Not long ago, South Orlando was a collection of farms and ranchlands dotted with pristine lakes. Back then, Orlando to the southern end of Florida was the single drainage unit.  When rainfall exceeded capacity of Lake Okeechobee and Kissimmee River floodplain, water emptied in Florida Bay.  Before exploding development in Central Florida, the Everglades reached to the southern portion of Lake Okeechobee flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. Fast forward to today; on any given Sunday, families flock to Lakes Whippoorwill and Mary Jane enjoying outdoor activities from camping on its shores to fishing, waterskiing and swimming. Lake Nona, still, typically... [Read more]

Have you ever thought about what’s in our soil? Underneath our homes and roadways is a plethora of natural and chemical ingredients. It’s not often that we think of “soil pollution” but consider it as an ecosystem in itself with sensitivity to foreign materials applied to it. When growing a garden, add a little fertilizer and water, and you get nice, healthy plants and a lush green lawn.  However, excess pesticide, fertilizers and solid waste - like cow manure - can have devastating results. In the Southeast Orlando area, we live on what was mostly agricultural land.  Livestock even still grazes in some remaining pasturelands... [Read more]

It sounds like an oxymoron. Of course, garbage trucks aren’t the cleanest things - they’re full of garbage. They wouldn’t be anyone’s first choice for a cab to the airport, a ride to the mall and no one asks for one when they turn 16. That’s where garbage goes; it’s supposed to be dirty. But as the world has gotten greener, garbage trucks have certainly begun to follow suit. Mary O’Brien, chief marketing officer for Advanced Disposal, says that steps are being taken to improve the environment in local communities through Advanced Disposals initiatives. O’Brien says that these steps “are being... [Read more]

How close would you live to a landfill or trash dump? Would you live a mile away? A block? How about 20 feet? That’s what many residents of Bithlo on the south side of HWY 50 have done for close to three decades. If that wasn’t bad enough, what if said dump had numerous reports stretching for years of contaminated water, toxic levels of heavy metals, improperly disposed hazardous waste and who knows what else? Imagine your kids playing in a drainage ditch full of runoff from the 30 foot high piles of trash, stretching for eight acres or drinking well water from a source right next to the very same ditch. The front of the now abandoned... [Read more]

As summer rapidly approaches, and temperatures start rising - the sun can oftentimes be considered the enemy. But the sun is, in fact is our friend, and it will soon become an even closer one as solar energy is moving into the neighborhood. The Orlando Utilities Commission’s (OUC) Stanton Energy Center is set to be the home of the first solar farm in Orange County by the end of 2011. According to Tim Trudell, OUC spokesperson, the project has been in the works for several years, but about two years ago it really started gaining momentum. The panels will spread out across more than 35 acres of the Stanton Energy Center along... [Read more]