Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Earth Day,” businesses and civic groups were recruited through direct marketing fly-
ers and articles in newsletters. Referrals came in from Hands on Miami, a volunteer
clearinghouse. Human resources, public relations, and corporate affairs departments
of local corporations and businesses were solicited, and employees would sign up for
employer-sponsored workdays.
Workdays would begin with a fifteen- to twenty-minute presentation. The goals of
the project were discussed and brochures were handed out. Participants were then di-
vided into groups of ten and assigned a volunteer from the Restoration Leadership
Program to take them to their work site. Trained volunteers would answer questions
about the project and lead groups in restoration activities.
The efforts of Earth Day Every Day volunteers were centered on coastal strand res-
toration, installing the dominant plant—saw palmetto (
Serenoa repens
). Work sites
were prepared in advance and mostly cleared of invasive species. Plots would be de-
lineated and the appropriate number of saw palmetto would be delivered, determined
by the project's density specifications and a random numbers table. Shovels, water
barrels, buckets, and fertilizer would be laid out ahead of time. First-aid kits, drinking
water, and, in areas of no shade, umbrellas were also put into place.
Group size varied with a typical range of twenty-five to one hundred. The size of
the group was only limited by the number of Restoration Leadership volunteers avail-
able to supervise. A one to ten ratio of trained volunteer to inexperienced volunteer
was ideal. One hundred unskilled volunteers could clear and plant an acre of coastal
strand in a three-hour work shift. Three hundred people could plant an acre in an
hour. The program proved to be one of the most effective means for restoring the park
and educating the public about the importance of the project. It also provided a
model for an annual event on a larger scale.
Field Day and Weed Toss
The American Littoral Society and Cape Florida State Park hosted an annual event
called the “Field Day and Weed Toss” in conjunction with Earth Day. The quirky
event grew in popularity each year. The Field Day portion of the event was exactly
like group workdays held throughout the year, but with added benefits from sponsors,
such as free T-shirts and ice cream. Civic groups and company employees would
gather at the park and be led in restoration activities by trained volunteers (fig. 3.2).
The event would conclude with a highly anticipated contest where one person from
each team would throw an exotic plant stalk for the greatest distance, like a javelin.
The winner received a unique trophy, a colorful statue of a bird made out of recycled
farm tools with a plaque around its neck simply stating “Weed Toss Winner” and the
date. Borrowed from the rural North Florida tradition of mullet-tossing, the Weed
Toss added a county fair atmosphere to the day. The event always attracted media at-
tention and helped raise the project's profile in the community. Just as important,
with three hundred to five hundred restoration volunteers participating, it accom-
plished in a day what would otherwise have taken months to do.
