Good and Green News & Updates |
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October is Energy Action and Awareness Month |
Did you know? #EnergyEfficiency could meet 1/3 of expected power needs by 2030. Energy efficiency simply means using less energy to perform the same task - that is eliminating energy waste. Plus, energy efficiency saves money, cuts pollution, and creates jobs. Learn how to be more energy efficient by downloading our 30 Ways to Save Calendar [PDF] to learn ways you can start saving energy all year!
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Volunteers Help Keep Sunrise Clean and Beautiful |
The Sunrise Sustainability Advisory Board held a street cleanup on NW 44 Street on Saturday, October 9. Seven volunteers removed 26 pounds of trash including bottles and cans, fast food containers, and a lot of masks that have been improperly discarded. The group is one of eight active Adopt-A-Street groups (a program in partnership with Broward County) that have adopted a portion of a street in Sunrise. If your group or organization is interested in adopting a street, and can commit to quarterly cleanup events, email litterprevention@broward.org for an application.
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Phase One of LED Streetlighting Retrofit Completed |
Sunrise completed Phase One of the LED Streetlighting Retrofit project, in partnership with Florida Power & Light. Streetlights and traffic signals account for 4% of the City's government operations carbon footprint. Phase One upgraded 626 streetlights with energy-saving LED fixtures. Phase Two, approximately 726 lights, has already started. The expected offset from this project is 133 metric tons of CO2 annually for Phase One, and 157 metric tons of CO2 annually for Phase Two. This is the equivalent of taking 61 vehicles off the road each year. You can also save energy at home by switching to LEDs - start with your most used lights!
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Public Opportunity to be Heard Regarding Florida Plastic Pollution Legislation |
The Broward County Delegation has announced virtual and in-person public hearings where the community can sign up to give testimony on plastic pollution. “Members of the public and representatives of organizations are entitled to address the Delegation at the public hearing appropriate to their subject matter." Speakers will have 2 minutes to present information to the Delegation. Public Hearing #3 will be held on Tuesday, November 9, at JAFCO (5100 North Nob Hill Road) in Sunrise.
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Celebrate Halloween with 31 Days of NOAA Spooky Science |
It's officially spooky season! Follow along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as they celebrate all things spooky, odd, or spine-tingling in the ocean and atmosphere with spooktacular educational activities each day. From "Going batty for ancient climate science" to new "Halloween pumpkin carving templates." These printable pumpkin carving templates [PDF] take you on an adventure from satellites far above our heads to sea creatures in the depths of the ocean. Each template includes a fun fact and link to explore more by the light of your NOAA-o’-lantern!
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I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Osprey |
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The image above was captured by Sunrise resident, Antonio Reyes, who participated in the BioBlitz Bingo event at Flamingo Park. |
- Species is native to Florida
- Ospreys, also known as "fish hawks," are expert anglers
- Smaller than the Bald Eagle, but still has an impressive 5-6 foot wingspan
- May log more than 160,000 migration miles during its lifetime
- Barbed pads on the soles of the birds' feet help them grip slippery fish
- Eggs do not hatch all at once - the first chick emerges up to five days before the last one
- Oldest known Osprey was at least 25 years, 2 months old, and lived in Virginia
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The name "Osprey" made its first appearance around 1460, via the Medieval Latin phrase for "bird of prey" (avis prede)
- No longer listed as a Species of Special Concern thanks to the banning of DDT - but still protected under the US Migratory Bird Treaty Act
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First Ever Sunrise BioBlitz was a Success |
The City of Sunrise selected Flamingo Park for our inaugural BioBlitz project site. Anyone could join the project by exploring Flamingo Park, and uploading snapshots of plants and wildlife observed in the park from September 1st through September 30th. On Saturday, September 18th, Sunrise Good and Green hosted a BioBlitz BINGO event to help residents get started with iNaturalist, learn how to identify local species, and about pollinators and why they are important. Attendees were able to learn from local experts and habitat stewards. The Bingo was a fun way to help attendees find the nature all around them while enjoying the park.
Overall, the Sunrise BioBlitz had 161 observations at Flamingo Park (23% animals and 77% plants), and 65 different species were identified. There were 11 observers who uploaded data to iNaturalist, and 28 identifiers from the naturalist community that helped to confirm and ID species.
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162 Observations
64 Species Identified
39 Participants
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One of the species identified during the BioBlitz was an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). The Osprey is found year-round in Florida both as a nesting species and as a spring and fall migrant passing between more northern areas and Central and South America. Osprey habitat includes the coast, lakes, rivers, and swamps in Florida where they hoover over and patrol for live fish like mullet, spotted trout, and sunfish, and then dive feet first into the water to catch them.
The BioBlitz is a great way to connect residents to nature and advance sustainable and resilient open spaces that support people and wildlife! The BioBlitz event supports the Sunrise Sustainability Action Plan (S2) goal to promote protection of natural areas and foster recreation opportunities.
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Sunrise BioBlitz photo collage of a few of the images provided by local photographer Tom Brunstetter: |
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