KEY BISCAYNE, FLA. (WSVN) - Climate concerns and cleanups are ramping up for Earth Day, and local leaders in South Florida are taking action to improve the environment.
Beach cleanups and park cleanups took place across South Florida as efforts to educate the public to take better care of the planet.
In Key Biscayne, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava joined volunteers in a beach cleanup.
Recently, the county has banned the use of fertilizer during the rainy season to combat fish kills.
“Fertilizer is something that, in the rainy season, gets into the waterways,” she said. “Everybody recognizes that we have a problem.”
The mayor and volunteers picked up everything from small pieces of plastic to bigger garbage in the area.
Thursday’s message is that South Florida is known for its beautiful resources, so to keep tourists visiting and money coming into the county, the area must be taken care of.
“We live in paradise because of the precious natural resources that we have,” Levine Cava said. “It’s on all of us to cherish and take care, not just on Earth Day, but all year long.”
Another effort being taken by the county is transitioning buses to electric energy.
Volunteers in North Miami Beach cleaned up along the Snake Creek Canal. They hope people will practice green efforts year round.
“Do something that you know that will protect the environment — recycling, carpooling,” Coral Springs Commissioner Nancy Metayer said.
Meanwhile, the City of Miami announced a plan to cut greenhouse gases by 60% by 2035.
“We’ll get there by tackling our largest sources of emissions, particularly our increasing energy consumption and on-road transportation,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said.
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