"50 by 30: Hallandale Beach's Climate Action Plan" going to City Commission for adoption on September 1, 2021

It has been a long time coming but the City's first Climate Action Plan will be presented to City Commission on September 1, 2021. The Plan contains 54 actions aimed at reducing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030.
If you would like to provide public comment regarding the Plan, you can do so by:

Attending the meeting at Commission Chambers on September 1, 2021, and informing the City Clerk you'd like to take part in public participation, or
Submitting an e-comment which will be part of the record, but not read out loud.

We want to thank the nearly 450 people who have been involved in the process of developing the Climate Action Plan. This Plan would not have been possible without you!

What can I do to support the Climate Action Plan?

There are so many ways you can take climate action and help the City implement its hopefully-soon-to-be-adopted Climate Action Plan. We have carefully curated a list of ways you can help here, but there are always more creative ways you can help that are unique to you and your passions or skills. We like the answer Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson has to how people can help:

Draw a Venn Diagram with 3 circles
Label the three circles- "What are you good at", "What is the work that needs doing", and "What brings you joy"
Fill these in with what you love, what brings you joy, and what needs doing
Identify the overlap
Commit to taking this personalized action.

If you make a Venn Diagram, we would love to see it! Send it to sustainability@cohb.org or share it with us on social media @MyHBeach.

Introducing the City's First Environmental Compliance Division!

The City's Department of Public Works has a new Environmental Compliance Division. It is led by Jocelyn Brown, Environmental Compliance & Asset Manager, and also includes Myriam Bachs. The website for this new division is currently under construction.
Any environmental complaints can be directed to (954) 457-3016 or via the MyHB app. Examples of environmental issues include water waste, sewage discharge, stormwater discharges (vehicle washing, car oil, restaurant dish water), litter, grey/black water discharge from boats, etc.

We are one of 5 cities in the state with data in climate friendly supermarkets

Did you know that refrigerants used in fridges, industrial coolers, and HVAC can have thousands of times the global warming impact of carbon dioxide?

With the help from Sustainability & Flood Mitigation Board Secretary and long-time volunteer Aliza Bensimon, Hallandale Beach is now one of five cities in Florida with grocery store refrigerant data uploaded in the Climate Friendly Supermarket program.
Back in the 1980s, the world rallied around eliminating ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and replaced them with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Unfortunately, HFCs have global warming potentials thousands of times higher than the same amount of carbon dioxide, and HFCs are now the fastest-growing greenhouse gasses in the world. Unfortunately, almost every supermarket on the Climate Friendly Supermarkets Florida map uses HFCs.
What is something you can do? Next time you replace your fridge or HVAC equipment, look for models with the lowest global warming potential possible. Here is a fridge buyer's guide to help you out. You can also learn more about refrigerants: we recommend this podcast episode.

Big thanks to Aliza for doing the Citizen Science to put us on the map!

Stay tuned for a request for public comment

The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact has developed a "Climate Assessment Tool" where cities around the four-county region will report their progress on 11 key adaptation and mitigation actions. We will be posting our responses next week on a new community engagement platform called "Open Town Hall." The public comment period will be open for 30 days and we will then edit our answers as necessary based on your responses.

Conserve Water & Replace your Toilet

The City still has many rebates available for homeowners to replace their old, inefficient toilets with new, water-conserving models. The City offers a $100 rebate through www.conservationpays.com to replace your toilet. Apply today and see if you qualify!

Get in touch or involved with Sustainability & Resiliency

If you're interested in learning more about Green Initiatives or if you want to get more involved, please reach out to our Sustainability & Resiliency Officer Alyssa Jones Wood at ajoneswood@cohb.org and visit cohb.org/green.