Sunshine Sentinel

Miami-Dade County and the world celebrates Earth Day on Friday, April 22 to raise awareness of the impact of pollution on the environment and people.

Earth Month, celebrated in April, gives Miami-Dade residents the opportunity to show love and appreciation for our precious environment and ecosystems. Enjoy fun, family-friendly Earth Month activities and events all month long and beyond.

Events

• The 40th Annual Baynanza Biscayne Bay Cleanup Day takes place at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 23 at 27 different locations along our bay's shoreline.
• Head to Zoo Miami's Party For The Planet on Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24. Enjoy a mobile in-park scavenger hunt that will take you through three educational missions to save our planet from environmental threats.
• Participate in the 7th Annual Drinking Water Week Photo Contest. Grab your camera or smartphone and capture images that demonstrate how water is essential to life. Share the photos on the Water and Sewer Department’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts using the hashtag #miamidadewater through April 30. 
• Residents can exchange up to three incandescent lightbulbs and two old showerheads for new high efficiency models at the following events from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each upgraded showerhead can save up to 2,900 gallons of water per year.
  • Tuesday, April 26: Aventura Branch Library, 2930 Aventura Boulevard

• Help restore some of Miami-Dade's most environmentally-sensitive lands. Participate in Environmenally Endangered Land Program volunteer workdays from 9 a.m. to noon:
  • Friday, April 29 at Zoo Miami's Pineland Preserve, 12400 SW 152nd Street
  • Saturday, April 30 at Rockdale Pineland Preserve, at the intersection of SW 144th Street and SW 92nd Avenue
  • More volunteer days are scheduled in May

Ongoing Events and Ways to Help Our Earth

• April is Water Conservation Month. See some easy ways you can save water -- and money -- inside and outside your home.
• Check out the variety of events hosted at Miami-Dade Library branches. Visit the Calendar of Events and search Earth Day through the month of April.
• Deering Estate is a great place to become one with nature. Check out the list of outdoor activities offered.
• Miami-Dade Parks is offering a slew of events and volunteer opportunities through Earth Month. Learn more about how to become a good steward of local outdoor spaces. 

Tips

• Green Tips: There are many easy ways to go green. Read about them as well as more Resilience initiatives taking place in Miami-Dade County.
• Keep Biscayne Bay clean: Find out how to help protect this precious natural resource.
• Recycling at Home: If you're a customer of Miami-Dade County's Department of Solid Waste Management, get all the details you need to ensure you recycle right.
• Visit a Nature-Based Playground: Nature-based play encourages children to experience the world around them, through a curated natural environment. Visit a nature-based playground near you.
• Sign up for paperless water bill statements: Save paper and increase convenience by enrolling in paperless Water and Sewer Department bills.
• Home Chemical Collection and Chem-Again Program: Home Chemical Collection Centers are open to all Miami-Dade residents and they’ll take lithium batteries, pesticides, paints and many other items. If the items are in good shape, they’ll even make them available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis to other Miami-Dade residents.
• All About Trees: Learn everything you need to plant and properly care for your trees.
• Nothing Goes to Waste: Most of the waste in Miami-Dade County doesn’t go to a landfill; it goes to the Resources Recovery Facility instead, where about one million tons of waste is incinerated each year. While the primary reason for doing this is to reduce the volume of waste handled by an amazing 90 percent (thereby reducing the need for landfill space), a nice by-product is that enough electricity is generated to power the facility itself plus another 35,000 homes in Homestead.
• Back to Nature: In Miami-Dade County, parts of a couple of old landfills and an active disposal facility have been converted into acres of wetlands. Mangroves and other native plants were planted, attracting more native plant and animal species. Rainwater retention ponds that support freshwater wetland ecosystems have also been built.

Original source can be found here.