eVIP Volunteers at the 2023 Invasive Species Blitz Project at Blanchard Park |
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Lend a Hand to make a difference in your Orange County environment and community.
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Thank You Volunteers!
2023 Invasive Species Blitz
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On January 21, 59 volunteers worked with the Orange County Environmental Protection Division (EPD) & Parks and Recreation to remove invasive plants and trash from Jay Blanchard Park. Volunteers removed 30 cubic yards of litter and plant material. In all, a total of 147.5 volunteer hours were donated towards the effort. A big thank you to the American Society of Civil Engineers' Environmental & Water Resources Institute for supplying volunteer refreshments and extra hands to help! It was wonderful to work with the University of Central Florida's American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Knights for Wildlife Conservation, along with professionals from Tau Beta Pi Central Florida Alumni Chapter, AVCON Inc. and the many individuals who came out to help. Thank you to all the volunteers and staff that made this project a fabulous success!
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Save The Date
Earth Day Volunteer Project 2023
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Please make plans to join us to celebrate Earth Day! The Orange County Environmental Protection Division (EPD) will host a volunteer project the morning of Friday, April 21, at the Dell property near Savage Christmas Creek Preserve. This beautiful Green PLACE property is located in East Orange County in Christmas, Florida. Email [email protected] to RSVP or request more information. Hope to see you there!
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In Her Own Words
Kiara Rodriguez-Ferro, EPD Intern
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My internship with the Orange County Environmental Protection Division's (EPD) Compliance Support and Strategic Engagement (CSSE) program began in May of 2022. My roles consist of helping create the EPD staff newsletter, taking photos of EPD staff in the field, participating in tabling events and creating graphics for social media. I feel like this internship works very well for me, because I get to take pictures, which is one of my passions, and help spread environmental awareness at the same time. My favorite experience was shadowing a variety of EPD programs and learning all about what they do. It was incredibly interesting. I am graduating this spring with a bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida in Environmental Studies with a minor in Digital Media. I will continue my internship with EPD until I graduate and plan to apply for a full-time position with Orange County. I believe my time with CSSE has given me great experience that I will definitely use in the future.
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Thank You Volunteers!
Love, Tito's "Deck the Drains" Storm Drain Labeling Project
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As 2022 came to a close, Tito's Handmade Vodka and Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits of Florida organized a group of 20 volunteers to label storm drain inlets in Williamsburg. The creative and hard-working group coined the team building event as "Deck the Drains." Volunteers removed old, faded labels and placed the newer turtle labels on 80 storm drain inlets. Additionally, the group distributed 200 door hangers to educate the community on stormwater runoff, and inventoried areas still in need of new labels. Thank you for partnering with the Orange County Environmental Protection Division on this project and for giving back to Orange County during your annual meeting. |
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Spring Intern Meet & Greet
March 24, 2023
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The Orange County Environmental Protection Division (EPD) will host a virtual Meet & Greet on Friday, March 24, at 9 a.m. This networking event is for those interested in volunteering as interns for the summer and fall semesters. At the Meet & Greet, EPD staff will conduct brief interviews with candidates and describe various internship opportunities. Current internship application and enrollment in school is required. Candidates must RSVP to participate.
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Fix It! Don't Pitch It!
Saturday, March 4
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Pollution Prevention (P2) starts with you! Orange County Environmental Protection Division (EPD) encourages you to Fix It, Don't Pitch It by attending our upcoming community workshop. This event gives residents the opportunity to have broken items repaired by handy volunteers for free. Save money and the environment by fixing items around your home instead of sending them to the landfill.
Orange County Fix It! Don't Pitch It!
Saturday, March 4, 2023
South Econ Community Park
3800 S. Econlockhatchee Trail
Orlando, Florida 32829
Event hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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Sign Up!
Receive More News From EPD
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Would you like to learn more about the Orange County Environmental Protection Division (EPD)? EPD is excited to share a variety of information about events, sustainability, the Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge, regulatory updates, lake management, water quality and more! If you would like to be included on the email list, please fill out this brief sign-up form.
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Storm Drain Labeling
Spearhead a storm drain labeling project in your community. Orange County eVIP provides all the supplies, a one-hour training session and the support to create an enjoyable and meaningful service project for your group. Please help us keep our surface water clean and our storm drains functioning properly. This is a great project for scout groups!
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The Explore Nature Project
The Explore Nature Project provides an opportunity to help clean up natural lands in Orange County and learn about the countless species in these diverse ecosystems. To view recent observations captured by Explore Nature volunteers, visit eVIP's iNaturalist Project page. Then click join to upload and share your finds! Volunteer hours will be verified upon request.
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Internship Program
To learn more about the program, send an email stating your interest. Internships are competitive and applications are accepted year-round. Students can earn service hours, college credit and meaningful work experience. Interns who complete a three-month unpaid internship are eligible to apply for paid internships as available.
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Orange County Water-Quality Monitoring
Orange County partners with the UF/IFAS LAKEWATCH program to provide volunteers with training and equipment for water-quality testing on local lakes. Volunteers need lake access, a few hours each month to collect samples, transportation to deliver samples, a canoe or watercraft and a one-year-plus commitment to sampling.
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EnviroScape Training and Presentations
Learn how to use the EnviroScape Model to provide fun, hands-on watershed education presentations. Are you an educator? Once trained, classroom teachers and youth group leaders can also "check out" our education materials. Alternately, request EnviroScape presentations for your students. Presentations are scheduled year-round as schedule permits.
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Group Community
Cleanup Kit
Is your group looking for an environmental project? eVIP has a new kit that helps individuals lead a cleanup and assist in keeping Orange County free of pollution. eVIP provides the supplies, training and support. The project is a good fit for volunteers of all ages and groups of all sizes. Educational materials will be provided as requested.
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Thank you for your interest! |
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If you would like more information on any of the opportunities listed above,
please contact the Orange County Environmental Protection Division Volunteer Coordinator
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Orange County Environmental Protection Division
407-836-1430 | Cell 321-689-8232 | Fax 407-836-1499
3165 McCrory Place, Suite 200, Orlando, FL 32803
Serving our community by conserving, protecting and enhancing the environment for current and future generations.
Copyright © 2023. All Rights Reserved.
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