Sustainability & Resiliency Advisory Board

SUSTAINABILITY & RESILIENCY ADVISORY BOARD COUNCIL CHAMBERS 400 NW 73RD AVE. PLANTATION, FL 33317 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2025 CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Chair Joseph Winn at 6:33 p.m. Roll call was conducted by the clerk. A quorum was present. Present: Chair Joseph Winn, Vice Chair Dr. Kate Peach, Ronald R. Eyma, Dr. Julie A. Long, Maria Oliva, Guithele Ruiz-Nicholas, and Dr. Mary Hope Schwoebel Also Present: Assistant City Administrator Carole Morris, Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Joel Schick, Plantation resident Vicki Gelfund, and South Plantation High School students Leyla Fein, Mikaela Lai, and Legend Wilkerson APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES January 13th, 2025 Meeting Minutes Dr. Julie Long moved to approve the January 13, 2025 meeting minutes as presented; seconded by Guithele Ruiz-Nicholas. Motion passed: 7-0. OLD BUSINESS 1. Earth Day Event Planning Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Joel Schick shared an overview of plans for the City’s Earth Day Event on April 5 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Pine Island Park and asked for clarification on a request for the SRAB’s awards to be included on the flyer. Discussion ensued regarding the logistics of the awards. The consensus was that awards would presented at the main stage of Rock the Park with the elementary awards prior to the concert and high school awards at intermission.

Mr. Schick stated the tree giveaway would not be a part of the event in 2025, but plants would be available instead. He noted DHL had been secured as the title sponsor, and their volunteers would be working on projects in the City’s parks ahead of the event. He discussed environmental ambassadors, recycling education, vendors, performers, and an upcycled art competition. Discussion ensued. 2. Update on School Contest Dr. Long stated she had forwarded a flyer to go along with the contest forms created by Ms. Ruiz-Nicholas and Dr. Peach between meetings and commented that as Assistant City Administrator Morris had suggested, it was more difficult than anticipated to get a list of school contacts. Assistant City Administrator Morris advised that the letters had gone out, and she had received a few responses back, but no entries. She noted it was early, but hopefully, entries would begin to come in in the next few weeks. Chair Winn suggested a follow-up email. Assistant City Administrator Morris agreed. Ms. Ruiz-Nicholas asked if it was possible to tease the Earth Day event in the follow-up email. Assistant City Administrator Morris stated she could embed the flyer if it was ready in time. She added that social media posts were also scheduled. Dr. Schwoebel apologized for her recent absence and asked for an update on the Board’s Sustainability Plan and whether it was something there was interest in continuing to work on. Dr. Long shared that in January, the Board had discussed each member reaching out to the Councilmember who appointed them to ask for feedback. She suggested the item be placed on the April agenda for further discussion. Chair Winn asked if there was any input or feedback from the Council at the January 15 Board Workshop. Assistant City Administrator Morris outlined the process of the workshop and noted Council had received all of the Board’s documents in the backup materials for the meeting. She commented that if the Sustainability Plan is at a place where the Board is comfortable, the next step would be to share it with the Department Directors. Discussion continued regarding the next steps. The consensus was for Assistant City Administrator Morris to distribute the draft document to the Department Directors. OTHER BUSINESS/DISCUSSIONS 1. Events and Announcements Dr. Peach shared details of the Eco Fair scheduled for April 2, 2025 at Broward College South Campus and suggested the Board may want to have representation at the event. Dr. Long asked that composting be placed on a future agenda for discussion. She noted pilot programs in other communities and grant opportunities. Assistant City Administrator Morris

stated there was discussion at the Strategic Planning session about starting a pilot program in Plantation, and information would be available in the next few weeks. Discussion continued. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Vicki Gelfund, Plantation resident, suggested a speaker from the University of Florida to talk about composting. She commented on the need to educate residents about recycling and how to recycle. She volunteered her time to assist the Board in this effort. South Plantation High School students Leyla Fein and Mikaela Lai spoke regarding their senior project to reduce food waste through composting. They explained that they were proposing a composting service in Plantation, with services to be provided by Filthy Organics, and discussed their conversations with city officials in Sunrise, Coconut Creek, and other communities. Chair Winn recognized Ms. Fein and Ms. Lai for their work to date. He suggested the students connect with Assistant City Administrator Morris regarding the City’s plans for a pilot program and asked about implementation steps. Mr. Eyma asked if there were any problems finding participants and identifying a receiver for the organic material. Ms. Fein explained their plan to conduct a survey to find interest. Dr. Schwoebel noted a program in Hollywood that returns the processed materials to residents and stated people may be interested in this option. Discussion continued regarding scale, potential partners, and education. Dr. Peach highlighted opportunities to conduct composting on site, such as at the high school for their garden space. Dr. Long shared that the garden club has a compost bin and space, so this neighborhood may be a good place to start a feasible pilot project. South Plantation High School student Legend Wilkerson shared details of his senior project, which looks at implementation of City policies to reduce runoff of fertilizers and their impact on waterways. He advised that he had been working to contact stakeholders for additional information and asked the Board for recommendations. Ms. Ruiz-Nicholas left the meeting at 7:36 p.m. Chair Winn noted the Board had a Sustainability Plan where policy recommendations could be shared. He suggested Mr. Wilkerson should connect with the City’s Chief Engineer Samira Shalon. Discussion ensued regarding options for phosphorous-free fertilizers, policies in other municipalities, planting, and zero-scaping options. ADJOURNMENT: 7:46 p.m.