Wikipedia Entry on Brevard Environmental Issues

Wow! Who knew there was already a Wikipedia entry for environmental concerns in Brevard? I admit it - I had no idea! In case anyone is interested in reading - or contributing - here is a link to the entry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_issues_in_Brevard_County... more Posted to The Zen of Green by Gayla Schaefer on 11/09/09 | with 0 comments

IRQ Launch Cruise

My old friend, Penny Flaherty, who owns the Indian River Queen, sent me a note today about an upcoming cruise to watch the Atlantis launch from 2:30-5:15 pm, Nov. 12. Launch time is 4:04 pm (subject to change of course!) The IRQ is that quaint old riverboat you see as you head over the 520 Causeway into Cocoa Village. Why would I put this in the Zen of Green blog? The answer is simple: Penny does her dead-level best to make her cruises and her boat as environmentally friendly as possible. She even installed a special waste management system to make the Queen friendly to the river. I think efforts such as those should be rewarded. For more information call (321) 454-7414... more Posted to The Zen of Green by Gayla Schaefer on 09/29/09 | with 0 comments

Kindergarten Ocean Dioramas

This weekend, I will be making ocean dioramas with my two kindergarteners for their class projects. The boys are very excited and have been collecting all kinds of little things to use as their sea creatures and I, being totally new at this whole thing, have been scratching my head about ways I could make this more of a learning experience and less of a crafty activity since I am just not a crafty kind of gal. Then it hit me - we could use some old fishing line and trash to show pollution of the oceans and give those five-year-olds a chance to learn about why their actions at the beach matter. Maybe the boys could even talk to their little munchkin classmates about the Day of Service back in January when we spent a happy... more Posted to The Zen of Green by Gayla Schaefer on 09/25/09 | with 0 comments

Surfrider Advocacy Training on Oct. 17

To help celebrate their 25th Anniversary, the Surfrider Foundation is offering Florida chapter members a great opportunity to come together, meet each other, and take part in workshops to learn how to become a better advocate and volunteer.  The one day workshop will be held from 11 am to 5 pm, on Saturday, Oct 17th in Jacksonville Beach. Oil drilling will be a major topic. For complete infomation check out the workshop flyer online.... more Posted to The Zen of Green by Gayla Schaefer on 09/18/09 | with 0 comments

Call for News, Tips, Ideas and Guest Bloggers

Tonight I put a call out to some of my most trusted green-minded pals around the Space Coast in order to start beefing up this blog as a central point for environmental information exchange in and around Brevard. It is my hope some of them might take a moment to write a guest blog or send some ideas for future topics. I would also like to invite you all to take a moment to email me with your ideas, news, tips and suggestions to make this blog better. Does your organization have a green event coming up? Post it here or email me a reminder at gayla.schaefer@gmail.com to let readers know. Do you know of a beach in need of cleanup or a resident helping to change our little corner of the world? Let us know! Thanks for readin... more Posted to The Zen of Green by Gayla Schaefer on 08/31/09 | with 0 comments

Arctic Fishing

Here is a link to an interesting article about how global warming is affecting commercial fishing that I thought some of you might be interested in... http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/08/21/21greenwire-us-bans-commercial-fishing-in-warming-arctic-33236.html... more Posted to The Zen of Green by Gayla Schaefer on 08/26/09 | with 0 comments

Why eels are important

Almost a decade ago (eek), I met with a really cool guy named Mike Knight to plan the first ever "Party for the Planet" at Brevard Zoo. Mike became chair of the event as I recall, and was instrumental in coming up with great ideas for the environmental showcase event celebrating Earth Day and the Space Coast. Mike is program director for the Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program, a project dedicated to conservation through land acquisition and management managed by Brevard County's Parks & Recreation Department. The EEL Program protects Brevard County's unique natural habitats, while managing them for their rare, threatened, endangered, or endemic plants and animals. A very cool job for a very cool ... more Posted to The Zen of Green by Gayla Schaefer on 08/24/09 | with 0 comments

Brevard Nature Alliance

Back when I was working at Brevard Zoo, I had the chance to participate n some of the early meetings of the Brevard Nature Alliance while they were working on an environmental section for the Brevard County Strategic Plan. It is a great group - who, under the leadership of my old pals Neta Harris and Laurilee Thompson, put on The Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival each year. Ranked in the top three (nationwide) for such events, this event brings in thousands of eco-friendly tourists who appreciate Brevard's natural beauty as much or more than our commercial tourist destinations. The BNA is a voluntary group of individuals and organizations associated for the purpose of raising the awareness of citizens and visitors to the value... more Posted to The Zen of Green by Gayla Schaefer on 07/26/09 | with 0 comments

Surfrider Art and Music Festival This Weekend

Take a short trek south this weekend for the Treasure Coast Surfrider Foundation group's 25th Anniversary Art & Music Celebration.  The event, being held in Port St. Lucie, is a three day art and music festival featuring more than 25 bands, a VIP Party on the 23rd, car and Harley shows, a huge skate ramp, kids playland and more. Surf Artist Jay Alder, Quincy Mumford, and musicians like Dick Dale and Ben Prestage will be there. Go to www.tcsurfrider.org for more info or to get tickets.... more Posted to The Zen of Green by Gayla Schaefer on 07/20/09 | with 0 comments

Support Hubbs-Sea World with Ocean Tag

My good pal, Kathy Hagood, has a nifty new blog on The Examiner's Orlando site focusing on coastal travel.   Earlier this week, Kathy posted a very informative piece on the Discover Florida's Oceans license plate. For just $25 added to the regular cost of your tag, you get a very cool plate and help raise funds for Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute and other worthwhile nonprofit efforts to support conservation research and education to care for the Big Blue. I had a chance to get to know some of the great folks at Hubbs back when I was working at Brevard Zoo. They are an incredibly dedicated lot who do amazing things from ocean research to rescue of stranded sea life. If you don't already... more Posted to The Zen of Green by Gayla Schaefer on 07/15/09 | with 0 comments

New Surfrider Blog

There is a new Florida Surfrider Foundation Blog in place to better serve members with info on mission topics, action alerts and related links. Check it out http://surfriderfoundationfl.wordpress.com/... more Posted to The Zen of Green by Gayla Schaefer on 07/13/09 | with 0 comments

50 Facts Related To Oceans and Seas

For those who love ocean trivia... today we will share fifty things you might not know about the ocean – courtesy of the Ocean Foundation.   Fifty Key Facts about Seas and Oceans Oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth's surface. More than 90 per cent of the planet's living biomass is found in the oceans. Eighty percent of all pollution in seas and oceans comes from land-based activities. Forty percent of the world's population lives within 60 kilometers of a coast. Three-quarters of the world's mega-cities are by the sea. By 2010, 80 per cent of people will live within 100 kilometers of the coast. Death and disease caused by polluted... more Posted to The Zen of Green by Gayla Schaefer on 07/10/09 | with 0 comments