Miami 21, the much anticipated rewrite of the City’s Zoning Code, is coming before the City Commission for its first reading this Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 2pm. Be there or be square.

But seriously, show up and show your support for this plan that is going to help make Miami greener and codes simpler! Here is a summary of the project provided by the City of Miami.

WHAT IS MIAMI 21?

Miami 21 is the forward-thinking, far-reaching and comprehensive overhaul of the City’s zoning and code, geared to ensure sustainability, predictability and efficiency in city development, growth and planning, providing long-term quality of life for Miami residents.

Six critical elements are integrated in the development of the blueprint:

Sustainability,

Economic Development,

Transportation,

Parks and Open Spaces,

Arts and Culture, and

Historic Preservation.

Miami 21 provides a clear vision for the City’s future, supported by specific guidelines, so Miami’s next generations benefit from well-balanced neighborhood development and realize a holistically rich quality of life.

Miami 21 was launched in 2005 in response to Miami’s unreasoned and haphazard growth. Citizen input in development and planning had been minimal. Mayor Manny Diaz envisioned a Miami where residents find convenient public transportation, world-class centers of art and culture, diversity in neighborhoods, abundant parks, greenspaces and streetscapes accessible and friendly to pedestrians and bicyclists, all incorporating sustainability and environmental protection principles and invoking renewed civic pride. For the first time, the future livability and sustainable growth of Miami has a proposed plan, and current and future residents have an advocate- Miami 21.

Although Miami 21 began as Mayor Manny Diaz’s initiative, it has now become the City’s plan, the residents’ plan. Miami 21 has incorporated unprecedented levels of resident input, and Miamians today forging a City of the future for future generations. Only through public input has Miami arrived at a plan that will satisfy residents today – and into the future.

KEY POINTS:

1. Sustainability: Miami 21 focuses on the future and sustainable, smart growth while preserving the environment and the City’s precious natural resources. Creating a sustainable city is the most important step we can take towards preserving our environment for our children.

2. Protecting and Enhancing Neighborhoods: Miami 21 will make each area and neighborhood within the City a unique, vibrant place to live, learn, work and play. The plan will protect neighborhoods, protect historic buildings, connect greenspaces, and create a pedestrian and bicycle-friendly city for all to enjoy.

3. Easy code for all: Miami 21 is an easy, logical and rational code for our city. Residents will be able to know exactly what to expect in their neighborhood without having to rely on zoning lawyers and spend time and money trudging through zoning hearings. 

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Mayor Manny Diaz and Special-Aide-to-the-City-of-Miami-turned-super-duper-local-bike-advocate Kathryn Moore are at it again! Although Bike Miami has been on a mini-hiatus due to summertime, the wheels are still turning. Bicycling Magazine’s BikeTown is headed for Miami’s own Bayfront Park on Thursday, August 27, 2009.

In fact, they are giving away 30 new bicycles and gear to Miamians…you’ve just got to tell them how it would change your world.

RSVP on Facebook to stay up to date with the details.

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[UPDATE: GreenPeace is opposing the bill in it's current form, as it has been "weakened" too much. See below.]

From the local Sierra Club:

Please call Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen today at (305) 668-2285 and ask her to vote FOR the energy and climate bill (American Clean Energy and Security Act (HR 2454) ). The vote is Friday or Saturday so please call now.

I might also recommend writing a short Letter to the Editor supporting today’s Miami Herald editorial position to: heralded@herald.com (include your name, address and call back number for verification purposes.) Send it soon so it has a chance of getting in Friday’s paper.

GLEE is urging you to act similarly - but including more names of Reps throughout Florida:

This Friday, we have the opportunity to pass a bill to help create a clean energy economy, curb global warming pollution, and generate thousands of green jobs. This is America’s chance to turn the tide on carbon dioxide emissions and slow the sea level rise that will change all of our lives.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act places new limits on global warming pollution and a value to its elimination. It mandates that our country produce more electricity from renewable energies like wind and solar and commits to using energy more efficiently.

Your Congressperson’s vote is crucial to ensure a clean energy future - Speak up now!!

*In Florida, this is especially important if you live in the district of Reps. Boyd (D), Buchanan (R), Grayson (D), Kosmas (D), Putnam (R), Rooney, (R) and Ros-Lehtinen (R). In each case, these are either Democrats leaning toward a no vote or Republicans leaving the door open with a glimmer of hope for a yes vote. We need each of these votes!

Use this link to email Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
Or call her local office directly at 305-668-2285

For other regions, use this link to find your House Representative contact.

Talking points: Unlike those in most other states, Florida has the potential to harness an endless supply of solar energy. I ask you to vote for the American Clean Energy and Security Act (HR2454) and improve it by:

1. putting more money towards clean energy;
2. protecting EPA’s authority to regulate emissions; and
3. making polluters pay for their carbon pollution.

Action now would provide business the certainty it needs to invest in low carbon technology, and give President Obama the soapbox he needs to lead global negotiations in Copenhagen in December.

Want a less official way to tell Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen your thoughts? @ her on Twitter! @IRL

From GreenPeace:

In advance of tomorrow’s vote on the American Clean Energy and Security Act in the House of Representatives, Greenpeace USA Deputy Campaigns Director Carroll Muffett issued the following statement:

“Since the Waxman-Markey bill left the Energy and Commerce committee, yet another fleet of industry lobbysists has weakened the bill even more, and further widened the gap between what Waxman-Markey does and what science demands. As a result, Greenpeace opposes this bill in its current form. We are calling upon Congress to vote against this bill unless substantial measures are taken to strengthen it. Despite President Obama’s assurance that he would enact strong, science-based legislation, we are now watching him put his full support behind a bill that chooses politics over science, elevates industry interests over national interest, and shows the significant limitations of what this Congress believes is possible.

“As it comes to the floor, the Waxman-Markey bill sets emission reduction targets far lower than science demands, then undermines even those targets with massive offsets. The giveaways and preferences in the bill will actually spur a new generation of nuclear and coal-fired power plants to the detriment of real energy solutions. To support such a bill is to abandon the real leadership that is called for at this pivotal moment in history. We simply no longer have the time for legislation this weak.

“With many others in the environmental, faith and consumer rights communities, Greenpeace has expressed tremendous concern about the role of offsets in this legislation. Unless strictly controlled, the abuse of offsets could prevent real emission reductions for more than a decade. The decision to move authority over offsets from EPA to the Department of Agriculture further reduces the likelihood that such controls will be maintained and increases the likelihood they will undermine real reductions.

This legislation sends a strong and unmistakable signal to the world that the United States is not yet ready to show the leadership necessary to reach a strong agreement at Copenhagen in December. Already, we are seeing the impact of this signal as one country after another retreats from the aggressive targets needed to avoid catastrophic climate change.

We call on the Congress to reject this bill and begin immediate and urgent work on legislation that treats seriously the dire threat of climate change. We call on President Obama to move beyond rhetoric and deliver on his commitments to “restore science to its proper place” and to lead the world in addressing climate change.

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It’s “green week” in Miami and these are the events left this week!

Check presentation to Dream in Green at City of Miami Commission Meeting
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Through the Gateway to Green event, the city’s first green building conference that took place in April 2009, the City collected proceeds over $5,000. Mayor Manny Diaz will join the City Commission to present a check for these funds to Dream in Green to go towards a joint collaboration between the City of Miami, Dream in Green and Home Depot, called the Home Energy Saver Challenge. Through this program, 50 Homes in the City of Miami will partake in a 6 month program that will monitor the energy use of each home and provide homeowners with training to teach them about low cost methods to reduce energy.

Location:
City of Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive
9:00 a.m.

Launch of the Park Rangers Program
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Mayor Manny Diaz will join City Commissioners to officially launch the Park Rangers program. For the first time in the City’s history, the City of Miami has rangers dedicated to ensuring the safety of residents, cracking down on vandalism, and enforcing rules at parks throughout the City. This program is a continuation of the City’s efforts to invest in our parks and provide neighborhoods with a quality park system. Joining officials for the launch will be the 24 Park Rangers who have been dedicated to this effort.

Location:
Virrick Park, 3255 Plaza St., Coconut Grove
1:00 p.m.

Green Commission Meeting
Friday, June 26, 2009
Miami’s Green Commission will meet to discuss recent environmental initiatives’ accomplishments such as Gateway to Green, tree plantings, and Bike Miami Days. In addition, commission members will go over possible grant opportunities and policies related to LEED standards.

Location:
City of Mami City Hall Chambers, 2500 Pan American Drive
8:00 a.m.

District 5 Teen Green Clean Summer Youth Employment 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Orientation will take place for the participants of the District 5 Summer Youth “Teen Green Clean” Employment Pilot. The program will provide 100 youth ages 14-24 an opportunity to receive Environment Training on how to keep their community clean and recognize visual pollution. The youth will take part in environmental educational courses that focus on sustainable living, environmental protection and public communication. They will also work on neighborhood beautification projects around the district. This program will take place over the course of 8 weeks.
For more information contact Sonia Succar: ssuccar@miamigov.com

Fruit & Vegetable Community Garden Planting on the Miami River
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Commission Chairman Joe Sanchez, Miami River Commission, Babson College Alumni, Hands on Miami volunteers, Miami-Dade County & City of Miami will partner to create a fruit and vegetable community garden and beautify the Miami River. Over 50 Babson College alumni and Hands on Miami volunteers will join the Miami River Commission to create the first-ever riverfront vegetable garden on the historic Miami River, plant a variety of fruit trees, construct two raised planter beds, a rain barrel and a composter and help remove litter and debris along the shoreline of the Miami-Dade County Public Housing Agency’s elderly housing development Robert King High Towers. For more information contact Ashley Chase: miamiriver@bellsouth.net

Location:
Robert King High Towers
1407 NW 7 St
9:00 a.m.

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Use Less. It's a big campaign from Miami Dade County right now. You've probably seen the billboards. And now they've gone social media crazy, too. 

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The City of Miami Commissioners recently approved "MiPlan" - Miami’s Climate Action Plan. From the website:

The City of Miami is committed to taking action to reduce and halt global climate change. Miami’s greenhouse gas emissions currently exceed 4.8 million metric tons per year and will rise to 5.7 million metric tons by 2020 without action. MiPlan, the City of Miami’s Climate Action Plan, outlines how the City will reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 25% below 2006 levels citywide by 2020 and to 25% below 2007 governmental levels by 2015. MiPlan represents a strong first step towards a sustainable future for Miami.

MiPlan encompasses buildings, transportation, energy sources, land use, and adaptation. Read the full plan, or the summary.

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As a follow up to the Governor’s Summit on Climate Change held in Miami this month (see previous posts), I wanted to touch on what Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger & Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. covered.

First of all, to see Robert F. Kennedy, Jr speak in person was incredible. What an amazing speaker. You may see his entire speech here. I was especially intrigued by his discussion on the level of mercury in our bodies, and how it can be tested. Just a week or so later, I found that Ted Danson is discussing the same issue through his non-profit, Oceana.

Want to know what your mercury levels are? RFK Jr.’s org Waterkeeper & GreenPeace have teamed up to offer you this service. For $25 you can order a mercury testing kit. You send them some samples of your hair, and in a few weeks, they’ll send you back your results.

I was disappointed to find out, however, that Bobby made a similar speech two years ago to the Sierra Club. I guess I thought I was experiencing something extremely unique. It may be naive on my part - as someone like Robert F Kennedy, Jr. must make speeches daily across the country and the world.

The Governator also was an interesting listen. And though I stopped recording just before he said "Let’s say Hasta La Vista Baby to GreenHouse Gases," I did catch some interesting moments of his speech, which can be seen in entirety here.

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The City of Miami received $225,000 from the EcoZone Program to help green Miami. This brings the total of funds received from this project over the last four years to over $1,000,000.

From the press release, "The EcoZone initiative is funded solely through corporate sponsorships, with half of all EcoZone revenues generated from educational outdoor signage going to fund the community’s environmental, clean energy and greenspace initiatives. This helps communities comply with federal environmental regulations, and/or fund new local environmental programs that otherwise would not happen."

The corporations associated with the organization are pretty green (some more than others) and include: PG&E, Ben & Jerry’s, ZipCar, Hyatt Regency Miami, Waste Management, Bank of America, Alcoa, Goodwill, Boeing, Sport Chalet, Northrop Grumman, DaimlerChrysler, Comcast, CH2MHill, Mercy Hospital, BP, and Spectrum Athletic Clubs.

The money received last week will go to help fund tree canopy ($10k), removing 20 derelict boats from the bay ($8k), and the Miami Green Lab Project ($17.5k) - which sounds cool, but we can’t find a lot more details on it: It will convert an old firehouse into a green building & resource center. The majority of the money will go towards solar panels, which might be destined for City Hall.

EcoZone also reports that they’ll be installing Smart Sponges around the city. They absorb and encapsulate oil, allowing for proper disposal of hazardous materials - as a solid.

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City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz gave his State of the City Address last week, and the theme was green. We’re sorry to say that we were unable to attend and have been also having issues getting our hands on a transcript of the speech, so here we bring you bits and pieces of what others have reported.

He discussed Miami 21, the Streetcar project, and encouraged each Miamian to make the switch over to compact fluorescent light bulbs. (They use 1/4 the energy of a regular light bulb and last longer! See other greenerMIAMI QuickTips.) Mayor Diaz also discussed urban sprawl as an issue and noted that we need to focus on density: "the cure for sprawl is a return to the core, bringing people together so they can live, work, shop and play close to where they live".

The Mayor also announced the creation of an Office of the Environment within the city. We’re so happy to hear this and expect incredible things from this group!

Read more about the State of the City Address on Transit Miami & in the Herald. Once the transcript is available online, this post will be updated.

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Kristina Trotta of the Sierra Club and Everglades Skyway has sent the following message:

The Skyway campaign has been building and the Coalition is growing every day. Our most recent endorsers are the City of Miami Gardens, Town of Miami Lakes, ChamberSouth, the Miami Lakes and Green Thumb Garden Clubs and the Builders Association of South Florida, bringing our list of supporters up to 36!

This Thursday, February 22nd is the next big day for the Everglades Skyway. We will be going before the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) of Miami-Dade County to get their support through a resolution. The MPO has discussed the Skyway before, at their December meeting, where there was much support for the idea, but a vote was not taken.

At the December meeting, the members of the Board of Directors were encouraged by the 25 or so Skyway Supporters that were in the audience, identified by large blue buttons stating “Build the Skyway.” We need just as many supporters in the audience on February 22nd. The MPO meets in the County Commission chambers on the 2nd floor of the Clark Government Center, at 111 NW 1st Street, in downtown Miami. (map) The meeting begins at 2:00pm and is not expected to go longer than 2 hours.

The Skyway is a key project in moving Everglades Restoration forward and we must get the support of the MPO in order to take the next step in the campaign. If you are interested in attending the meeting on February 22nd, or would like more information, please contact Kristina Trotta or visit www.build-the-skyway.com.

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