FLORIDA NATURAL RESOURCES LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE A New Shade of Green IFAS Extension s Evolving Role In an Urbanizing Florida NRLI Fellows Class VI Practicum Review (Oct. 2006) JP Gellermann Hal Knowles III
Outline Situation Assessment (CSTC) The Challenges The Opportunities Workshop Process Next Steps Lessons Learned A New Shade of Green 2
Challenge: Population (FL) Florida Population: 1980 ~ 10,000,000 2005 ~ 17,000,000 2030 ~ 28,000,000 % (1930 2000) U.S. Average ~ 230% Miami-Dade ~ 1,800% Broward ~ 8,000% A New Shade of Green 3
Challenge: Housing (FL) Florida Building Permits Single Family Detached: 2002 ~ 127,000 2003 ~ 155,000 2004 ~ 185,000 2005 ~ 204,000 #1 in U.S. 12 out of Last 14 years A New Shade of Green 4
Challenge: Land Use (US) Decreasing densities & inefficient land use From 1982 1997: Population densities in > 80% of 281 major U.S. metro areas Urbanized land by 47%, while U.S. population only by 17% From 1900 2000: 1 person households from 5% to 26% Since WWII, family size while home size A New Shade of Green 5
Challenge: Land Use (FL) Florida s land area = 42% agricultural & urban 450-acres forest & 410-acres farmland cleared to make room for ~ 1,000 new residents/day From 1982 1997: Urbanized land 34% nationally Urbanized land 58% in Florida Human activity has destroyed over 1/3 of Florida s native habitats A New Shade of Green 6
Challenge: A Treasured Coast? How can growth be managed while preserving a healthy, sustainable Treasure Coast? A New Shade of Green 7
Challenge: Population (TC) Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties The Treasure Coast is predicted to grow by 60 percent between now and 2030, bringing the total population to 720,000. Agriculture producers face pressure from: Market forces Significant economic incentives to sell their land A New Shade of Green 8
Challenge: DRIs (TC) ~ 89,000 New Homes ~ 29,000,000 s.f. of Commercial Space A New Shade of Green 9
Challenge: Infrastructure (TC) With people, comes Greater demand for schools, police, and other public services Increasing consumption of rural areas for development adding to pressures faced by the agricultural community Pressure on social & ecological systems as a result of human activity in existing rural/natural areas A New Shade of Green 10
Challenge: Disaster Mitigation (TC) A New Shade of Green 11
Challenge: Citrus Canker (TC) A New Shade of Green 12
Challenge: Energy (World) A New Shade of Green 13
Challenge: Water (FL) A New Shade of Green 14
Opportunity: CSTC A New Shade of Green 15
Opportunity: CSTC As a result of these factors, March 30, 2004, Governor Bush signed Executive Order No. 04-61 creating the Committee for a Sustainable Treasure Coast At the request of Senator Ken Pruitt, the Governor asked a panel of citizens from the Treasure Coast Counties to study the challenges and opportunities facing their region and to; Recommend actions and tools that could maintain a sustainable quality of life within the region The final report for Committee for a Sustainable Treasure Coast was completed on September 20, 2005 A New Shade of Green 16
Opportunity: CSTC CSTC Report has 6 major components: Sustaining Quality Natural Systems Retaining Rural Lands Creating a Sustainable Built Environment Enhancing Access to Education, Health, & Cultural Opportunities Achieving Economic Diversity & Prosperity Maintaining a Sustainable Region A New Shade of Green 17
Opportunity: The Consumer Leading Consumption-Related Environmental Problems Air pollution Global warming Habitat alteration Water pollution Most Harmful Consumer Activities Cars & light trucks Meat & poultry Fruit, vegetables, & grains Home heating, hot water, & AC Household appliances & lighting Home construction Household water & sewage A New Shade of Green 18
Opportunity: IFAS Extension A New Shade of Green 19
A New Shade of Green A workshop was organized to bring together stakeholders from across the region to discuss how UF/IFAS could best support these recommendations. Representation included former CSTC members, the building community, UF/IFAS, Florida Atlantic University, environmental interests, Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, and others A New Shade of Green 20
Stakeholders Interest Groups Interests in the Issue Representation Power, Roles & Responsibilities CSTC Members Implement recommendations Friends of Martin County; CSTC Affiliated Organizations Know the CSTC people & process; Regional vision Environmental Interests (Local Gov.) Protect environmental resources St. Lucie County Government Enforce policies & regulations; Know local government IFAS Extension Provide education & outreach on critical matters County Extension Directors (St. Lucie, Martin, & Indian River); UF Program for Resource Efficient Communities (PREC) Technical & research expertise; Public service responsibilities Florida Atlantic University Support effective regional planning FAU Center for Urban & Environmental Solutions (CUES) Technical & research expertise; Public service responsibilities Planning / Zoning Ensure effective future planning & public awareness Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council (TCRPC); Port St. Lucie Planning Department Regional vision; Approve or deny land use changes & development Builders / Developers Ensure livelihood of building professionals (i.e. build & profit) Treasure Coast Builders Association (TCBA); Local Builders, Developers, and Consultants Professional expertise; Power to embrace/implement (or) block recommendations; Entrepreneurial vision A New Shade of Green 21
Workshop Agenda Welcome & Introductions Why this Workshop? Expectations / Setting the Stage CSTC Background Activity 1: Prioritize Built Env. Action Items Activity 2: Opportunities & Constraints to Implementation Activity 3: Programs, Services, & Tools Next Steps for Development & Delivery Closure / Evaluation A New Shade of Green 22
Prioritize CSTC Actions Decision by Dots: Built Environment Actions (17) Water quality/quantity & landscaping BMPs (7) Outreach/education on BMPs for water conservation, water quality, & landscaping (5) Integrate urban areas, agriculture, & natural systems with regional water supply (5) Develop & implement storm water BMPs (14) Set goals & foster green building (4) Set goals to encourage energy efficient building (4) Set green building goals for all building types (6) Codify model provisions addressing energy efficiency & conservation in built environment (13) Offer rewards for development within vision (7) Create vibrant city centers (6) Foster direct relationship between leaders & residents A New Shade of Green 23
Break Em Out A New Shade of Green 24
Bring Em Back & Pin Em Up A New Shade of Green 25
Evaluation Results Averaged > 4.0 on a 1 to 5 scale Most useful components Opportunities for collaboration / networking Discussions / communication among group Least useful components Preconceived ideas of some participants Too little time / too much covered Desire for additional workshops on other topics General feeling that workshop was a good beginning A New Shade of Green 26
First Steps Efficient building & codify model provisions addressing energy efficiency St. Lucie County and the City of Port St Lucie are taking the initial steps to create a green conference to highlight energy efficiency A television show is scheduled to be filmed to highlight human impacts on local water bodies and actions residents can take mitigate these impacts Work is being done to create a St. Lucie County Agricultural Enhancement Board to give more voice to the agricultural industry A New Shade of Green 27
Next Steps Compile workshop summary Compile mini-report of groups Include organizational breakdowns Determine who s in charge Who has the authority? Move past the beginning Public outreach programs SFWMD cooperation Sustainability conference Land steward academy certificate Expand DCA toolbox Collaborate with more groups Evaluate the process A New Shade of Green 28
Lessons Learned There is never enough time Ask more people than you think to participate Bringing in people from breaks takes as long as the break Food is essential for a good meeting Run on dialog is tough to stop Preparation is best done well before a meeting Don t leave chicken on the grill while your guests arrive A New Shade of Green 29