• Politics

Lawmakers Attach Environmental Provisions to “Must-Pass” DoD Bill

• #ForeverChemicals
• Department of Defense
• DOD
• drilling
• Florida
• leasing
• offshore oil and gas
• PFAS
• PFOA

The annual bill authorizing all activities and purchases by the Defense Department is a popular “vehicle” to advance environmental provisions on banning and cleaning up “PFAS” and “PFOA” toxic “forever chemicals” that have contaminated water all across the country, particularly on military bases.

Why This Matters:  These issues are not new, nor is using this DoD legislation to advance important DoD-related environmental objectives.

• Energy

Bipartisan Bill Could Help Boost Florida’s Growing EV Market

• electric vehicles
• EVs
• Florida

As AP reported, one of Florida’s newest laws–the Essential State Infrastructure bill–will lay the groundwork for building a vast network of electric vehicle charging stations along highways. Last week, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill which had bipartisan support in the state legislature. As WGCU added, the law is part of a broader strategy, […]

• People

Hero of the Week: Miles Fetherston-Resch

• conservation
• Florida
• ocean trash
• oceans

After being inspired by Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, 7-year-old Miles Fetherston-Resch decided that he wanted to donate the money in his piggy bank — all $13 of it — to ocean conservancy. But Miles didn’t stop there, and with the help of his moms Jess and Libby Fetherston-Resch, he’s launched launch Kids Saving Oceans, a […]

• Health

Coronavirus: Trust the Science First

• #COVID19
• coronavirus
• Florida
• Ron DeSantis

As USA Today reported, over the weekend the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. was closing in on 1 million but new cases appear to have reached a plateau, according to one of the nation’s top experts said. “Unfortunately, it is a very high plateau,” said Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins […]

• Ocean

Florida Legislature Overrules Key West Sunscreen Ban Put In Place To Protect Coral Reef

• coral reefs
• Florida
• Florida Keys
• National Marine Sanctuary
• octinoxate and oxybenzone
• sunscreen

Last year the City of Key West Florida voted to become the first city on the U.S. mainland to ban the use of toxic chemicals in sunscreen in order to protect the coral reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, a major tourism draw for the region, which locals work very hard to keep pristine. But the ban may never go into effect (unless Governor Ron DeSantis vetos the bill) because on Tuesday the state legislature passed legislation that prevents local governments from regulating any over-the-counter drugs or cosmetics including sunscreen.

• Sustainability

One Cool Thing: Recycling Grannies Upcycle Plastic into Treasure

• Florida
• plastic sustainability

Nannette Wall and Ethel Ford are two volunteers at the Sebastian Inlet State Park in Florida known as the “Recycling Grannies.” They take plastic bags, as well as plastic reclaimed from the ocean by rangers and turn it into “plarn” that can be used to crochet bags, gifts, as well as sleeping mats that Wall […]