1.) Wellington Seeks to Pass Smell Test on Manure Issue
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3APBPB%21Palm%2BBeach%2BPost%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A0910%21September%2B10&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/16E5926507B1B230
Description: Wellington, Florida is a huge spot for the equestrian industry and this poses an issue (especially during peak equestrian season when the number of horses doubles in Palm Beach County) for the city in regard to dumping of manure.
Problem: Palm Beach County has to deal with about 193,000 tons of waste per year, this is a huge problem that the city has to deal with and ensure that all farmers are horse owners are bringing their manure to legal dump sites. They have been looking into solutions, but nothing has fixed it yet. There needs to be more facilities to process the manure but finding space is hard for that when citizens don’t want it near them because of the smell it will create. There also isn’t a lot of places to bring manure that people know about. I think there needs to be a manure pickup system, like our garbage system, that goes to farms to take the waste to proper dump sites.
Who has the Problem: The county of Palm Beach Florida’s citizens who don’t want to smell the manure near their homes, and horse owners who need an easier place to dump their horse manure legally and easily.
2.) Students deal with heat after A/C fails
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3APBPB%21Palm%2BBeach%2BPost%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A0908%21September%2B08&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/16E4E9F4D182B250
Description: Students and teachers at Westward Elementary endured extreme heat in classrooms several times over a span of two weeks because of A/C malfunctions and shut offs. Parents were never notified of the A/C shut down and one student was treated for heat rash.
Problem: The A/C system in this elementary school is clearly not up to date or efficient to handle the heat and size of this school in order to keep hundreds of students and teachers cool. Having to teach and learn in an environment where students and teachers are overheating must make it nearly impossible to focus. Students should not have to stay in school during an A/C shut down because it could be bad for their health and isn’t helping them learn.
Who has the problem: Students, teachers and other staff at Westward Elementary in West Palm Beach, FL.
3.) Fire Destroys Lake Park Pantry that Fed 400 Families
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3APBPB%21Palm%2BBeach%2BPost%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A0908%21September%2B08&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/16E4E9F4CF617448
Description: The Community Food and Clothing Pantry at the Bethlehem Baptist Church was completely gutted from a fire that was caused by an electrical short. It may take between three to six months to build another location on the church’s site for the service organization. They have $3,000 worth of Publix gift cards that were donated to help the families for the next few weeks in the meantime.
Problem: The location was destroyed along with all the service organization’s equipment, clothing and food. 400 families will be without their weekly food supply from the organization.
Who has the problem: The people who run the service organization, the Bethlehem Baptist Church, and the 400 families who go there weekly for food.
4.) Monitoring the lizard situation in Florida is a big job
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3APBPB%21Palm%2BBeach%2BPost%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A0902%21September%2B02&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/16E2EE426FAF5DF0
Description: A man finds a 6-foot-long Nile monitor lizard in his backyard, it is one of many invasive species in south Florida. The large lizards are becoming more prevalent and eat small animals, meaning small cats and dogs can be at risk. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is trying to help with the epidemic and wants people to report when they see an invasive species.
Problem: The giant lizards begin breeding after age two and lay around 60 eggs at a time, meaning their numbers are rising quickly since they were first spotted in the 1990’s.
Who has the problem: Citizens living in south Florida having giant lizards pop up around them and their homes, and owners of small cats and dogs who can potentially be eaten by the Nile monitor lizards.
5.) Last straw? Not yet as town declines ban
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3APBPB%21Palm%2BBeach%2BPost%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A0813%21August%2B13&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/16DC56751E3F8BA8
Description: The town on Jupiter has landed on a town wide education campaign to encourage businesses, residents and visitors to stop using plastic straws to help stop their negative effects on our waters and beaches. Some are upset that the town came to an education campaign instead of an outright ban.
Problem: Single-use plastic straws are very bad for the environment and businesses and citizens need an alternative for when they order drinks out.
Who has the problem: Businesses and customers who have drinks in and outside of their homes who like to use straws.
Hey Madi!
ReplyDeleteGreat stories. One of the ones that shocked me the most was the fire that burned a local food pantry. In my hometown of Orlando, homelessness is a big issue. It is devastating to know that 400 families will go without their food supply in upcoming weeks.I hope the community can come together and give back to those in need.
I thought your second story about the broken A/C at the school was funny, mainly because the exact same thing happened a couple of times at my High School. After having been through that, I would completely agree with you that students should be allowed to go home because here in Florida sitting in that heat for 7 hours is not an acceptable learning environment.
ReplyDeleteVery nice stories. I believe these are some serious local issues that indeed affect our communities. I want to give you some positive feedback because i believe you have some nice observation skills and that's very important for an entrepreneur to have, if you ever thought of choosing that path.
ReplyDeleteOne of the stories that impacted me the most was the school with no A/C. We live in Florida and temperatures during summer are unbearable. I can't imagine how these children and teachers were forced to sit there and endure the heat. Children should've been able to be allowed to go home as this could've been a potential lawsuit.
ReplyDeleteI highly agree on the stories and opportunities you have posted! I am also from Palm Beach County and agree on the manure situation, there should be a specific dump for it just like our garbage system. I understand most people do not want to have to smell it from their homes but they need to implement a system of where to put it. Like the other students had mentioned in the comments, I think the A/C unit in schools needs to be a priority considering how hot it gets here. No one should have to go to school in the excruciating heat. I am actually from Jupiter, FL and have been noticing every place in town not giving out straws. I believe we should implement a ban on straws instead of just educating everyone.
ReplyDeleteI really like the manure story, I am from a small town just a few minutes from HITS so the time of the year everything gets a little crazy with all the horse people and horses in the area. The lizard story scares me a little bit, they could turn into the next python problem in South Florida and really wreak havoc on the native wildlife and systems.
ReplyDelete