GREEN AVENTURA

Our first post back in September was about Aventura "Going Green." Click here to refresh your memory. This city is making a change and putting great methods into action. Everything the city does to make a difference and along with changes each individual can do will make a difference in our environment. Below is a recent article in th MiamiHerald.com reporting on this topic and a perfect update to the start of this blog.

Aventura leads by environmental example

BY ANDRES AMERIKANER
The city of Aventura can't force its residents -- particularly condo-dwellers -- to recycle, so it's choosing the next best thing: leading by example.
City leaders hope the city's Go Green initiative, which includes cutting down on paper use, buying hybrid cars and installing energy-efficient light bulbs, may persuade residents and neighboring cities to follow in its path.

''It's just a beginning, but it's an effort to show people in the community that we are making the first step,'' Mayor Susan Gottlieb said.

The city will reach out to schools -- through the science curriculum at the charter school -- and condos -- through a yet-to-be-determined set of awards and incentives -- to promote environmental awareness.

In the past six months, the city has reduced paper use significantly, said City Manager Eric Soroka. Documents such as agendas for meetings, records and backup information are being scanned and archived, many of them posted online on the city's website.

By scanning old documents, the city has saved 1,500 square feet of storage space, Soroka said.

The city also plans to replace its community services and code enforcement vehicles with a more energy-efficient fleet, and has been reducing energy costs by replacing light bulbs and other building materials.

Over the next few months, the city will begin implementing environmentally preferable purchasing, which means it will seek out goods and services that have less of a negative impact on health and the environment, Soroka said.

''This is something we all believe in,'' Gottlieb said.

Still on the back burner: Laptops for all city commissioners, which would reduce the need for paper even further.

In their September workshop meeting, commissioners passed around a sheet of paper with the new Go Green logo on it.

''It's the last piece of paper you'll ever see,'' joked Commissioner Zev Auerbach.