Issue 37 | May 2022
Good and Green News & Updates
May is Clean Air Month!
Clean Air Month encourages people to take positive steps to improve air quality – both locally and globally. Clean air is important for the health and day-to-day lives of people.
Did You Know? Air pollution is the single greatest environmental risk to human health, and one of the main avoidable causes of death and disease globally?

We can all have an effect on the air we breathe by making choices about our daily activities; from driving our cars, to mowing our lawns, to how much electricity we use.

Popular Gardening For Wildlife Workshop is Back!
Sunrise Good and Green is partnering with NatureScape Broward to offer a "Gardening For Wildlife" Workshop on Wednesday, June 15, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Sunrise Senior Center. Attendees will learn how to create a wildlife-friendly garden at home that will attract butterflies and birds to your yard! The workshop is FREE and family-friendly. Attendees will receive an educational packet, seeds, and a Florida-friendly plant or tree to take home! All ages are welcome to attend. To register for the workshop, email sustainability@sunrisefl.gov with your name, number of people that will attend with you, and let us know how many people in your party are 12 years of age or younger.

Sunrise Receives $2 Million in Federal Funding for Stormwater Pump Replacement
An official check presentation ceremony was held on May 4th where the Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz presented the Sunrise City Commission with a giant check representing $2 million in federal funding. The dollars will be used to replace an aging stormwater pump - part of a complex network of City of Sunrise Utilities Department infrastructure that helps manage stormwater and provide flood protection to thousands of area residents and business owners. Utilities staff provided officials a tour of Pump Station 8 - and also got a chance to pose with the large check (pictured right)!

Top photo is Representative Debbie Wasserman Shultz with Sunrise City Commissioners and bottom photo is Sunrise Utilities staff
Good and Green Team Spotted out in the Community
The month of April kicked off with the Sunrise Earth Day Festival on April 2, but that was just the first of many events that the Good and Green team participated! During the month of April, the Good and Green team were educating residents at the Sawgrass Mills Earth Day Expo on April 22, and the Sunrise Family Resource Fair on April 23 (pictured right). The Good and Green team were also out planting trees, removing litter from the roadways, and celebrating volunteers at the annual Sunrise Volunteer Luncheon. We'll be back out in the community at the Back to School Round-Up on August 6 - come stop by our table to decorate your own eco pencil case!
Breathe Easy - Be Air Aware For Cleaner Air!
How Sunrise Helps

The City of Sunrise is constantly working towards sustainable goals, including reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and improving our local air quality.

Some of the projects include a cleaner and green City Fleet, energy efficient lighting, solar installations, and planting trees throughout the City.

Ways You Can Reduce Air Pollution

Take part in these green practices to improve the air quality in the area and reduce the air pollution!

  • Plant a tree - Trees purify the air by turning carbon dioxide into clean oxygen.
  • Use less electricity - Less electricity used means less fossil fuels used!
  • Drive less if you can - Riding the bus reduces how many cars use gas on the road. Even better ride a bike or walk - which requires no electricity or gas!
  • Carpool to work or school - Carpooling allows more people to travel while using less fuel than individual cars would.
  • Reduce idling - turn off the engine if the vehicle is going to be parked for more than a minute (except in traffic).
  • Practice fire safety - Out of control fires can expand and create unnecessary smoke and pollutants.
Interested in learning more about the air we breathe? Click the link to take a quick quiz!
Clean Air Month
The federal government took action in 1970 to work to improve air quality in the United States by passing the Clean Air Act.

Though beneficial, the rules put in place by this act are not enough to protect the air we breathe - people need to take action too! May was named Clean Air Month by the Centers For Disease Control in 1994 in an effort to encourage people to take sustainable actions that reduce air pollution.
What is Air Pollution?

Air pollution refers to the pollutants that are released into the air that can harm human health, as well as the planet. These pollutants include nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter (a mixture of particles of solid and liquid pollutants in the air).


Harmful Effects

Though it may not be visible, air pollution is all around us and can lead to serious human and environmental health issues.

For humans, pollutants can worsen asthma and cause troubled breathing in the short-run. However, in the long-run, air pollutants have been linked to serious conditions!

In addition, air pollution can harm the environment by reducing blocking sunlight, causing acid rain, and harming forests, wildlife, and agriculture.
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