LTC 096-2012 CMB Earth Celebration Events MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER °`.j £
NO. LTC# i 096 -2012 l LETTER TO COMAW01
TO: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager ( .
DATE: April 9, 2012
SUBJECT: City of Miami Beach Earth Celebration Events
The purpose of this Letter to Commission (LTC) is to inform you of our 2012 Earth Day & Arbor -
Day events: On Saturday, April 21, 2012 the City will be hosting multiple events to celebrate the
City's natural resources and educate residents on the importance of protecting our environment.
This year marks the 30 anniversary of Baynanza. Baynanza is a fun - filled, six - week -long
- celebration for one of our most precious natural resources, Biscayne Bay, and its surroundings.
While Baynanza includes approximately 35 great events throughout March and April, the event
that has become nearly synonymous with this celebration is the Biscayne Bay Cleanup Day
where thousands of community volunteers, pitch in to clean. the Bay's shorelines and islands.
For -this event, ECOMB and the City will be hosting a volunteer cleanup site at Maurice Gibbs
Park and Flagler Memorial Island (Monument Island). Volunteers will 'be meeting at ,Purdy
Avenue and 18th Street on Saturday, April 21,•8:30 AM.
In the afternoon, the City will be celebrating both Earth Day and Arbor Day at 9th' Street in
Lummus Park from 2:30 PM - 6:00 PM. The celebration will kick -off with the unveiling of the
beach cigarette ash cans and award ceremony for the Adopt -a -Beach Program participants and
the City's sustainability partners. This will be followed with a tree planting ceremony along with
a reading of the City's Arbor Day proclamation. Then, the community is invited to volunteer with
groups from the Adopt -a -Beach Program, the University of Miami, and Coca -Cola. Volunteers
can participate in- either a beach clean -up with the City and ECOMB or a dune restoration
project with the City and the Surfrider Foundation. This is a great opportunity for residents to
come give back to the beach and celebrate our City's most important natural resource.
The City will have an informational booth to provide residents with informational pamphlets,
coloring books and certified arborists will be present to answer your tree questions. The City's
green partners, including DecoBike and Car. Charging will have informational booths where
residents can learn more about these sustainable programs. The Sunflower Society together
with Ayuda will have a booth for children'to make recycled arts and crafts. City staff will also be
present to answer . questions and provide . residents with information of City sustainable
initiatives. Miami Beach residents will *also be able to exchange up to two (2) water- wasting
showerheads for more efficient models.
If you have any-suggestions or need additional• information, please feel free to contact Betsy
Wheaton vironmental Resources Manager, at elizabethwheaton (D -miamibeachfl.gov.
FRB/ ; /RiIESW
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