Initiatives and Programs

Sustainable Florida - Collins Center has defined excellence for Florida's economic, environmental and social future since 1990. Sustainable Florida with the help of our partners has played a significant role across the state in promoting best practices in creating a more sustainable Florida. As a program of the Collins Center for Public Policy, our E3 Strategy focuses on blending environmental respect with economic growth and equity in opportunities.

Best Practices Awards Program

Educational Alliance for a Sustainable Florida (EASF)

Regional Roundtables

Executive Forums

Take the Stakeholder Survey

An integral part of sustainability is ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate in their community. To help us create more sustainable Florida, please complete this brief survey and let us know what is important to you. Feel free to share the survey with colleagues and friends.

Best Practice Awards Program

Sustainable Florida's signature initiative is its annual Best Practice Awards. Now in its 12th year, the event solicits nominations, recognizes and honors businesses, organizations and individuals whose work demonstrates that a healthy environment and a healthy economy are mutually supportive. Awards categories include Small and Large Business, Leadership, Non-Profit, Government, Business Partnership, and the Green Building..

Honoring the recipients is only the first step. Promoting winning practices statewide is equally as important so that others may benefit from their accomplishments and ultimately implement similar or equally successful practices. Following the awards program, we will work to promote in the media, business publications, professional journals and association publications the best sustainability practices.

NOMINATE TODAY - DOWNLOAD THE 2010 FORM - COMPLETE THE ONLINE FORM.

Winners from previous years.

Educational Alliance for Sustainable Florida

With thousands graduating from business and management programs in Florida’s colleges and universities, the Educational Alliance for Sustainable Florida (EASF) was launched. The EASF project is based on the belief that Florida’s sustainability will be strongly influenced by the quality of these graduates.

The EASF will result in a healthier economic and environmental future for Florida through these efforts to work with Florida’s business and management programs to create an open dialogue with business leaders.

Sustainable Florida encourages schools to incorporate the concepts of sustainable development in their programs and increase the emphasis on sustainability in MBA curricula and associated activities.

The commitment by Florida's business schools to include sustainability teaching and concepts, as part of the graduate management training is key to achieving the projects intended goals:

• Support the efforts of participating universities to integrate sustainability into their curriculum as they deem appropriate;
• Increase the number of students graduating with practical experience and knowledge in the integration of sustainability into business and management practices;
• Increase recognition among Florida's businesses that students with practical experience and knowledge in the integration of sustainability into business and management practices have a competitive advantage over those without it.

EASF Accomplishments

• Built a strong alliance of higher education professionals embracing and implementing sustainability concepts in MBA classrooms
• Transformed eight award-winning best sustainability practices into case studies for use in the classroom
• Provided a case writing workshop to enhance instructor skills and improve quality of cases published. Click for Sustainability Case Studies.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Darden Restaurants Foundation, a compilation of best practices award winners with contact information was created. Sustainable Florida works with educators to encourage the development of case studies of these projects. Click to open the summary.

Campus and Community Sustainability Conference

The University of Central Florida hosted the 2008 Campus and Community Sustainability Conference presented by Progress Energy October 19-21, 2008, in Orlando. The event was being planned by administrators, faculty and students . The event was attended by more than 300 university, government, private sector and student leaders from across Florida. This video (Windows Media Player) provides highlights. Find out more.

The 2009 host will be the University of South Florida in Tampa. Stay tuned for more information including dates and how to get involved.

History

The University of Florida initiated and hosted the inaugural Campus & Community Sustainability Conference in Gainesville on October 25-26, 2006. The event featured six program tracks, more than 25 exhibitors, and was attended by more than 250 people - students faculty, administrators and private citizens. Florida State University hosted the 2007 event where more than 300 attended.

2010 Conference Opportunity

We would like to announce the 2010 host campus at the 2009 event in Tampa. Would your college or university like to highlight its sustainability efforts and host the 2010 event? Download the form or Contact us.

Campus Sustainability Efforts

Broward Community College - Environmental Sustainability

Eckerd College - Sustainable Eckerd

University of Florida - Office of Sustainability

Gators for a Sustainable Campus

Florida Atlantic University

Florida State University - Sustainable Campus

Florida A&M University Green Coalition - LaRae Donnellan

University of Miami - Greener U

Miami Dade College - Earth Ethics Institute

Stetson University - Environmental Responsibility Council

Sustainable Santa Fe (Santa Fe Community College) - Julie Garrett

University of South Florida

• Engineers

 

EASF Update

September edition     

August edition

Regional Roundtables

As the issues of sustainability receive more attention in the media, more and more community leaders are joining together to address their commitment to ensuring the protection of our natural resources, continued economic growth and improved quality of life for our citizens today and future generations.

Sustainability efforts have been ongoing in Sarasota, Alachua County, Orlando and the greater Central Florida region, the Treasure Coast, and South Florida. Initiatives are developing in Northwest Florida and other parts of the state.

Sustainable Florida is working with many local sustainability organizations through a collaborative effort of sharing information and convening periodic roundtables that focus creating a clearinghouse of information that can be used to advance the shared mission.

Executive Forums

Through its history, Sustainable Florida has convened numerous Executive Forums focusing on such topics as Market-based Incentives for a Sustainable Florida, Sustainable Tourism, and Sustainable Transportation.

Conversations on Sustainability in Business with Hunter Lovins and Bob Willard - September 10-11, 2007 - University of Florida - Gainesville - National sustainability experts will engage in roundtable discussions with small groups with a focus on how to operationalize sustainable development practices in your organization. Free and open to the public. Details and Small Group Reservations.