Make Your Holidays Environmentally Friendly

From the City of Tampa...

Start a new family tradition - have an environmentally friendly holiday and be environmentally responsible throughout the holiday season and the coming year. It’s easy! Just follow the helpful tips below, and this holiday season will mark a wonderful start to a brighter, cleaner future for us all.

Gift-Giving Tips
• Buy holiday cards printed on recycled paper.
• Save wrapping paper and ribbons for reuse.
• Use a reusable shopping bag when shopping for your holiday purchases.
• Avoid over-packaged items.
• Choose gifts with extended life expectancy.
• Use old newspaper as packaging material.
• Telephone your relatives and friends instead of sending cards.
• Wrap gifts in recycled wrapping paper or newspaper comics.
• Place all small gifts directly in stockings, instead of wrapping.
• Donate good used toys and games to your favorite charity.

Entertaining Tips
• Use reusable cups, glasses, plates and utensils.
• Use cloth napkins and table cloths instead of disposables.
• Purchase party products in recycled and recyclable containers.

Holiday Tips
• Encourage guests to bring food in their favorite dishes instead of disposables.
• Make your own invitations from scrap or recycled paper.
• Use old T-shirts for cleaning and dusting cloths.

Cooking Tips
• Reuse aluminum cooking trays; do not use disposable ones.
• Buy only as much food as needed; food wastes are more of our household waste than aluminum cans, plastic bottles and glass combined.
• Freeze leftovers for meals.

Decorating Tips
• Buy an artificial tree instead of buying a “live” tree each year. They make artificial trees that look incredibly natural.
• Make planting a tree part of your holiday tradition.
• Avoid all one-time use decorations such as spray snow and window stickers.

For more information on waste reduction and recycling, please visit our web site at www.tampagov.net/solidwaste or call (813) 348 -1111.

Free Range Organic Turkey

They cost considerable more, are they really as good as advertised? I am deathly allergic to turkey, so I won't be trying any of these birds, but would love to hear if they are worth the extra money.

Information from Van Jones’ website: Green For All

Right now, there’s a great opportunity not only to make America’s economy stronger by making it greener, but to make Americans living in poverty part of a revitalized middle class. The first thing we have to do is provide the training that will turn 20th century blue-collar jobs into secure 21st-century green-collar jobs.
Did You Know...
• There’s already a huge green economy developing. In 2006 renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies generated 8.5 million new jobs, nearly $970 billion in revenue, and more than $100 billion in industry profits.
• According to the National Renewable Energy Lab, the major barriers to a more rapid adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency in America are insufficient skills and training.
• In December 2007, President Bush signed the Green Jobs Act to train workers for green collar jobs. It authorizes $125 million for workforce training programs targeted to veterans, displaced workers, at-risk youth, and families in extreme poverty. It will train people for jobs like installing solar panels and weatherization.
Green-Collar Jobs…
• Rebuild a Strong Middle Class
• Provide Pathways Out of Poverty
• Require Some New Skills (and some new thinking about old skills)
• Tend to be Local Jobs
• Strengthen Urban and Rural Communities
• Protect Our Health and the Health of the Planet

Please visit this website for more information: www.greenforall.org

SDAT - Workshops in Tampa

This Wednesday, November 12th the three-day visit will begin, which will include a series of stakeholder meetings and public workshops.

In order to better understand the context of the city, and especially the varied neighborhoods, the SDAT team has requested images of the city of Tampa. They are looking for all kinds of images of our city, and we would love to share the many

Tuesday 11.11.08 - special Veterans Day activity
SDAT canoe Tour (25 dollar donation) - Rowlett Park to Lowry Park
Sponsored by Canoe Escape (http://www.canoeescape.com/)
12:00 pm - 3pm
Lunch provided contact sdattampa@gmail.com or call Adam Fritz at 813.391.2387 for more details and to RSVP

Wednesday 11.12.08 - 630 pm - 830 pm
Public Workshop - Come share your insights!

Friday 11.14.08 - 4:30 pm - 700 pm

Closing Public Forum / Reception

Featuring food from members of the Tampa Independent Business Alliance (TIBA)

Please visit the website often as items are constantly updated.

www.sdattampa.com

Amendment #3 Passed

AMENDMENT #3: CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS NOT AFFECTING THE ASSESSED VALUE OF RESIDENTIAL REAL PROPERTY

Reference: Article VII, sections 3, 4, and a new section

Summary: Authorizes the Legislature, by general law, to prohibit consideration of changes or improvements to residential real property which increase resistance to wind damage and installation of renewable energy source devices as factors in assessing the property's value for ad valorem taxation purposes. Effective upon adoption, repeals the existing renewable energy source device exemption no longer in effect.

Sponsor: Florida Budget and Taxation Reform Commission

Background: Increased value of residential property based on improvements designed to improve hurricane safety could not be assessed as taxable increased value.

PRO:

* Hurricane safety may be improved in residential property.
* Residential property values may be increased.
* The amendment may relieve the burden on non-renewable energy sources.

CON:

* Local revenues could suffer.
* Individuals' savings may be minimal.
* The amendment does not apply to new construction.