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GREEN Your Routine

By Celeste Koster, RVCA GYR Representative

ur first Green Your Routine (GYR) event was a success!
Rio Vista residents met at the Fort Lauderdale Beach
Oto assist the city in their Beach Sweep event which
is held every 2nd Saturday of each month. The city provided
buckets and grabbers and we used the Clean Swell app to
track our progress which estimated we cleaned up over 5 lbs
of garbage! The city does an excellent job of making this process
very easy - you show up, clean up, and drop off your collections at
their tent on the beach.

We found a ton of tiny plastic pieces, bottle caps, cigarette
butts, food wrappers, and other debris. And while there
A were many other city residents attending this event, there
was plenty of trash to pick up. It is truly shocking how
much garbage is littering our beach. In the future, we can
target other areas of the beach which don’t get as much
attention. Let us know if you are interested in future clean ups!
(Another great way to earn service hours!)

Our next GYR initiative is the Adopt-a-Drain program!
As we all know, Fort Lauderdale has hundreds of miles of
inland waterways and low elevations which makes us
prone to flooding, especially during periods of higher tides.
Storm drains, which were created to move rainwater from
streets and into waterways, can become clogged with debris,
especially leaves and vegetation in Rio Vista. We can help
prevent these clogs by taking responsibility for the drains near our homes. By
removing the debris, snapping a picture, and logging it in the Adopt-a-Drain
website a few times a year, Rio Vista can earn points for our GYR program.
Do you live near a storm drain? Do you clean leaves and debris from it
periodically? Do you have a child who needs service hours? Do you feel a passion
for water way clean up? If so, please join our Adopt-a-Drain program for Rio Vista.
Email me (see below) and I will send you the link and information. I’ve been
B cleaning my drain for years and had no idea that it could earn our neighborhood
money for just logging it in! This is the perfect time to join our initiative since we are
in the middle of our annual king tide season.
Our GYR team is helping Rio Vista earn funds for future environmental projects in
our neighborhood. How? The Sustainability Incentive Grant (SIG) provides funds for
Fort Lauderdale communities who participate in Green Your Routine events. If you
are interested in becoming more involved in environmentally responsible projects or
if you have an idea for a future project, please contact me at
celestekoster@mac.com.
Recycling Tip of the Day! We Only Take 5: The city only takes paper, glass
containers, plastic containers (#1-7), metal cans, and cardboard. Stick to placing

only those 5 in your recycling bins. RV

Photo A: Janet Bromagen, William Bromagen, Liam Bromagen, Charlie Koster, Cameron Koster, Celeste Koster, Sam Koster
Photo B: Juliana Ratjer , Mikey Ratjer, Gabby Ratjer, Cameron Koster, Charlie Koster, Celeste Koster, Sam Koster

20 rio vista civic association • www.riovistaonline.com