$12,000 grant will fund Santa Rosa County environmental education program

Santa Rosa County is pleased to announce the award of a $12,000 grant from the Florida Beverage Association (FBA) for the county's Community-Based Green Infrastructure Stormwater Outreach and Education Program. The grant award check and project description was presented at the county's regular board meeting on July 26.

"Our grants and special programs department and UF/IFAS extension office are very pleased to receive this grant. This funding will allow the county to present a program for property owners to use green infrastructure technology to reduce impacts from wet-weather events,” said Shelley Alexander, environmental programs coordinator.

The county’s education program provides the opportunity for residents to become engaged in their community with an emphasis on environmental health. The program will demonstrate the use of green infrastructure such as rain gardens, rain barrels, porous pavement, green roofs, trees and tree boxes, and rainwater harvesting for landscape irrigation. Workshops, watershed tours and educational materials will help residents learn how to better manage water and create healthier urban environments.

The FBA Community Grant Program supports initiatives that advance healthy and environmentally sustainable Florida communities. The grant is jointly funded by the FBA and the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America (ABFHA).

"The Florida Beverage Association and its member companies are committed to improving the communities where we live, work and play,” said Liz Castro DeWitt, executive director of FBA, the trade association for Florida’s non- alcoholic beverage industry. “Education helps foster behavioral change towards community preservation and environmental sustainability. We are excited to collaborate with Santa Rosa County as it inspires personal responsibility in environmental conservation."

For more information, contact Shelley Alexander, 850-981-2018 or Chris Verlinde, 850-623-3868.