With the elections looming, political signs are everywhere from street corners to front yards. Many feel that this is an environmental disgrace, creating much unwanted litter and waste, as well as "visual pollution".

Discussing his view of the situation, reader and Realtor Tony Scornavacca, Jr. submitted his thoughts to us:

The evidence is boldly clear. In Miami-Dade, 100% of candidates
for elected office are indifferent to the greening of the planet.

 

No matter what they say, it’s their actions that speak the truth.

This is shown by the signage (otherwise known as litter) that is
plastered all over the county. Their true audacity is extremely
apparent when those candidates have the signs displayed on public
roadsides. It’s as if that area of public property is theirs and theirs
alone, and to be utilized for the glorification of themselves.

 

Yes, a private property owner is entitled to adorn his lawn with
whatever he chooses. However in Miami I know that in order to erect a
sign, a sign permit is required. Is the permit requirement waived for
those who advertise themselves? No. It’s just that this is an accepted
practice. Accepted by code enforcement officers, not by the public.

 

I suggest that all political posters be abolished. To go one step
further I suggest that Florida emulate Hawaii by removing all
billboards. That’s right. There are no billboards in the state of
Hawaii.

 

Now, THAT is green.

We’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts in the comments below. Here’s my question: do you think the signs work? Do they affect yours, or anyone’s voting decisions? Interestingly enough, it seems that the State of Florida has big goals for recycling the campaign signs this year. Let’s hope Miami participates. We’ll keep you posted when we find out where they can be recycled.

Related:
Treehugger suggests using the campaign signs to create a DIY Solar Heater.
Red, Green, and Blue ponders what the next generation of campaign signs will be made of.

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As you may know, greenerMIAMI is a frequent user of the MetroMover, and an occasional user of the MetroRail. And we had often wondered why there were no trash receptacles available at these mass transit stations.

Later we found the answer: 9/11. You see, trash cans are great places to hide bombs, apparently. But New York fixed this long ago, you say, with clear trash cans and bags…allowing easy viewing of the contents of said receptacle. Why can’t we have that, too?

Well, now we do. In the last month or so, clear trash cans and bags have made an appearance at some, but not all MetroRail & MetroMover stops.

As you see in the pictures, they are really cool looking, however, only seem to work if the trash is left inside the container. Oh well, nothing is perfect!

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I’ve always wanted to start an anti-litter campaign in Miami, but haven’t decided on a way to approach it. Here are some ideas from Barcelona.

More over at AdPunch

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Natural Capitalism - Sarasota reports that the County will be allowing a limited number of people to tour the local landfill. More info: "Visitors remain aboard an air-conditioned bus for the landfill tour, but may walk through the recycling plant and the hazardous chemical collection center. Protective lenses will be provided. Closed shoes are required for each tour. Guests should be prepared for loud noises and an industrial environment."

Anyone ever heard of something like this happening in Miami? Anyone have a contact in Solid Waste? Would you even be interested if it was offered?

Photo: Miami Landfill via Jonathan’s Photoblog

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St. Lucie County, just about 2.5 hours north of Miami-Dade, has plans in place to vapor their trash. Not incinerate. Vaporize. From the article:

The $425 million facility expected to be built in St. Lucie County will use lightning-like plasma arcs to turn trash into gas and rock-like material. It will be the first such plant in the nation operating on such a massive scale and the largest in the world.

Supporters say the process is cleaner than traditional trash incineration, though skeptics question whether the technology can meet the lofty expectations.

The 100,000-square-foot plant, slated to be operational in two years, is expected to vaporize 3,000 tons of garbage a day. County officials estimate their entire landfill — 4.3 million tons of trash collected since 1978 — will be gone in 18 years.

The vapor that is collected will be sold as energy to the nearby Tropicana Products facility.

Geoplasma, the company running the show, says that the process is completely closed-loop and there are no emissions. The critics disagree:

"We’ve found projects similar to this being misrepresented all over the country," said Monica Wilson of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives.

Wilson said there aren’t enough studies yet to prove the company’s claims that emissions will likely be less than from a standard natural-gas power plant.

She also said other companies have tried to produce such results and failed. She cited two similar facilities run by different companies in Australia and Germany that closed after failing to meet emissions standards.

"I think this is the time for the residents of this county to start asking some tough questions," Wilson said.

If the technology does what they say it does, it will be incredible. I do have my doubts on a technology that is touted as "perfect", however. Anyone seen anything about local resident reactions to the project?

Via - Sustainablog

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Yesterday I was discussing litter with a group of people. Someone mentioned that I probably had no idea who the Crying Indian is. He was right. Luckily, I’m pretty resourceful!

The PSA that became known as the "Crying Indian" was a public service announcement in 1971 as part of the Keep America Beautiful campaign. It seems that most people growing up in that era continue to recognize and remember the commercial.

We need something like this for the new generation. Watch the Crying Indian PSA. Do you remember it? Tell us your ideas for reaching the youth of today with anti-litter messages.

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Go Heat! Wow, what a game! As part of a chillin’ Sunday, my husband and I went down to the AA Arena before the game last night, just to people watch.

It was a really fun atmosphere, with lots and lots of Heat fans dressed in white.

The crowd was excited, the band was playing, and people were dancing. Pictures of David Hasselhoff and variations on "Wade County" were everywhere.

You know what else was everywhere? Fliers. When are advertisers going to learn that people don’t look at fliers? It’s also the one piece of trash that apparently no one has an issue with tossing directly on the ground.

I would like to call out each of the flier advertisers individually, hoping that the public will join me in my disappointment of these companies & individuals. Booo! Holaamerica.com. Booo! Re-election campaign for Judge Karen Mills Francis. Boooo! Ring Warriors: IBF Junior Welterweight World Title. Boooo! Net10.

I would bet that I could count on my fingers how many of these fliers made it home. Again, I would like to encourage our readers: do not accept fliers. Show these advertisers that we don’t want to be reached this way.

And finally, Let’s Go Heat! Game 6, Tuesday in Dallas.

Update 6/19/06: In response to my direct complaint emailed to the campaign mentioned above, Karen Mills Francis replied:

I am in receipt of your email in reference to my campaign literature which was disseminated at one of the Heat Games. It was my realization of this very problem which prompted me to eliminate the use of palm cards at last nights game. The campaign only used persons carrying signs, which we took away from the area once the game began. Please know that I care a lot about the environment. I live on a canal in north Miami and it breaks my heart that people could carelessly throw thrash into the water where fish and other wildlife are trying to survive.I feel the same way about the trash I see in public and national parks.

Please know that I am truly sorry that my campaign overlooked the possibility that litter might be created as a result of distributing palm cards at such a major event and we will make every effort henceforth to be mindful of the environment in the future.

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Go to greenerMIAMI’s complete A-Z Donation & Disposal Guide.

Our A to Z guide is growing, and we owe it all to our readers. Since starting this guide, we’ve received lots of helpful suggestions for donations.

Reader Anne told us about Miami Waste Paper, an industrial style place that doesn’t mind if individuals drop off their cardboard or newspaper. In fact, they pay up to $3 for 100 pounds!

She also pointed us in the direction of the Habitat for Humanity ReSTORE. "The ReStore sells donated building materials, tools, and appliances to the public at discounted prices. The profits help finance Miami Habitat’s housing building efforts."

Reader Gus told us about SoBe Thrifty, and when we forgot to post it, reader Zeb reminded us what a great store it is. It is part of Care Resource, "South Florida’s oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service organization serving both Miami-Dade & Broward Counties."

So please, keep those suggestions coming! We want to make this a really complete resource! Thanks Miami!

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I’ve got a few hot spots when it comes to topics that I like to research and discuss for greenerMIAMI. Buying local, public transportation, and trash (litter & recycling). I guess these topics jump out at me because there is no reason that each individual can’t do something positive in each of these areas. Although I hope that we can affect the governments to make city, county, state & national changes, I like to believe (and encourage) that each individual CAN make a difference.

Earlier this month as I was walking along the bayfront on Brickell Bay Drive, an area that consistently has a litter problem, I started to wonder: Is there a correlation between litter & distance/availability of trash cans?

I can certainly say that there is a correlation for me when it comes to picking up the trash. Yesterday I walked 8 blocks along Brickell Avenue to get from one trash can to the next. My hands were full by the 2nd block. I’m one of very few people with the patience to walk 8 blocks with a ton of dirty litter in their hands.

Vacant lots also prove to be problem areas, which is no surprise.

This will be an area that greenerMIAMI will continue to research, because litter is an issue that both the general public and the government can affect. If we can find conclusive data from other cities and studies on litter correlations, we will recommend them to the local government. Additionally, we’ll be looking into any existing educational programs in the Miami-Dade schools to educate children not to litter.

NEW JERSEY STUDY

Our research is starting with New Jersey, which has significant studies published on this topic. Quick notes from their report: 55% of litter was deliberate, other 45% accidental (falling from a flatbed truck, etc.), with the accidental rates falling when not on a ‘major’ highway. Males were found to be the majority of the litterers, with ages under 30 for deliberate and over 30 for accidental.

Where does the litter go? The NJ study found that 41% is picked up (by individual or garbage collection), 24% bio- or photo-degrades (this is mostly vacant lots), 18% washes into a body of water, and the remainder is covered by soil or other buildup and is buried.

Visible litter was 70% more visible on freeway and rural roads, but urban streets were ranked a higher priority for litter reduction because more people encounter the urban litter.

States with advertising based (anti-litter) programs show 48% lower litter rates. Enforcement programs are also highly effective.

The study DOES address receptacle (trash can) effectiveness. Using studies from Alaska, California, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nebraska & Washington, as well as Richmond, VA and Philadelphia, the data shows that "litter receptacles are fairly effective in reducing litter, averaging 40% lower rates in urban & rural locales."

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A - Z Disposal & Donation Guide for Miami, Miami-Dade County, and South Florida

This guide is meant to help residents learn how to dispose of items properly, as well as provide ideas on where to donate items that may still have further use for another individual. Updates to this list will be continuous. For additions, deletions, and corrections, please contact: greenermiami@gmail.com.

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