Message from the Sustainability Manager
Fall is around the corner, and, while the temperatures have yet to come down, the community is looking forward to Boca Boo Days, Holiday Parade, Tree Lighting, end of hurricane season, and more time spent outside. Before we head into fall, I want to take a moment to reflect on the Sustainable Summer we just finished.
While energy conservation and plastic waste reduction are no-brainers for most people, I often get asked about water conservation. Water is everywhere in Florida; retention ponds, canals, ocean, and pouring down on us from the sky! With so much water, why is conservation important?
Here are my top three reasons:
-
The water we see is not the water we drink. 100% of the potable water treated in Boca Raton is pumped from underground, from the Biscayne Aquifer. This fresh water aquifer is recharged (refilled) by rainwater soaking into the ground - so the drier the year, the less water in the aquifer. We need to limit what we pump out of the aquifer, particularly during dry times, since we run the risk of saltwater intrusion from the Atlantic Ocean, which can negatively impact our fresh water supply.
-
Treating water and wastewater uses energy. Known as the water/energy nexus, there is a close connection between water use and energy use. Energy is used to pump water from the aquifer, treat it to drinking standards, and distribute it to households. Once that water comes out of the spigot and goes down a drain, energy is used to transport it and treat it to reuse standards. The more water you use, the more energy is used. In 2018, water and wastewater represented 1.3% of community-wide greenhouse gas emissions and 24% of the emissions related to government operations.
-
Desalinization is energy intensive and expensive! There is a lot of water on the planet, but over 97% is salt water which cannot be used for drinking, sanitation, or irrigation. Desalinization is technically possible, but it is very expensive and uses tons of energy. A much better option is to conserve our freshwater resources.
If there is any other sustainable practice that does not fully make sense to you, let me know. If you have a question, others may also wonder. We can explore it together!
I look forward to hearing from you;
Lindsey Roland Nieratka
Sustainability Manager
sustainability@myboca.us
| |
Be a Climate Smart Floridian
The Office of Sustainability is excited to announce a new program starting in 2023!
The Climate Smart Floridian program provides citizens research-based information about climate change and providing actionable solutions at the individual level.
The course will be taught over 8 sessions with a mix of in-person meetings, virtual content, and field trips. Participants will receive a certificate to recognize program completion.
Interested in participating? Send an email to sustainability@myboca.us and let us know if you would prefer daytime, evening, or weekend class times.
| |
Join the Palm Beach Solar Co-Op
The Office of Sustainability has partnered with Solar United Neighbors to bring you the Palm Beach 2022 Solar Co-op.
By joining, you’ll learn what it takes to go solar and how it works. Then, you’ll have the opportunity to go solar at the group rate alongside your neighbors!
The co-op is free to join! Sign up at to attend an info session at solarunitedneighbors.org.
| | | |
Zero Emissions Day Panel Discussion
September 20 | 6pm-8pm
Boca Raton Innovation Campus
5000 T-Rex Ave, Boca Raton, FL 33431
The City is committed to reducing GHG emissions in the city to net zero, but how can that be done? Join the City’s Offices of Sustainability and Economic Development and Innovation for a panel discussion with some Boca Raton based businesses working on solutions for a net zero emissions world.
Panel companies:
Carbon Limit is decarbonizing concrete for greener cities with a green cement technology that transforms our built environment into an active and permanent solution to global CO2 pollution.
Cloudsyte helps local governments and brands automate sustainability management, risk mitigation, and ESG compliance with minimal effort and resources.
Greener Process Systems has developed patented technology which captures air pollution from oceangoing ships in port.
For more information and to register to attend visit eventbrite.com.
| |
Events and Opportunities this Fall
The Office of Sustainability is busy this fall with events, volunteer opportunities, speaking engagements, partnerships, and more. Check out the events below.
| | |
|
Sustainable Events Guide
The City recently completed a Sustainable Events Checklist that will soon be available on the City website. Good for events big or small, the checklist can provide ideas on how to make your event a little easier on the environment.
The City already has one community partner utilizing the guide for their event: the TimberTech Championship! Here is their commitment in their own words:
| |
|
"The 2022 TimberTech® Championship – a PGA TOUR Champions event – is excited to be a zero waste to landfill event for the second year. The TimberTech Championship shares the values of creating sustainable events with the City of Boca Raton and uses the City’s Sustainable Events Guide to ensure that the tournament is reducing its impact on the surrounding community. The TimberTech Championship aims to design waste out of the event by identifying materials that can be reused, repurposed, or donated and works with local partners to achieve its zero waste to landfill goal.
The event reduces single use plastics by using compostable plates and cutlery and this year will be working with the City to incorporate a water refill station. The tournament ensures that recycling and compost bins are available throughout the event and uses the Green Team of volunteers to increase education and awareness surrounding the zero waste to landfill goals. The TimberTech Championship is proud to be returning to the City of Boca Raton and to be working with a sustainability-minded community whose values match its own!"
Don't forget! Balloons, confetti, and polystyrene are restricted on City property. Learn more and look for the event guide at myboca.us/sustainability.
| |
|
Did You Know - Our Water & Wastewater are Sustainable?
The City incorporates sustainability throughout its operations in large and small ways. One of the City's best champions of sustainability is our Utility Services Department, so much so that we regularly win awards for our sustainable and innovative operations. Some examples include:
- 100% water reuse facility
- Our wastewater treatment plant has been designated a 100% reuse facility meaning 100% of the wastewater collected and treated is reused for purposes such as irrigation. This system has saved over 50 billion gallons of drinking water!
- Energy reuse
- Methane, a byproduct of our wastewater treatment process, is captured and used in our digester boilers providing a sustainable energy source and reducing our reliance on electricity.
- Biosolids reuse
- Our biosolids are sent to a drying facility where they are processed and sold as fertilizer.
- Reuse of lime and membrane concentrate
- By-products of treatment processes are repurposed throughout the facilities, optimizing resource use and reducing demand for new materials.
These sustainable practices are just the beginning. Together, we can create an even more sustainable City. You can help by practicing water conservation inside and outside your home! Visit our website to learn how simple, easy steps can make a difference!
| |
Coastal Connection Community Heroes
Environmental advocates are starting young in Boca Raton
| | |
|
|
Luca found a passion for protecting the oceans at a young age. Hear his story:
“It all started when I was 3, I received a book about manatees, and I fell in love with them. I learned that these manatees were dying, and I knew I had to make an impact. I started to spread the word about disposable plastic to my friends, to my school, and picked up trash in my neighborhood. Soon after, I joined Parley for the Oceans.
Since living in Boca Raton, I have organized in-person fundraisers for Parley, I have participated in beach clean-ups, and I regularly volunteer at the Marine Education Initiative in Boca Raton."
- Luca V. - 9 years old
| | |
|
Anya Gupta, a student at A. D. Henderson in Boca Raton, learned about penguins in kindergarten and has been passionate about making the oceans safer for penguins, and other sea life, ever since. Anya is currently working to partner with Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards.
Learn more about Anya and her projects at
Pennies for Penguins.
| |
|
Are you, or someone you know, going above and beyond for sustainability in the City of Boca Raton? Submit them for the next edition! Email us at sustainability@myboca.us | |
|
What Are We Watching?
The 2022 PBS Documentary The Street Project.
Making streets safe for people using all modes of transportation is no easy task. This documentary dives into some of history and solutions around safe street design.
| |  |
|
What Are We Reading?
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
With the passing of the IRA this summer, the Office of Sustainability is learning as much as possible about the potential impacts of the law and what it might mean for energy efficiency, electric vehicles, and other sustainability work in the City.
Want to better understand the new programs? Check out these analyses:
- The inflation Reduction Act is the Most Important Climate Action in U.S. History (Forbes)
- Beyond Climate: 6 big Benefits of the US Inflation Reduction Act (WRI.org)
| |
|
Your Quarterly Call to Action: Take a Walk
September 22 is Car Free Day. Celebrate by replacing one vehicle trip by bike or foot. Even if it isn't practical for you to commute by foot, choose to take a walk around your neighborhood. Walking is good for your mental and physical health and a great way to connect to the natural environment and your community. The City has several natural areas and multi-use paths which are great for taking a stroll!
| | | | |
