City of Key West - Preserve Island Life

12/19/2025

Great synopis of new water management findings to help protect the reefs!

This is an AI podcast from Google NotebookLM of our recent publication: Whitall, D. R., Williams, G. J., Aeby, G. S., Davies, A. J., Spring, D. L., & Walker,...

08/28/2025

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Green Drinks –
August Edition at BirdCage in Key West. 🌱

The evening was filled with networking, community connections, and an engaging conversation on Healthy Living with Ivona Coleman, Community Health Improvement Coordinator at the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County.

Ivona shared valuable insight into current community health efforts and highlighted the health care services available to residents, sparking thoughtful discussion on how we can all play a role in improving well-being across the Keys.

It’s inspiring to see our community come together each month to exchange ideas and encourage a healthier, more connected island life.

📸 Sharing a few highlights from the evening!

07/02/2025

🌿 Green Drinks Key West | June 2025 Recap 🌿

What an inspiring evening! 💚

A big thank you to our guest speaker Alison Higgins, Resiliency Manager with the City of Key West’s Adaptation and Resiliency Division, for leading a powerful conversation on the Green Business Programs and sustainable initiatives.

The City of Key West is proud to stand behind local businesses that are stepping up to go green — and equally committed to educating, supporting, and recognizing those who are helping build a cleaner, more resilient future for our island community.

This is more than a program — it's a movement. And it starts with you.

📸 Check out some amazing moments from the night below!

Next Green Drinks- JULY 15, 2025, ~Same Place, Same Time!

06/10/2025

🌟 We Want to Hear from YOU! 🌟

No plan is complete without Community input — that means YOU, our residents and local business owners!

Step 1: Take the Survey
Help shape the City of Key West’s first-ever 10-Year Energy Resilience & Cost Savings Plan by sharing your energy and resilience actions or interests. It only takes 10–12 minutes!
👉 Take the Survey Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfD9bEDIMZy0Nm2_wCIihtsSG65Bf_a4LwbW086oRxf1Rc6TA/viewform
🕒 Survey closes: June 15, 2025, at 11:00 PM

Step 2: Share Your Input In-Person
Drop by City Hall’s -Growth Development lobby (near the parking window & permit technician area) to check out the engagement boards and add your thoughts.
🗓 Last day for input: Thursday, June 12, 2025, by 3:00 PM

Why This Matters:
The City of Key West is developing its first 10-Year Energy Resilience & Cost Savings Plan — and the draft is already 80% complete. As we move toward finalizing the plan, we want to ensure you’re informed about what it currently includes, hear your valuable feedback, and make sure the final version truly serves and represents our community.

This plan will set a course for the whole community to lower energy costs, increase reliability, and reduce pollution.
✅ Lower energy costs & boost efficiency
✅ Strengthen resilience against extreme weather
✅ Increase local energy use
✅ Make owning electric vehicles easier

Have questions? Contact:
📧 Sheetal Almas, Adaptation & Energy Coordinator
📞 305-809-3718
✉️ [email protected]

Let’s work together for a cleaner, stronger, and more affordable energy future! ⚡🌴

06/09/2025

Last chance to give your opinions! The survey closes on Sunday night, June 15. It takes less than 15 minutes!

ETIPP (Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project) supports U.S. coastal, remote, and island communities with strategic energy planning and technical assistance to improve energy resilience. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, ETIPP is delivered through a network of national labs and regi...

05/28/2025

🌿 Green Drinks: Youth Leadership Month 🌿

📍 Hosted by the City of Key West | May 20, 2025

What a night! I had the honor of hosting Green Drinks—this time highlighting the unstoppable force of youth leadership in sustainability.

Our brilliant speakers, Robert Saylor, who presented his Capstone Experience with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute Lobster Team and Leah Eve who discussed “Getting to Know Your Local Waters: Changing Public Perceptions of the Environment through Education and Outreach”.

Robert and Leah are students at the College of the Florida Keys, reminded us that the future isn’t waiting—it’s already leading.

🔥 Leah’s message hit home: “Outreach and education are where change begins, the ecosystems do not need us, we need the ecosystems.”

Whether it’s protecting marine life or shifting public perceptions, youth are pushing the needle forward.

💪 🙌 The City of Key West proudly supports youth leadership and continues to provide platforms where young people can inform, inspire, and lead the way toward climate resilience and environmental stewardship.

Let’s continue to uplift and amplify the voices of emerging leaders—they are already making waves, and their ideas are essential to the future we all share. 💡🌊

Swipe through the event photos and feel the momentum! 💚

05/20/2025

Curious about how Key West can lower energy costs, prepare for extreme weather, and transition to cleaner, local energy?

Attend our upcoming Community Workshop:
Friday, June 6 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Saturday, June 7 | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Saturday, June 7 | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Frederick Douglass Community Center– 101 Olivia Street, Key West, FL 33040

🎥 Before attending our in-person Community Energy Workshop, take 15 minutes to watch our Pre-Workshop Video! 👇
It gives you a quick, engaging overview of the City’s 10-Year Energy Resilience & Cost Savings Plan Draft—what it is, why it matters, and how you can help shape the future of energy in our community.

Do you want to give your in-put now? Click the link below to take our Community Energy Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfD9bEDIMZy0Nm2_wCIihtsSG65Bf_a4LwbW086oRxf1Rc6TA/viewform

05/16/2025

What Are Your Energy Plans? We all know that our energy bills get costly in summer, what have you been doing to reduce that cost? Let us know in our survey that will help inform the City's Ten Year Energy Plan. How can we help?

ETIPP (Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project) supports U.S. coastal, remote, and island communities with strategic energy planning and technical assistance to improve energy resilience. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, ETIPP is delivered through a network of national labs and regi...

05/14/2025

Trying to figure out how to post a video from last month's Green Drinks... let us know if it works!

05/06/2025

🌍✨ What a powerful evening at our Green Drinks gathering last month! I had the honor of presenting on the City of Key West’s bold steps toward a greener, more resilient future — just in time to celebrate Earth Day 💚

From unveiling our 10-Year Climate Adaptation Plan, 10 Year Energy Resilience and Cost Savings Plan and the Keep Key West Beautiful initiative 🌴, to showcasing our first Resiliency Hub coming in 2025 and EV charging station at City Hall ⚡— it’s clear our island is charging forward into a cleaner, stronger tomorrow.

A special thanks to everyone who showed up, took the survey, asked questions, and stayed for that sunny group photo ☀️📸

Grateful to be part of a community that shows up for the planet — one decision, one conversation, one refillable cup at a time. 💪♻️

Take our Energy Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfD9bEDIMZy0Nm2_wCIihtsSG65Bf_a4LwbW086oRxf1Rc6TA/viewform

Take Our Climate Survey: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/b87ab5869f684b98a8bab9e4f44f478c

Sign up for our Green E- News Letter: https://tetratech.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=eb17eab2bb0bd3c4c22d5c179&id=2e8cbe0689