TogetherGreen

On March 26, 2008 Toyota and the National Audubon Society launched a five-year joint venture: TogetherGreen. Toyota donated 20 million dollars and employee time to the venture and National Audubon Society committed its national resources and 103 years of environmental experience. This joint venture has implemented a series of national conservation initiatives to build future leaders in conservation, increase volunteer action, and achieve lasting conservation results. TogetherGreen includes three program components and has recently announced it will fund a sixth year:

Innovation Grants -- to fund dozens of on-the-ground projects each year that employ creative approaches and engage diverse communities to help achieve measurable land, water and/or energy conservation results. Grant requirements will broaden project participation and promote innovation by uniting Audubon's national network with environmental and community partners.
Conservation Fellowships -- to train and foster up to 200 promising environmental leaders who can serve as role models, expert guides and organizers for engaging new and diverse audiences in effective conservation action.
Volunteer Days -- to be offered at Audubon Centers and other locations nationwide, providing hands-on opportunities to address environmental problems and take part in restoration activities.

SFAS Recipient of TogetherGreen Volunteer Days Grants (2008-2013)

South Florida Audubon Society (SFAS) received TogetherGreen grants to continue its collaborative activities in Broward County through 2013. SFAS has partnered over the past five years with Broward County Public Schools, NatureScapes Broward, Broward County Parks and Recreation, Broward County Energy and Sustainability Program, Kids Ecology Corps, JM Family Enterprises, and others. It has received plants for its urban reforestation promotions from the Florida Wildflower Association and the City of Coconut Creek. SFAS has participated in national events such as Earth Day and Public Land Day. It has teamed up with Lenny "Earthman" Smith for Edu-tainment concerts at Broward County Public Schools. This national environmental educator challenged students through songs and interactive discussion to understand and fight climate change, to conserve water, to recycle and to lower their own carbon footprint. In addition SFAS through these grants has included special TogetherGreen activities with Arc Broward, a center for training individuals with developmental disabilities as well as the horticultural program at Sunset School for emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children and youth.

Activities have ranged from how to plant edible vegetable gardens without pesticides to how to capture rain in barrels to help conserve water. Activities have taught participants the differences between invasive and native plants and reasons for focusing on the latter. Participants have learned about the problems with night lighting along beaches during sea turtle breeding season. Participants have helped clean up beaches and removed invasive plants. They have planted aquatic plants to renew wetlands and planted oak seedlings, mangroves, and other native plants to enhance wildlife habitat.

Here are a few specific examples. The first 2010-2011 TogetherGreen Volunteer Days event was held on Saturday, October 2. SFAS partnered with Broward County Naturescape and Broward County Schools. Students at West Broward High School in Pembroke Pines were engaged in wetland restoration. The event was linked to National Public Lands Day (September 25). NPLD is the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy. In 2009, 150,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, removed trash and invasive plants, planted trees and restored our water resources.

Another TogetherGreen event was held in November at Broward's Long Key Nature Center in Davie. This eco-action, educational, conservation event was held in conjunction with Fairchild Challenge Environmental Immersion Day .

TogetherGreen Newsletter

Click here for the first issue of the TogetherGreen Newsletter which highlights activities of recipients of TogetherGreen grants nationally. Visit the TogetherGreen website at (www.togethergreen.org) for other updates and progress reports as well as information on how to apply for future grants -- fellowships, innovative projects, or volunteer days.

To view the National Audubon Society's "What You Can Do to Help" conserve habitat/land, water, and energy, click here.

TogetherGreen Fellowships

Forty conservationists in 37 cities and 20 different states had the opportunity to advance their environmental vision and leadership skills as 2009 TogetherGreen fellows. Doug Young, President of South Florida Audubon Society was among this list. Read a news article about him by clicking here and see his profile with a Click here . To learn about other individual projects go to http://www.togethergreen.org.

TogetherGreen 2008-2009 Year 1
SFAS Grant Recipient

The South Florida Audubon Society (SFAS) was one of 40 organizations to receive grants in the first year of the five year venture. The $7,000 award has enabled SFAS with community partners to launch three additional first time events that engage existing grassroots nongovernmental organizations, a minimum of 200 corporate employees and hundreds of children and adults from the community.

The Kids Ecology Corps has organized two community eco-action projects between Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 with an educational component for 200-300 corporate employees working in Broward County. The events spearheaded by SFAS include: planting sea oats or mangroves, removing invasive exotic plants in local parks, clearing nature trails, cleaning beaches, and/or planting native trees and plants.

For the Third Annual Friends of the Everglades' Walk/Bike-a-thon in March 2009 at Shark Valley, Everglades National Park, SFAS led a bird walk to educate the public on declining bird populations (due to effects of climate change in the Everglades including water and habitat/land issues).

For many participants the activities and events are first time exposure to green advocacy and education.

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TogetherGreen 2009 - 2010 Year 2
SFAS Grant Recipient

Here is a summary of the kinds of activities completed in 2009-2010.

July 14 to October 31, 2009 -- Sea Turtle Disorientation Volunteering at beaches in Broward County, Florida

October 8, 2009 -- Tree Planting and Water Conservation Education at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, Fort Lauderdale, FL

October 24, 2009 --International Climate Crisis Day (www.350.org) Rally at Museum of Discovery and Science to demonstrate support of the 350 effort for standards for climate change.

November 14-15, 2009 South Florida Living Green Fair --at John U Lloyd State Park, Dania Beach, Florida This event is geared to families and the expected crowd is 10,000. Hundreds of volunteers will be involved.

February 12, 2010 24-7-365green Environmental Conference -- Broward College South, Pembroke Pines, FL SFAS partnered with South Florida Economic Foundation. Click here for details.

April 2010 Earth Day Activities -- SFAS was one of the sponsors for the 4/17/2010 People and Planet Fair at Snyder Park, Fort Lauderdale which Kids Ecology Corps is hosting.
May 2010 TogetherGreen partner, Trash2Treasure, hosted from May 2 to 21 exhibits and activities at Artserv, Fort Lauderdale. Children and youth used recycled materials to create usable goods and art.