2011 Recap: Our First Year

And here we are on the last day of 2011. What a great year this was!

This year was the beginning of Recycle Brevard! After the landfill tour we took with Brevard County Solid Waste Management Department Recycling Educator Erin LeClair back in February, it all started. Step one was to create this blog and the Recycle Brevard Facebook page.

Then, Brevard County Parks and Recreation Environmental Program Coordinator Susan Boorse invited us to participate in the Merritt Island Rotary Park Open House. It was the first time we were out talking to people about the 3Rs.

That first event helped us to get to know more people involved with the same cause in Brevard County. I became a member of the Keep Brevard Beautiful Central Chapter and we started to work toward local other projects and events with the goal of bringing awareness to residents and information to all on reusing, reducing, and recycling.

During the summer we went on a trip around Europe and it was a priceless experience to see and learn about recycling habits in the countries and cities we visited.

Once we came back, it was time to organize our first America Recycles Day. I became a member of the Brevard Community College Green Team of Cocoa. We contacted the Rotaract group also of Cocoa and they agreed to help with the event. We prepared a scavenger hunt activity to get Manatee Elementary students involved in collecting recyclables needed for the event. We were able to receive a resolution from the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners at the November 1st meeting proclaiming November 15th, 2011 America Recycles Day in Brevard County.

Getting it all together for the event kept us extremely busy, but it was very rewarding in the end. 4 The Kids of Brevard received a truck load of toys for kids in need in our county and we planted the seed of recycling in the hearts and minds of our residents.

We also had the opportunity of participating in other events too: the Harvest Festival in Viera and Festival of Trees in Melbourne. Since we were going to events, we purchased our first banner that we can take anywhere we go.

Besides the events, we organized our first recycling project in partnership with Redberry and Viera High School. We acquired our first recycle bins that we personalized and can now take wherever we go.

Because of our involvement in all of those in addition to the online channel created, we got some media coverage, which helped in spreading the word.

Looking back at the beginning of the year, it is gratifying to see how much we have accomplished in our first year. We are looking forward to what 2012 will bring!

Cheers everyone and best wishes for an awesome New Year!

Recycle Brevard!