BRADENTON – At Keep Manatee Beautiful’s 17th Annual Awards Celebration on September 18 at Polo Grill Ballroom in Lakewood Ranch, local businesses, governmental agencies, neighborhoods, organizations and citizens were awarded for their outstanding volunteer efforts during 2014 in litter cleanup and prevention, recycling and landscaping. The keynote speaker was John Neal, President of Neal Land Ventures, will deliver this year’s keynote address, “Beautification Begins at HOME”.
OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER GROUP AWARDS (These volunteers surpassed the norm in doing quarterly cleanups and longevity of adoption and marking storm drains to prevent stormwater pollution.)
Adopt-A-Highway Program:
• Knights of Columbus Mother Cabrini Council 12155 has adopted since 1998 2 miles of U.S. 301 from 97th Ave. to Red Rooster Rd. in Parrish.
• MIRA USA adopted 2 miles of S.R. 45/14th St. W. from Magellan Dr. to 53rd Ave. W. two years ago.
Adopt-A-Road Program:
• Neurorestorative of Sarasota does monthly cleanups of 2.5 miles of Whitfield Ave. from U.S. 41 to U.S. 301.
• Paxen Learning Corp. does quarterly cleanups of 17th St. W. from Bus. 41 to U.S. 41, plus Emerson Point Preserve.
Adopt-A-Shore Program:
• Nature's Academy does cleanups throughout the school year since 2011 at the bay shoreline at Coquina Public Beach Bayside Boat Ramp from Leffis Key south to drawbridge.
• Sugg Middle School – NJHS has adopted since 2009 Coquina Beach gulfside from concession stand to Longboat Pass.
Storm Drain Marking:
• The Florida Dept. of Juvenile Justice marked 100 storm drains with the message “Dump No Waste – Protect Your Water” on roads in Mote Ranch and the Villages of Palm Aire. Through this educational program, they are helping protect our waters from stormwater pollution by informing citizens that only rain should go down the stormwater drain.
GREEN SCHOOLS AWARDS
Green Schools strive to:
Elementary School: Williams Elementary School
Middle School: Lincoln Middle School
High School: Southeast High School
Higher Education: Manatee Technical Institute Main Campus
RECYCLING AWARDS (Recycling Awards honored those going beyond the norm to recycle goods used in the workplace or at home that otherwise would be discarded.)
Government: Manatee County Government – Utilities Dept. Solid Waste Div.
Small Business: Dakin Dairy Farms
Large Business: Coastal Orthopedics
Youth Organization: Christian Retreat – YEX 2014 Summer Camp
Adult Organizations: 1. Golf Lakes Residents Association, Inc., 2. Leisure Lake Co-Op, Inc.
LANDSCAPING IMAGE AWARDS (Landscaping Awards recognized landscapes that surpassed the norm for design, maintenance, neighborhood enhancement, community awareness, and use of native and drought tolerant plants. These awards were given in partnership with the Manatee Chamber of Commerce.)
Industrial & Manufacturing: Berry Plastics
Professional & Office: Cardinal Contractors, Inc.
Commercial & Retail: Manasota Memorial Park
Public Open Spaces: City of Palmetto-5th Street LID Project
Public Buildings: Manatee County Master Gardener Demonstration Gardens
Neighborhood Communities: Henley at University Park Country Club
Multi-Family Communities: 30 West Apartments
PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS (These awards recognize those demonstrating leadership in cleaning up and improving the community environment through litter prevention, preventing illegal dumping, beautification and minimizing impacts of waste.)
Litter Law Enforcement:
1. Town of Longboat Key - Code Enforcement
2. City of Bradenton Beach - Code Enforcement
3. City of Holmes Beach - Code Enforcement
4. City of Anna Maria - Code Enforcement
These City's Code Enforcement are receiving our Public Service Award in the Litter Law Enforcement Category for perfect (1.0) or near perfect scores (1.1) in Keep America Beautiful's annual Litter Index for 2014 and many years prior. Keep America Beautiful requires each certified affiliate to conduct an annual Litter Index. The KAB Litter Index is a tool that uses a simple four-point Likert-type ordinal scale (ranging from 1 - no litter, to 4 - extremely littered) and was tested for statistical validity and refined in six field test sites throughout the USA. Manatee Co. Gov. Code Enforcement Div.
Business and Industry Partnership
Small Business:
1. Historic Green Village
The Historic Green Village is one of only 100 developments worldwide that have achieved the highest possible green building standard - Platinum LEED, plus Net Zero Energy. The HGV property includes 6 businesses in 4 buildings which offer the recycling of all materials and use environmentally-friendly purchasing products to minimize waste. The Platinum LEED certification exemplifies their commitment to all aspects of sustainability.
2. Pine Avenue Restoration Group
The Pine Avenue Restoration projects have also earned various Florida Green Building Coalition Certifications by focusing on energy and water efficiency practices along with storm strength resiliency by building design. Whereas this group as a whole has kept Pine Avenue clean with less than 1 percent of trash and has maintained it to have a green avenue.
Large Business:
1. Blake Medical Center
Blake Medical Center cares for “Blake Way”, the public access road connecting 59th Street West to 21st Avenue West running along the North side of the hospital. Continued stewardship of this road includes beautification of signage and landscaping the median.
Community Organizations:
East Manatee ECO Rotary Club
The club is committed to sustainability and participates in local park and school landscape beautification projects along with a continued section of road clean up. They also recently partnered with the Manatee Water Department to sponsor school competition to improve water conservation education.
The club focuses meetings to concentrate on environmental and sustainable topics and issues to self-educate club members to facilitate current and future projects that improve our local community.
Government Partnership:
1. City of Bradenton – Public Works Dept. – This City’s Department has steadfastly worked with our Adopt-A-Road/Shore Programs litter cleanups, litter prevention through recycling, landscaping and other enhancements to Palma Sola Scenic Highway and most recently cigarette litter prevention with the installation of cigarette litter receptacles at Riverwalk and Main Street.
2. Clerk’s Office Green Team - The Clerk’s Office Green Team meets almost monthly to brainstorm activities and go over any environmental news related to our Community. The Green Team plays a role in Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work day at the office by offering educational materials to the children who participate and organize an activity that teaches them to have fun by creating art with recycled materials. We provide tips in our monthly newsletter on how to recycle product and “green” tips especially around the holidays on how to re-use items and dispose of them properly. The Clerk’s Green Team also holds lunch n’ learns to educate employees on different topics such as how to landscape your home, how/when to grow crops, types of fertilizers to use, etc. It was recently noticed that employees are throwing recycled items in the regular garbage, so a sign has been posted as a friendly reminder to recycle, but our next step may be to move the different garbage containers around to see if that method helps. We encourage employees to minimize their carbon footprints as much as possible such as bringing their own mugs/cups for drinks at office events, going paperless as possible.
Media Community Relations:
Digital Video Production - Manatee Tech
They developed as a student project Keep Manatee Beautiful’s “Who We Are” public service announcement from filming on location, finding scenic Manatee County footage, voice-overs in the studio, and editing to a final product.
Youth Volunteers:
Christian Retreat - Explosive Youth
Samantha Petty with spearheaded a plan to promote recycling at a week-long camp at Christian Retreat for teens and young adults. With a little teaching combined with a little preaching, she helped motivate 400-plus youth to recycle their bottles and aluminum cans to accumulate more than 100 pounds of recyclables.
Outstanding Personal Contribution:
Jim LoPiccolo
Jim has volunteered in the many KMB Programs since 1990’s in the Adopt-A-Road Program and Trash Trackers Program. He also serves as on our Technical Advisory Committee, helped conduct our 2014 Litter Index, attended the 2014 Keep Florida Beautiful Conference representing our affiliate and personally baked a dozen loafs of bread as a Silent Auction item.
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