Issue 39 | July 2022
Good and Green News & Updates
Graphic with photos of the Sunrise Athletic Complex (SAC) and Welleby Park
Join the City of Sunrise for the Grand Re-opening of SAC and Welleby Parks this Month!
  • Sunrise Athletic Complex (SAC) Grand Re-opening on Saturday, July 16 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm


2022 Broward Solar Co-op Launches This Month
Are you interested in solar energy for your home or business? We have great news! Solar United Neighbors, a Florida nonprofit, is bringing their Solar Co-op initiative to our area - and launching the Broward Solar Co-op 2022 this July. By joining, you’ll learn how solar works, and see if a solar energy system is feasible for you. Then, you’ll have the opportunity to go solar at a group rate, alongside your neighbors. The Co-op is free to join!

Solar United Neighbors will also be hosting two informational sessions:

Learn more about the Co-op and sign up here.
Join the Broward Solar Co-op 2022
Creating a Wildlife Habitat in a Small Space
Did you know that a container garden can provide habitat for wildlife? You don't have to have a big yard - or any yard to Be A Butterfly Hero. Sunrise Good and Green hosted a workshop at the Senior Center on June 30 that taught 22 participants how to create a Habitat in a Pot! Each participant learned how they could create a wildlife habitat in a pot that has food sources, places for cover, places to raise young, sustainable gardening practices, and a water source. Participants got to take home plants, including pentas, pineland lantanas, and giant milkweeds. You can put a container habitat together at home by following NatureScape's Container Garden - A Simple Habitat [PDF]. By creating wildlife habitats and certifying them through National Wildlife Federation (NWF), you help Sunrise achieve our annual recertification as a NWF Community Wildlife Habitat!

Garden in a large pot
This container garden is on display at the Sunrise Senior Center!
Learn How to Take Climate Action - Join the CLEO Speakers Network
Over 50% of Americans are concerned about the climate crisis, but most don’t know how to discuss it. Empower your climate action by joining the CLEO Speakers Network, an online certification program that builds individuals’ confidence in climate communication by breaking down the latest science, impacts, and actionable solutions. Talking about the climate crisis is one of the most important things we can all do. The next CLEO Speakers Network is August 14th through September 6th with a two-hour virtual session each week.

Learn more and register here.
CLEO Speakers Network presentations promo flyer
Smart Irrigation Month
July is smart irrigation month
How You Can Participate
Save water at home with these easy steps:

  1. Observe your local irrigation watering schedule. The City of Sunrise supports the all-year, two-day-a-week landscape irrigation restrictions imposed by SFWMD.
  2. Adjust and maintain your rain sensor.
  3. Routinely monitor your irrigation system and fix and leaks that occur. Leaks waste water and money!
  4. Avoid watering your lawn in the middle of the day (the hottest part of it!). Instead, water in the early morning or at night.
  5. Plant native and Florida-friendly plants in your yard. Drought-resistant, low-maintenance plants reduce the amount of water that needs to be used.
  6. Use mulch to help prevent weed growth and retain soil moisture.

Approximately 50% of residential water is used for irrigation. A healthy landscape only needs 1 inch to 1.5 inches of water per week during the summer growing season. During the winter season, when a lawn goes dormant, it requires even less.
Find your watering days here!
Smart irrigation helps conserve water year-round!
July is Smart Irrigation Month, and we’re highlighting the ways the Sunrise community can make every drop count and save money this summer while supporting the protection of our water resources.

The summer season brings warm temperatures, bright sunshine – and an increased demand for water to irrigate lawns, gardens, and landscapes. Did you know you can help conserve South Florida’s precious water resources by watering wisely and following local irrigation ordinances?
Waterwise is a book created by SFWMD that describes how to landscape to promote water conservation. The book contains hundreds of native and Florida-friendly plants and lists the water requirements of each species.
Get Paid to Save (Water)!
Did you know that City of Sunrise Utilities offers the Naturescape Broward Residential Irrigation Rebate Program (RIRP)? With it, residents may be eligible for a rebate to upgrade their irrigation system.

Residents must have a working irrigation system, live in a participating water provider service area, and irrigate with metered, City water (not lakes, canals, or wells). Eligible residents are able to receive up to $600 for upgrading their system, depending on the upgrades that are performed.

City of Sunrise Florida logo