Alison Higgins, Key West Sustainability Coordinator, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about how to stay green.
Green Drinks is coming back to the Keys.
Higgins said, “Green Drinks is actually a international thing. All it’s meant to be is a place in time to get together and talk about green things. So it was actually started at least 15 years ago and it was run on the second Tuesday of the month out of Finnegans Wake. They would do all the veggie items would be half off and we’d bring speakers in and it was a great way to just meet other like minded people. So unfortunately, it was a mostly volunteer effort and people just kind of got burnt out over time and it’s it was a lot of efforts. So we’ve got some new blood and some new help. So we’re going to bring it back and the first one will be June 18 and from five to seven and we’re meeting at the Aqua Sidebar. The Sidebar gives 40% off drinks to locals and 20% off food.”
June is Green Business Month.
Higgins said, “So we’re going to be showcasing some of the great things that the Sidebar has instigated. But we’re also going to be talking about there’s a lot of green certification programs out there for businesses if they’re interested. We are looking to actually create a map of the ones who have already achieved the certification, but also as an incentive to those who might want it and for the extra accolades and advertising that would bring. The green business programs that are out there, one is just for dive and snorkel operators, water operators, and that’s called Blue Star. It’s done through the National Marine Sanctuary program. So those are boat operators that have gone above and beyond to learn about our reefs and good behavior and teach. Some of them make sure that they have received products for SPF onboard. So that’s blue star. We have a number of those around town and up the Keys. The other one that’s been around the longest, but most people haven’t heard of it for is green logic. It’s actually an FDEP certification, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and it recognizes lodging, hotels that have again gone above and beyond. So whether it’s reducing air, water, reducing their energy, those sorts of things. Those are in tiers of one palm, two palms, three poems of how much they’ve achieved. A handful of years after they launched the green lodging program, FDEP also launched the clean marinas program. So again, above and beyond, but for marinas and boatyards. That’s a place where a lot of fuel happens. If it’s a boatyard, a lot of cleaning with a lot of bad stuff happens. So both of the city’s marinas are certified clean marinas and there’s also a couple other places around town that have achieved this. So we want to make sure one, that we recognize them and two, encourage other folks to join in. One of the new are ones on the block, reef relief kicked off a plastic free 305 that was actually started in Miami Dade, because we share our area code with them. They were quite happy to have their message and program spread. So reef relief and the city partnered together to try to recognize mostly restaurants that were reducing their single disposable plastic to goes. Reef relief’s done really done a great job of helping find and coach those restaurants to get there. Most people have heard of Surfrider as a national program, they have a Korean restaurant certification as well, that both deals with the sourcing of the food on the plate. So where did that fish come from? But also going as far as, what are they providing to go? How are they cleaning? As well as energy and water efficiencies.”
So there are a lot of green businesses out there.
“There are,” Higgins confirmed. “There are a lot that are already walking the walk, there might be one step that they need to take, and then they can get some accolades for it. One of the reasons we made green business month in June is things finally slow down a little bit. So that these businesses might have the time and the ability to learn a little bit more and kind of think about how they might approach the programs.”
The Tourist Development Council also has a lot of information about green businesses.
Higgins said, “They have a great page on their website that talks about a little bit of everything. They definitely play up the blue star but maybe not the other ones as much. They also do, there’s a great piece on voluntourism. The idea that you come down to vacation, but hey, something like the Conch Republic Marine Army is going out every Saturday and why not get a free trip to the back country and help out a little bit and feel better about your vacation? So that’s been a really good part. That website also plays up a lot green transportation, the fact that there is bus service or that once you’re in town, you usually don’t need your car in Key West. They put that web page together more than a decade ago, so they’ve really been leading in helping on the green tourism side.”
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