Florida animal rights activists scored two big laws during the Florida legislative session, which ended last Friday. These two laws passed unanimously:

>Ban on exotic reptiles trade: A new law will prohibit the possession, import, sale or breeding of several large reptile species including the infamous Burmese python that has been troubling so much the local environmentalists.

>Horse protection: A new law will increase penalties for the unlawful killing of horses in Florida and strengthens restrictions on the consumption of horse meat. You might have heard the heartbreaking reports about horses being killed for their flesh across South Florida.

These three laws were also discussed but for different reasons didn’t pass.

>Protecting animals from sexual abuse: This law, which would make bestiality a crime in Florida, didn’t pass for the third year in a row. It made it to the House but didn’t come up for a vote before the session ended. You can email Sen. Nan Rich at rich.nan.web@flsenate.gov and ask her to reintroduce the bill next year.

>pay/neuter surcharge: This law would charge a $15 fee for every animal cruelty or animal control violation. The funds would then be used for spaying or neutering dogs and cats in the community. This law also didn’t make it to the floor of the House or the Senate before the session ended. You can email Sen. Nan Rich at rich.nan.web@flsenate.gov and Rep. Scott Randolph here ask them to reintroduce the bill next year.

>Greyhound racing: An amendment to remove the requirement that dog tracks conduct live racing in order to offer poker or slots died for technical reasons. Had it passed, it would have probably put an end to the cruel -and very unprofitable- greyhound racing business in Florida. You can e-mail Sen. Charlie Justice and encourage him to reintroduce the bill next year: justice.charlie.web@flsenate.gov.

For more information on Florida animal rights issues visit the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida at www.arff.org

Photo courtesy of brettmcbain

April is gone and with it all the cool Earth-Day related events that April brought us. However, there’s still a lot of fun and environmentally friendly things to do this week.

Wedneday, April 28
>Active lifestyle networking: Join Miami Active’s monthly meeting. The group encourages the free exchange of information and ideas to promote active lifestyles and business networks. Free. 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 28 at Whole Foods Coral Gables, 6701 Red Road. Meets in the Lifestyle Center,

>Hear environmentalist Bill McKibben discuss his new book, “Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet.” Believed to be one of the first to warn against climate change in his book “The End of Nature” 20 years ago, McKibben now insists that we need to acknowledge that we’ve waited too long, and that massive change is not only unavoidable but already under way. He’ll be at Books & Books in Coral Gables, 265 Aragon Ave. 8 p.m., Wednesday, April 28. Free.

>Stroll the gardens of Vizcaya under the moonlight: Don’t miss this romantic moonlight tour of the Vizcaya gardens. Enjoy live music, wine and delicious refreshments. 6:60 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, April 28. Tours leave at different intervals throughout the night. Vizcaya is located at 3251 South Miami Avenue Miami. Tickets: $15 for general admission, $10 for students, seniors and members.

Thursday, April 29
>Chilean food & wine tasting: Wanting to help Chile recover but can’t get on a plane? Support the country by supporting its cheese and wine at this free tasting. 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday, April 29. Whole Foods South Beach, 1020 Alton Rd.

>’80’s themed free yoga: SoBe Pilates is having an ’80s-themed grand opening party with MC Miss Elaine Lancaster. Stop by for free fitness demos, refreshments and raffles. 7-9 p.m., Thursday April 29. Located on 950 Arthur Godfrey Rd., Miami Beach. 305-763-8878. continue

Earth Day-related promotions and sweepstakes are all over this year. Here are some of the sweepstakes and promotions The Ecozine compiled:

>Win a trip for two to Hawaii: Sierra Club wants to see which is the greenest State based on the number of people from each State willing to do a little more for the environment. All you have to do is agree to one of their five pledge choices such as using reusable bags for groceries, making an organic meal or biking for one trip instead of driving. Take the pledge and be automatically entered to win a trip to Hawaii for two. Looking at the interactive map, the Sunshine State doesn’t look that green at all, meaning we still need many Floridians to take the pledge. Learn more here

>Win a 9-day trip for two to Costa Rica: You might have noticed the new Whole Trade organic pineapples at Whole Foods. The grocery store recently awarded these pineapples with its own Whole Trade certification, meaning the fruits come from sustainable responsible farms and that the farmers are paid a decent wage and work in good conditions. To celebrate this, the market is sharing pineapple recipes in their site (try this fresh pineapple salsa) and is giving away a trip to Costa Rica. Sign up here.

>Win a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid dozens of energy efficient appliances: Target is giving away the Ford and more this month, including an electric scooter, a bicycle, a Clorox Greenworks home cleaning kit, a Burt’s Bees gift pack, a Kashi Klean Kanteen, a Planet Earth DVD Series and a Coca-Cola recycling bin or Coca-Cola RPET T-Shirt.Sign up here

>Win a 2011 Ford Fiesta: This month, Kellogg’s is giving away a 2011 Ford Fiesta worth $20,000. It takes a little longer to sign up because you actually have to register in their site, but it’s worth taking a efw minutes. Register here.

>Win a Ford Escape Hybrid Car: What is it with Ford and Earth Day Sweepstakes? Sprint is giving away this one. Just sign up here.

>Win $10,000 from eBay: Take eBay’s green challenge and be entered to win $10,000 worth of eBay credit. You need to open an eBay account to participate. Register here

>Win a $20,000 green home makeover: Purex, the clothes soap, is giving away this prize, along with a $1,000 daily prize. Win the home makeover by signing up here:

>Win a Ford Escape Hybrid You will need a 10-digit code from a Purina product to sign up at thePet Supplies site.

Photo courtesy of procsilas

If your refrigerator is keeping you awake at night -and I don’t mean because of the munchies- it’s probably time to get a new one that will literally shut off at night.

You have no excuses now: Florida’s Energy Star Appliance Rebate program launches next Friday and over $17.5 million will be distributed in 66,000 rebates statewide on a first come, first served basis until April 25 or until the money runs out.

Get 20 percent rebates on freezers, clothes washers, refrigerators, dishwashers, gas tankless water heaters and room air conditioners. You can also get a $75 rebate if you submit proof of recycling.

The only catch is that all new appliances must qualify as Energy Star appliances. But because energy star appliances consume less energy, you’ll end up saving even more; an efficient refrigerator saves up to $100/ year in energy, so you get the idea.

Visit www.rebates.com/florida for more information.

Photo courtesy of gojeffrey

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to watch some of the best and latest food-related documentaries, which will be screened locally as part of the Earth Month film series Let’s Re-take our Plates, organized by Whole Foods.

I’m particularly excited about No Impact Man, the documentary based on the Brooklyn family that decided to reduce their waste to the minimum for a whole year (I couldn’t drop the book). Other films include Fast Food Nation, Food. Inc, What’s on Your Plate? and The Garden, all very politically-charged films making strong arguments against the state of the food industry.

Here is the schedule:

Fast Food Nation
4:45 p.m, April 17
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street, Ft. Lauderdale
$7

King Corn/ Big River
2:30 p.m. April 17
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street, Ft. Lauderdale
$7

Food Inc.
2 p.m., April 18
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street, Ft. Lauderdale
$7

The Garden
12 p.m., April 18
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street, Ft. Lauderdale
$7

Food Inc.
5 p.m., April 19
Cobb Theater
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue, Palm Beach Gardens
$5

No Impact Man
7 p.m., April 19
Coral Gables Congregational Church
3010 De Soto Blvd., Coral Gables
$5

What’s on Your Plate?
5 p.m. April 20
Cobb Theater
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue, Palm Beach Gardens
$5

Fast Food Nation
5 p.m., April 21
Cobb Theater
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue, Palm Beach Gardens
$5

The Garden
8 p.m., April 21
Miami Beach Cinematheque
512 Espanola Way, Miami Beach
$10

End of the Line
5 p.m. April 22,
Cobb Theater
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue, Palm Beach Gardens
$5

Food Inc.
7:30 p.m., April 23
Temple Bet Shira
7500 SW 120th Street, Miami
$5

Visit the Let’s Re-take our Plates site for more information

Buying local has become a lot easier thanks to a new deal between Publix Super Markets and Redland Farms

Food grown at Miami’s Redland Farms has long been marked as Florida-grown, not really making a distinction between tomatoes picked 400 miles from here and those picked within county lines just few hours before.

Well, not anymore. The supermarket will start marking produce grown in the farms near Homestead under the label “Redland-Raised” in an incentive to promote locally-grown food.

Expect to find Redland-Raised avocados, green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, okra, sweet potato, tomatoes, papayas and sapotes, among other things.

I’ll be posting pictures of the produce after my next trip to the market.

Image by wonderlane

The South Florida Living Green Fair in Dania Beach is coming up Nov. 14-15, and we are giving away 10 family passes to 10 readers.

Each ticket is valid for up to five people, so you can have a fun and green family day for free! The first 10 people to comment below will get a free pass. (You don’t need to use your real name, but I do need a real e-mail so I can send you the code you’ll need to download and print the free pass. I never share e-mails with anyone).

Fave fun while learning about how to be more environmentally-responsible at this fair that will feature pavilions on subjects such as The Great Outdoors, Natural Beauty, Travel the Earth and Sprouts. Other highlights will include food and wine samples, test drives of electric, hybrid and CNG vehicles, education on solar, wind and water technologies, and tips on how to create an organic garden.

If you go:
What: South Florida Living Green Fair
When: Nov. 14-15
Where: John U. Lloyd Beach State Park, 6503 N. Ocean Drive
More info: http://www.livinggreenfair.com

Halloween can be scary, really scary.

Think about all the candy wrappers ending up in landfills and the flashy costumes bought and tossed the next day.

Think about all the calories that you’ll put on before, during and after Halloween -yes, Halloween candy bowls tend to stay around for days after Halloween.

Doing the right thing doesn’t mean you have to miss on the fun.

Here are some tips for a green Halloween:

1-Costume: Instead of buying a $20 synthetic outfit shipped from China, get creative and come out with the same outfit with things you already have at home. The most common outfits are easy to recreate: a pirate, a nurse, a witch. Use old clothes or stop by a nearby Goodwill Store, where you could even find a used costume. Check out this site for inspiration. This site also has good ideas for home-made outfits for children, although some require some preparation.

2-Office candy: You can’t stop co-workers from bringing in candy, but you can try talking to them about having a healthy Halloween this year. There are tons of tasty snacks that won’t disappoint their taste buds. If no one sounds very exited about the idea, still bring some healthy snacks for them to try. It might change their minds, and it will keep you away from their candy bowl. Nuts and dried fruits are my favorite. Reduce your waste by looking for stores that sell the snacks by weight. Fruits and a few dips will also keep co-workers hanging around your desk (think yogurt, chocolate, peanut butter, just to name a few). Read labels and watch out for calorie-filled dips.

3-Pumpkin carving: Forget about this wasteful activity unless you plan to eat the pumpkin filling. Check out www.pumpkinrecipes.us for recipes and ideas. Make sure the pumpkin is later composted.

4-Education: Talk to your child about healthy and unhealthy candy. The site Greenhalloween.org suggests setting up a point system: they get points for every piece of candy they collect (and don’t eat), and then they get to trade their points for a new toy. If you have small children, you can also agree with other parents to only give out healthy candy, then take your kids only to their homes.

5-Treats: Most children are told not to eat unwrapped candy, so they might not eat dried fruits and nuts. Instead, give out small toys such as playing cards, books or crayons. You can buy certain amount of small toys, wrap each in magazine paper and put them in a tray or bowl. Have each trick-or-treating child pick one prize. They’ll love the surprise factor.

6-More candy: If nuts and dried fruit won’t do, you can always shop at health food stores for granola bars, chocolate-covered fruits and nuts, and organic and nutritious snacks. Make sure that all boxes, wraps and bags are recyclable. Buy bags of loose candy as opposed of individually wrapped candy. You can also make your own granola or chocolate dipped snacks.

7-The day after: Take your time to separate recyclables in their respective containers. Candy can be composted, so just toss away all the candy you don’t plan to eat or you’ll end up eating it. If you got a used costume from a Goodwill Store, plan to take it back. You won’t use it again and someone else could.

8-Share ideas: What do you do to make your Halloween green? Comment below! I’d love to hear what do you.

Image by jeffk

You pour some Sauvignon Blanc for your date only to realize there were a few drops left. You keep it cool, there is another bottle chilling in the fridge. You know what to do: the bottle goes in the recycling bin and the cork…

If you’ve been there, you know what the dilemma is: can you compost a cork? In that case, should you be getting wines with a natural cork as opposed to a synthetic one? What about the tress chopped down to make natural corks?

Don’t worry. ABC Fine Wine & Spirits is here to help by setting up 1,500 cork collection boxes across its Florida stores.

Two recycling companies will turn the collected wood and synthetic corks into floor and wall tiles, car engine gaskets, fishing rod handles and other things that will later be sold at stores like Target.

In addition, ABC will donate 2 pennies per cork to several charities it works with (mention this to your date for extra points).

Sure, there might be some marketing and sales incentive here, but you have to give them credit for doing something about the corks. If all the other wine sellers follow, even better! Find an ABC location close to you here.

Photo by stewart

Forget about paper or plastic.

Florida could be the first state to ban the two bags altogether if a plan released Thursday by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection is approved, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

The plan works by way of taxes and escalating fees, which will start at a nickel a bag and end at a quarter of a dollar in five years.

To get an idea of the size of the problem, get this: Floridians used more than 5 billion disposable plastic and paper bags in 2003 (the most recent numbers available), reports the Orlando Sentinel.

You might have heard a lot of plastic bag talk lately: It has been the topic of city and county meetings across the nation: San Francisco banned the bags a while ago, and Los Angeles joined this week with a similar law. The topic was also brought up during a recent Miami Beach Commission forum.

However, no state has passed such a measure yet, which means Florida could lead the effort. The legislature will consider the proposal as early as next spring.

What do you think? Do you think the government should get involved in this issue? How can we correct the general consumer behavior? Are you already carrying your own reusable bags?

Photo by eflon

Not that us Floridians pay much attention to the seasons, but you can’t ignore that Labor Day brings the summer to an end. Before you know it, time light savings will make days shorter, nights longer, and in few weeks you’ll find yourself undusting your jackets and making plans for the winter holidays.

The end of the summer also means something else: cooler days make many of the state parks more endurable, specially the ones with no river or beach to dip in. And just around this time many state parks re-open their free tours and bird watching programs, which are not to be missed.

So it’s no surprise that in September, the State Parks Service celebrates Literacy Month, the time of the year when the state’s 160 parks proudly open their doors with all kinds of educational programs, guest appearances, lectures, workshops, book exchanges and more to bring two joys together: reading and being outdoors

This weekend, the Florida Park Service is offering free entrance to any of the 160 state parks for visitors who bring a library card, library book, or who donate a new or gently used family book.

If you go:
WHAT: State Park Literacy Month
WHEN: Sept. 11-13
MORE INFO: Visit www.floridastateparks.org

Photo by stig nygaard

Some good and bad news here: I got an e-mail today about a new sustainability report by FPL highlighting the company as a national leader in clean energy.

The report recognizes FPL as the number one producer of wind and solar power in the US, and goes on talking about how FPL plans to make Florida the second state in solar energy generation, how FPL generates more power from its wind farm than from its largest nuclear plant, and how FPL owns the largest wind farm in the world, located in Texas.

I was happy to hear this, not only because finally so much heat will be used for something other than attracting tourists (who consume and leave a lot of waste behind, but that should be another topic), but because I always felt that Florida was a little behind compared to other more energy efficient states.

Well, what does it matter now? Not even an hour later, breaking news about our favorite energy company pop up on the web again, this time pointing out how FPL is trying to expand its nuclear plants and not only pass on the costs to its customers- $67 million next year-, but -and this is the real bummer- how FPL told the Public Service Commission that nuclear power is key to Florida’s future energy plans.

“Nuclear power continues to be more economical than the latest state-of-the-art natural gas power plant. Our analysis indicates that the new nuclear units would save our customers more than $1 billion a year in fuel,” FPL spokesman Mayco Villafana told the Sun Sentinel.

Now I don’t know what to think. Was FPL’s sustainability report released a day before the hearings at the Public Service Commission intentionally? What do you think? Is the company trying to fool us?

The PSC hearings will continue Wednesday and Thursday, with a vote expected Oct. 16.

09/10/09 update: More disappointing news: Two top Public Service Commission staffers resigned yesterday and two others went on administrative leave after a Miami Herald investigation revealed that the employees had given their Blackberry codes to FPL’s lawyer, letting them text message eachother without leaving any paper trail. It seems that there will be new hires at FPL’s pr office.

Photo by afloresm

Some good and bad news here: I got an e-mail today about a new sustainability report by FPL highlighting the company as a national leader in clean energy.

The report recognizes FPL as the number one producer of wind and solar power in the US, and goes on talking about how FPL plans to make Florida the second state in solar energy generation, how FPL generates more power from its wind farm than from its largest nuclear plant, and how FPL owns the largest wind farm in the world, located in Texas.

I was happy to hear this, not only because finally so much heat will be used for something other than attracting tourists (who consume and leave a lot of waste behind, but that should be another topic), but because I always felt that Florida was a little behind compared to other more energy efficient states.

Well, what does it matter now? Not even an hour later, breaking news about our favorite energy company pop up on the web again, this time pointing out how FPL is trying to expand its nuclear plants and not only pass on the costs to its customers- $67 million next year-, but -and this is the real bummer- how FPL told the Public Service Commission that nuclear power is key to Florida’s future energy plans.

“Nuclear power continues to be more economical than the latest state-of-the-art natural gas power plant. Our analysis indicates that the new nuclear units would save our customers more than $1 billion a year in fuel,” FPL spokesman Mayco Villafana told the Sun Sentinel.

Now I don’t know what to think. Was FPL’s sustainability report released a day before the hearings at the Public Service Commission intentionally? What do you think? Is the company trying to fool us?

The PSC hearings will continue Wednesday and Thursday, with a vote expected Oct. 16.

09/10/09 update: More disappointing news: Two top Public Service Commission staffers resigned yesterday and two others went on administrative leave after a Miami Herald investigation revealed that the employees had given their Blackberry codes to FPL’s lawyer, letting them text message eachother without leaving any paper trail. It seems that there will be new hires at FPL’s pr office.

Photo by afloresm

Ever wonder what the future will be like if we continue sabotaging earth like this? Not that great, according to ‘The Age of Stupid’ director Franny Armstrong.

That’s what she explores in her sci-fi-documentary-drama which will be released simultaneously in more than 500 theaters across the US on Sept. 21 ( on the eve of the UN General Assembly’s climate session) in an event that will include live appearances from Kofi Annan, Thom Yorke and other activists.

The film is set in 2055, and revolves around a fictional “last man on Earth” (Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite) who watches “archive” footage from 2008 and asks “why didn’t we stop climate change while we had the chance?”

We get to see interviews with a Hurricane Katrina victim, a British wind farm developer, an aspiring Nigerian doctor, an elderly French mountain guide, a wealthy Indian entrepreneur and an 8-year-old Iraq war refugee – whose lives have all been affected by some aspect of the global warming phenomenon.

Although the film has a futuristic dystopian tone, it will hopefully send enough chills down our spines to inspire us to do more.

The nationwide release and live appearances will screen at a handful of theaters across South Florida, so get your tickets early.

If you go:
What: The Age of Stupid screening and live Q&A
When: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 21, 2009.
Where: Screenings throughout the tri-county area, including at Sunset Place 24, Cypress Creek Station 16, Movies at the Falls 12, Dolphin 19 Cinemas, and South Beach Stadium 18.
For locations and tickets visit: http://www.ageofstupid.net/screenings/country/united_states and click on Florida.

Ever wonder what the future will be like if we continue sabotaging earth like this? Not that great, according to ‘The Age of Stupid’ director Franny Armstrong.

That’s what she explores in her sci-fi-documentary-drama which will be released simultaneously in more than 500 theaters across the US on Sept. 21 ( on the eve of the UN General Assembly’s climate session) in an event that will include live appearances from Kofi Annan, Thom Yorke and other activists.

The film is set in 2055, and revolves around a fictional “last man on Earth” (Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite) who watches “archive” footage from 2008 and asks “why didn’t we stop climate change while we had the chance?”

We get to see interviews with a Hurricane Katrina victim, a British wind farm developer, an aspiring Nigerian doctor, an elderly French mountain guide, a wealthy Indian entrepreneur and an 8-year-old Iraq war refugee – whose lives have all been affected by some aspect of the global warming phenomenon.

Although the film has a futuristic dystopian tone, it will hopefully send enough chills down our spines to inspire us to do more.

The nationwide release and live appearances will screen at a handful of theaters across South Florida, so get your tickets early.

If you go:
What: The Age of Stupid screening and live Q&A
When: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 21, 2009.
Where: Screenings throughout the tri-county area, including at Sunset Place 24, Cypress Creek Station 16, Movies at the Falls 12, Dolphin 19 Cinemas, and South Beach Stadium 18.
For locations and tickets visit: http://www.ageofstupid.net/screenings/country/united_states and click on Florida.