In 2020, we learned to transform our backyards and balconies into edible gardens year-round. We adapted to work-at-home solutions. Educators became students of online learning to build engaging virtual lesson plans for K-12 classes. The pandemic also opened our eyes to new ways to protect our community’s biodiversity from our own backyards. We have come to learn that the virtual space is infinitely bigger and more flexible than we thought, with new opportunities to adjust, grow, and enjoy.
Why not take this a step further and make resolutions that are eco-friendly through a variety of virtual programs readily packaged for you to register and most are free.
In Southeast Florida, county Extension agents at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) offer plenty of eco-friendly programs from Monroe to Martin counties. Here are two from Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties to get you started. For additional opportunities, contact your local UF/IFAS County Extension office for information.
In Miami-Dade – Protecting Biscayne Bay
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Creating a Florida-Friendly Landscape is key to protecting all the water resources from Biscayne Bay to the Biscayne Aquifer. UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County will continue its monthly virtual series called Protecting Biscayne Bay in 2021. Held the third Saturday of each month, this one-hour webinar offers residents ways to do their part in protecting Biscayne Bay. What landowners do in their yards has a cumulative effect on the entire water universe in Miami-Dade County. Water either seeps into the Biscayne Aquifer (drinking water) or finds its way to Biscayne Bay (weekend playground, economic driver, home to sea and shore life). The 2021 series kicks off on January 23 with “Transforming your landscape to a Florida-Friendly Landscape,” followed by February’s “Creating Rain Gardens: Design tips, rain garden plants, elements in creating a demonstration rain garden.”
All you need to do is register with the Eventbrite link. For more information, contact Laura Vasquez at lavsquez@ufl.edu.
In Monroe County: Keys to a Climate-Smart Floridian
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Those who live on Florida’s coast know its appeal. Florida has the second-longest coastline in the United States, boasting 8,436 miles on the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Climate changes are taking a toll on our coasts with sea-level rise and warmer-than-usual temperatures. In 2021, Monroe County residents can learn how to help to make a positive impact on the environment by becoming Climate Smart Floridians. This new program made up of nine modules from UF/IFAS Extension and Florida Sea Grant, aims to educate residents on what they can do to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The modules cover such topics as home energy use, “green” building, food waste and your food footprint, and water conservation and drought. For more information, contact Alicia Betancourt, director at UF/IFAS Extension Monroe, at 305-797-1086.
