Manatee County Celebrates 'Green' Government

BRADENTON, FL -- A downtown Earth Day expo and Manatee Libraries' Recycled Fashion Show highlight environmental-friendly activities in April hosted by Manatee County, Florida's first platinum-certified green government.

On Friday, April 20, the County Administration Building at 1112 Manatee Ave. W. will host an Earth Day Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Guest speakers, information booths and local sustainability experts will offer information and giveaways under this year's Earth Day theme, "End Plastic Pollution."

"The message around this year's Earth Day celebration is essentially ending one-time use plastics," said Michelle Powers, Manatee's energy and sustainability coordinator. "It's mostly going to be about letting people know about the sustainable options within our community, helping them understand the life cycle of waste and moving from a disposable mindset to one more focused on sustainability."

The expo will feature speakers from the University of Florida Extension Office and WastePro Recycling Services. The celebration will highlight many of the county's Green Team efforts on energy-efficient practices and projects that garnered Manatee County recognition as Florida's first platinum-certified green county government.

Representatives from the county's Water Conservation Team and Public Libraries will attend the expo to offer information and goodies. In addition to the Earth Day Expo, the following events are planned around Earth Day, which is on April 22:

• April 20 is also Manatee County Area Transit's annual Try Transit Day, when MCAT will offer free rides from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., including Route 99 riders going into Sarasota. The promotion is part of the Florida Department of Transportation’s campaign to get commuters to consider alternative transportation, especially for work commutes.
• The day after the Earth Day celebration, Manatee County Public Libraries will host the award-winning Recycled Dreams Fashion Show, where teen contestants make original fashions using recycled or repurposed materials, and present their creation on the runway. A panel of judges will select a winner based on creativity, presentation and use of recycled materials. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place, along with two honorable mentions.
• Several Manatee County experts will serve as panelists during the 2018 Environmental Summit taking place at New College of Florida from April 25-27.

For more information, visit the Manatee County Government website or call (941) 748-4501.

Image via Manatee County Government

Winning first place in last year's fashion show were Erica Kurbatov of Imagine School of North Port and Annaliese Hagarty, who is homeschooled.