Sustainable Sebastian Initiative to Debut at Earth Day

Sebastian’s better days are ahead as the city plans to become more environmentally friendly.

Prior to the recent elections, Albert Iovino, Linda Kinchen, Bob McPartlan, Ed Dodd, and Mayor Jim Hill were already working with the Natural Resources Board on a plan called Sustainable Sebastian. All five council members supported the project to help our town become more environmentally friendly.

“It’s a consolidated effort to make the City as environmentally friendly as we can. The full rollout will be at Earth Day next spring,” councilman Ed Dodd told Sebastian Daily.

The Sustainable Sebastian initiative consists of six primary tasks to be championed by the Natural Resources Board are as follows:

• Support overall reduction in the use of single-use plastics by the City of Sebastian and its business community by assisting and promoting Keep Indian River Beautiful/Keep Brevard Beautiful’s Litter Quitter and Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Restaurants Programs and through the identification of alternative products.
• Support landscaping practices that promote a healthy, native ecosystem by assisting and promoting Keep Indian River Beautiful’s Lagoon Friendly Lawns and University of Florida IFAS’ Florida-Friendly Landscape programs.
• Provide recommendations for City policies and Codes related to Natural Resources.
• Reducing the City’s operational carbon footprint by promoting sustainable energy resources through the implementation of sustainable technologies, where practical.
• Protect and restore the water quality of all our City’s water bodies by supporting the City’s Stormwater Program in the creation of toolkits emphasizing best management practices, low impact design, and green infrastructure.
• Promote the City’s overall liveability, through the promotion of active transportation, increasing the connectivity among trails and pathways, and promoting nature-based tourism.

The Natural Resources Board was created by ordinance O-07-11 on June 27, 2007, with the mission to improve the quality of life in Sebastian by nurturing the beneficial relationship between citizens and the environment.

“Environmental sustainability is the achievement of ecological balance, in which the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” the initiative states.

At this time, the Board is taking the lead, with support from City staff, on moving these objectives forward. Also, the Natural Resources Board is currently considering ways to promote the initiative through a logo and will discuss a “launch” proposal at their next meeting.

“This Board is filled with highly qualified individuals ready and willing to work for this community’s environmental sustainability. Staff is grateful and excited to work with them on the success of this initiative,” Community Development Director Lisa Frazier said.