Race to Zero Waste, Debris Free Oceans, and Broward Clean Air were pleased to host a #ZeroWasteWeek full of connection and learning!
March 30th, Beach Cleanup
Beach cleanup participants spent a cloudy day on Hollywood Beach collecting bucketfuls of litter! We were glad that the weather held out for us until the very end. From a distance, it didn't seem like the beach was that dirty, but we found plenty of stuff to pick up on the sand, the dunes, and the "broadwalk." We ended up with ten full buckets at the end of the morning. Beach-goers were thankful and happy to help out if they had a piece of litter near them. We also saw some Portuguese man-o'-wars that had washed up!
The cleanup activity was followed by a microplastics demonstration hosted by Dr. Samantha Romanick of the University of Rochester. She brought out her microscope and a monitor to tell us all about what can be found in ocean water samples. It may not be surprising at this point, but we saw microplastics in all the samples from the Florida Keys to Hollywood Beach.
March 31st, Sustainability Tour at the University of Miami
25 attendees learned about the progress that the University of Miami is making towards reducing waste, implementing clean energy, and meeting LEED standards with their new buildings.
Starting from the Herbert Wellness Center, we saw a box to recycle shoes with Sneaker Impact, which we learned is an important collaboration with the athletics department, since athletes go through shoes quickly. Next we moved outdoors to see the green campus, stormwater management, and an installation that is a small-scale example of the Big Cypress National Preserve ecosystem.
The school makes efforts to help students recycle, including having Goodwill trucks at moveout, providing e-waste recycling in the book store, and have programs such as Cane's Resell, the Get Green app, and Glass4Life in one dining hall.
Finally, we got a tour of the main dining hall and its inner workings, including methods to reduce food waste and the composting site, along with the O2Go reusable takeout containers that are available. We wrapped up with lunch from the many buffet options there, and many of us wished we had been able to go to a school with such a nice dining hall!
We hope to see continued progress toward zero waste from UM, such as greater materials diversion, student education, and an expanded reuse system!
April 1st, Forum Day 1 - Local Focus
At the first day of the Zero Waste Forum, in-person and online participants alike were blown away by the opening address and land acknowledgement from Garrett Stuart, aka "Captain Planet", founder of the Eco Preservation Project, who highlighted the importance of indigenous traditions, giving back to the earth, and the line that stayed with all of us, "Wasting is the same as stealing."
We also had impactful presentations from youth keynotes Anagha Iyer, who spoke about advocacy and change-making among her peers in Broward County, and Lael Kylin Judson from Rural Roots Louisiana, who shared her family and community's experiences in Cancer Alley, where "industries prioritize profits over people." She proposed solutions to the pollution, including enforced regulations and diligent monitoring. "Support sustainable solutions instead of relying on polluting industries."
Our third keynote speaker, Andy Weins, rocked the audience with his zeal, impactful message, and reminder that our "Words F***ing Matter"! Language is powerful and we can use it to motivate each other and connect with new groups. He poses us the question: "How do we get the word 'waste' out of 'zero waste'?" and encourages us to reframe anxiety as excitement.
Local speakers and panelists joined us for deep dives into food waste, compost, and composting infrastructure; a motivating selection for right before our vegan, zero waste lunch! We also had a passionate panel on the dangerous impacts of incineration and burning plastics, particularly relevant in South Florida, as commissioners are considering a possible new incinerator for the region.
A number of speakers gave their permission for their slides and recordings to be made available to the public! To see these expert speakers and more, check out our YouTube channel.
April 2nd, Forum Day 2 - National and International Perspectives
The second day of the Zero Waste Forum opened with friend of R20W, Michael Karapetian from EARTHDAY.ORG. One of our Emerging Leader Awardees, Michael talked about the power of community clean-ups and how they're a tangible way for folks to get involved in the environmental movement. While so many of us enjoy the immediate impact of a clean-up event, Michael emphasizes that we need to take action at the source for systemic change. He reminds us that those who organize clean-ups are "uniquely positioned to connect to other community members, including businesses and local governments to create change."
Our second keynote speaker of the day, Iuliia Markhel of Let's Do It Ukraine, joined us for a second year to discuss the impacts of war on people, the environment, and her own perspective on possessions and what we actually need to survive. She has been continuously fighting for the environment since 2022, living the consequences of the Russian invasion, including losing her house and belongings in a fire. She reminds us that we don't need to look for additional motivation to "save our nature --it's our health, oxygen, water, our everything."
Adding to the international perspectives at the Zero Waste Forum was a panel on Global Case Studies, with perspectives from Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Sweden. We followed this with a series of speakers and panel on Zero Waste Policy & Solutions, where we heard from businesses and policy advocates on making zero waste a reality.
A number of speakers gave their permission for their slides and recordings to be made available to the public! To see these expert speakers and more, check out our YouTube channel.
Appreciative Comments from the Zoom Audience
"Thanks to these brave speakers sharing very emotional issues, really powerful!" -Rhonda Roff
"Andy, your presentation was so inspiring!! And critically important! Thank you so very very much!" "[Mike Ewall's] was this presentation I most wanted to hear!" "Thank you Jackie! That was an excellent presentation. I’ve learned so much from PPC!"- Maxine Lobel
"Excellent points, Dr. Sobel! I hope the county commissioners are listening." - Noel Cleland
"Florida’s effective actions were truly educational!" -Avra Rossman
"Iuliia's message struck me; it's a message without borders. You are very brave to present your intention to make a difference in your country and communicate it to the world at this historic moment. We must speak up to communicate how we are interacting even if we don't live in the same geographic region." - Noel Toledo
"I will definitely be reading the book that Kristine recommended as I continue to develop my knowledge of and thinking on plastics!" - Evan Belk
Sustainability in Action Awards
During both days of the Zero Waste Forum, Race to Zero Waste was pleased to award a few of this year's Sustainability in Action Awards in person. The Emerging Leader Awards went to speakers Michael Karapetian of EARTHDAY.ORG, Lael Kylin Judson of Rural Roots Louisiana, Anagha Iyer of the Broward Sierra Group Junior Team, and Amanda Di Perna of Debris Free Oceans. Jessica Namath of Palm Beach Clean Air received an Advocacy Award for her anti-incineration work.
Other awardees who were not able to be present at the Zero Waste Forum, but will receive their awards later are:
- Allie Donohue, Founding Member and President of Maria Carrillo High School's Trash Club, who received the final Emerging Leader Award.
- Deepa Lama of the Kalpavaatika Society Nepal, who received the advocacy award in person from R20W Board Member Dan Fritschen, for their work on building community awareness around zero waste solutions.
- Lisa Clark, founder of Sustainable Marin Schools, who received the Regenerative Community Award from R20W CEO Teresa Bradley at the North Bay Zero Waste Symposium.
April 3rd, TRUE Zero Waste Workshop
On April 3rd, Race to Zero Waste hosted Celeste McMickle as facilitator of the TRUE Zero Waste Workshop. She provided information about the TRUE Zero Waste certification and its role in helping businesses meet their sustainability goals.
Save the Date for the 2026 Zero Waste Week & Forum
We are excited to share that the 2026 Zero Waste Week & Forum is set to take place in Park City, Utah, in partnership with GreenEducation.US. Zero Waste Week will run from March 30th to April 3rd with a variety of activities, including a focus on sustainable tourism. We hope to see you there!
