In Brickell, where I live, a new 35 story office building is being built (1450 Brickell) and it is pre-certified as LEED Gold. LEED certified buildings operate at lower cost and have many environmental benefits compared to normal construction.

Also in Brickell, some local residents are working with their condo building to offer recycling for its residents. This is a challenge for many Miamians, including myself, even though it is the law for condos to provide recycling. Find more information on What Doesn’t My Condo Recycle?

Someone in Sunny Isles mentioned to us that their condo recently REMOVED recycling from the building, because it was such a mess. This is the big issue…if people do not put recyclables in the right spot, the entire process gets botched and all of this potentially recyclable material becomes trash. If we want to have recycling in our buildings, education to residents must be key.

We’ve also heard from friends in North Bay Village that a mom is driving around in a three wheel electric vehicle, and has managed to fit 2 car seats in the back! Now that’s green.

What’s going on in your neighborhood? Can you recycle in your condo (what building is it?)? Let us know in the comments section! Also let us know if you’d like to see this as a regular feature and would like to keep your eye out for green in your area!

Here’s the deal: by living where I live, in a very central location, I don’t need to go very far. And because of my great location, I can utilize more public transportation, such as the Metromover (or Metrorail or bus). My husband works less than a half a mile away. In nice weather it’s a great walk, in hot weather, we do a quick drop-off in the car…which only takes a minute. I have a Publix less than a mile away. My favorite library is 3 miles away in car, or I can hop on the Metromover and go to the Main Library.

All of the above are reasons why living near where you work and near services that you need are a good thing. In pledging to take the Summer Transit Challenge, I knew it would be tough. Not because there isn’t transportation near me…there is. Not because I don’t have the extra time to go places…I do. But because I have so few trips to begin with. And that’s a great thing!

Also see: Miami Herald, Letter to the Editor, It’s a Rough Ride Most Days

The Metromover is a free people mover that is somehow run without a driver. I imagine it utilizes a combination of cameras and sensors to get this done. The mover consists of 3 different loops (routes): Brickell, Omni, and an Inner Downtown loop. I live in a location that makes this service very useful to me, and I am a BIG fan of this system. And an even bigger fan of its "freeness".

On this particular day, I rode from the Financial District station to Eighth Street station. The stops between those are Brickell & Tenth Street. The walk would have been only 6 blocks, but the Metromover helped me stay out of the sun. I did walk back from the bank. Take a ride with me, because (drum roll, please) you can see it all on this video below!

Introducing greenerMIAMI’s first ever video: greenerMIAMI, Transit Miami’s Summer Transit Challenge. During the ride there is no commentary. The camera was simple placed on the bench in the rear of the Mover to record the experience. Despite some negative comments that I made during the video, I would like to express again that I love the Metromover overall. I encourage anyone that hasn’t ridden it to try it out…it just might change the way you do things!

Hopefully the videos will improve considerably from here (we know we’ve got a lot of work to do)! Tell us what you liked and didn’t like about it, and what you’d like to see next.

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."

2:39 pm – I found it. I almost can’t believe I found it. I got really turned around, which is kind of strange for me. My husband calls me his human GPS. A SW/SE confusion cost me about 5 blocks of walking.

2:42 pm – I’m on my bus. The driver looked in confusion at my Earth Day coupon. I’m sure I was his first of the day. This is my 4th bus. Fourth style. This is like a small charter bus with nice cushioned seats. Clean. I’m one of 6 passengers.

2:49 pm – Just passed my house.

2:57 pm – Mercy Hospital. Nice, right at the hospital. One guy that’s been riding with me from downtown confirms with the driver that we’re headed to South Beach. Oops. Nope, sorry, we’re going to South Miami. Different.

3:08 pm – Arrive in Coconut Grove. I probably could have gone one more stop, to get a little closer.

3:23 pm – Green Street Cafe, the Grapevine’s recommendation. I’m sitting at my table, and decide to choose my next stop, so I can plan it out while I wait for my Green Salad. I picked #3, MIA. That will have to be my last stop of the day. By the time I get there & back home, it should be getting dark.

3:31 pm – Enjoying my salad. There is an older woman to my side who struck up a conversation with some gentlemen sitting nearby. A former Grove resident that now lives on the beach, she tells them, "You can take the girl out of the Grove, but you can’t take the Grove out of the girl." I love it! In front of me is a table with 3 middle-aged adults…one of which is a woman, around 60, with long bright purple hair. Classic. I don’t think I’ve ever been to the Grove during a weekday. Lots of locals here at Green Street, but in no way crowded.

3:48 pm – The same gentlemen I mentioned earlier are kind of flirting with the waitress. The ask if anyone has ever told her she looks like Betty Boop. I’m not sure that would be taken as a compliment. ..but the waitress is cute & very nice. I’ve found that I should take the 37 bus to MIA. So I’ll just need to walk to Grand & 37th. Not sure how far that is.

4:27 pm – Boarded the 37 bus. It was more that 5 long blocks to get to the stop. A little confusion as to which way was North and which way was South. I didn’t take out my map because I didn’t want to look lost…which was pointless since I crossed the intersection 5 times to get to my spot.

4:31 pm – This is the same kind of bus as the one I took to Miami Beach. The back part is a little higher than the front. There are about 20 passengers. We’re supposed to arrive at the airport at 5:00 pm.

4:39 pm – Coral Way stop. We’ve now got about 35 passengers.

5:08 pm – Arrived at the airport. A teenager named Jonathan helped me out. He was really nice. He’s learning English because he just moved here last year from Columbia. I had originally asked his friend my question, but later I found out that the first guy didn’t understand me. He spoke Portuguese. Jonathan was impressed with my Spanish and says I’m only the second gringa he’s ever met that speaks Spanish.

After taking my pics at the airport, I check out which bus I’ll need to take to get back home. Seems like my best bet is the #7, which will bring me back to Government Center. It seems to me that it leaves at 5:31 pm, so I pretend that Alesh gave me the challenge to buy a guava & cheese empanada from La Carreta before heading back outside.

5:19 pm – I check the schedule again and I realize that I’m an idiot. That time was westbound. I want eastbound. I just missed my bus & will have to wait 30 more minutes.

5:24 pm – A lady just asked me when the next Tri-Rail shuttle would leave. I got up- to check the schedule with her. A bus arrives. I check the schedule quickly and it seems that it will be dropping off at Douglas Station (MetroRail). That works for me, so I get on. But I can’t remember which number bus it is. I think I’m on the #37 again, going east. I ask someone. No, it’s the 42. Sounds good to me.

5:33 pm – I check the schedule. It seems this should have left the airport at 5:27 pm, so it was a little early (or late?). I should be back at Douglas Road Station by 6:02 pm.

5:45 pm – We’re stuck in traffic in Coral Gables. Just inching along and hitting every red light. I’m so tired. What is all of this construction anyway? There are tearing up the streets. It’s just me & one other lady on the bus.

5:54 pm – Bus arrived at Douglas Station. Early also – maybe this was actually an earlier bus running late?

5:57 pm – MetroRail northbound arrives. I’ll take the train to the 3rd stop and get off at Brickell. Lots of kids on the train. Coming home from school, it seems.

6:04 pm – Arrive at Brickell.

6:06 pm – Waiting for MetroMover. normally I would walk all the way home from here, but I’m wiped out. I stay away from a guy who I think is talking to himself only to realize that he’s using his hands-free set for his cell phone.

6:08 pm – On MetroMover to Financial District.

6:09 pm – Arrive. Whew!

Thanks to everyone who participated (including Manola, who I previously failed to mention). I had a lot of fun, got a lot of exercise, and learned how to move around on public transit.