured Documentary

Wednesday, Oct 8 | 5:30pm | Downtown Library

View the documentary Good Natured (co-directed by Ashley Stokes and Kristine Kelly) as part of Volo Foundation’s Florida Climate Week! This captivating film showcases the state’s unique wildlife, natural landscapes, and the people working to protect them - inviting viewers to connect, care, and be inspired by the world right outside our doors.


• Doors open at 5:30pm with light refreshments and drinks to be offered
• Screening begins promptly at 6:00pm
• Q&A with Director Ashley Stokes, 7:00-7:30pm
• The event is FREE and open to all Palm Beach County residents, but registration is required. Register here. Space may be available at the door if attendance does not exceed 125 individuals at the time of the event.

Education Explorations: Things that go Bump in the Deep

Saturday, Oct 11 |1:30pm & 2:30pm

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center

• Learn about spooky creatures that can be found lurking in the depths of the ocean. This is a family-friendly, drop-in program.
• Guest speaker, Tina Batoh-Jennings, illuminates the interesting adaptations of animals that go bump in the deep like the goblin shark, vampire squid, and even the mimic octopus, a true master of disguise!
• Reservations are not required for this FREE program.
• All ages are welcome, children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

'Unwrap the Waves' Candy Wrapper Recycling

October 12 – November 12

• Did You Know? Every Halloween season, Americans purchase more than 300,000 tons of candy! The City is participating in the Loggerhead Marine Life Center's Unwrap the Waves program to recycle the wrappers.
• Bring your clean candy wrappers to the following locations and put them in the designated bins:
• City Hall
• Children's Science Explorium
• Downtown Library
• Spanish River Library
• Gumbo Limbo Nature Center

Gopher Tortoise Preserve Volunteer Restoration - Phase II

Saturday, Oct 25 | 9-11am

10 W Hidden Valley Blvd, Boca Raton, FL 33487

Will involve installation of native plant species. Details to follow. Please continue to check the Office of Sustainability Take Action page.

Be on the Lookout!

If you stop by the Children’s Science Explorium, you’ll notice that by the gardens, a new Chickee hut for teaching demonstrations is being constructed. The structure is almost complete, and in preparation for landscaping the project area, Explorium and Parks staff weeded and covered the ground with cardboard and tarps to help stunt any regrowth. Then the area was mulched. A variety of Florida native plants such as tickseed, cocoplum, wild coffee, muhly grass, coontie, tropical sage, and others were purchased and are being held in the Explorium’s nursery to acclimate prior to planting when construction has ended.

A big thank you to Explorium Science Educator Cynthia Bohn-Clairy for her keen eye in designing the landscape plans and choosing to use native plants. They will become habitat for various pollinator species, and an outstanding example of sustainable practices for vistors to the Explorium and Sugar Sand Park. We’re looking forward to sharing the final product with you!

Sustainability Heroes

The heroes for this issue are the 41 individuals that braved heat and sun to complete the first phase of native plantings at Gopher Tortoise Preserve. A special thank you to all the youth that attended the event. It’s never too early to start learning about enhancing biodiversity and appreciating community efforts that make work lighter and a lot more fun!

Creature Feature

In honor of spooky season approaching, we’re going to dive into the deep sea to find our featured creature. We might encounter him in the twilight zone of the ocean, starting around 500 meters depth, but his range can extend into the black abyss, 3,000 meters (almost 2 miles) below the ocean surface! There is absolutely no light here, so it’s going to be hard to see him, but we got lucky, and here he is, the gulper eel! Actually, he is not a true eel, but rather an eel-like fish. But call him what you will, it’s his wild LOOKS that have us both freaked out and amazed.

The first thing we notice is the gulper eel’s large mouth. The fish grow to about 2.5 feet, with the jaw estimated to be a quarter of the total length. So why the long face? Well, in the deep sea it’s hard to locate food. When the gulper eel is lucky enough to find some of its favorite prey, like a group of shrimp or squid, it blows up its mouth like a net to scoop them up, and not miss a single tasty morsel! This feeding strategy is also helpful because despite their fearsome looks, the gulper eels have only very tiny teeth.



Since the habitat these fish live in is so inaccessible, most of what we know about them was learned from dead specimens. But now, thanks to remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), we can capture videos of gulper eels in their natural environment. Watch this incredible footage that even leaves the scientists baffled!