Sarasota County Extension seeks households to help with Univ. of Florida composting study

Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·4 min read
The Venice Yacht Club Charitable Foundation recently raised more than $105,000 at its seventh annual Ride/Walk for a Better Community. The event has raised nearly $403,000 in seven years to support grants to Venice and Sarasota County charities and initiatives – most recently Children First, Our Mothers House, Sun Coast Reef Rovers, and the Venice High School Marine Corp JROTC. Dave Slaman served as event chair. For information, visit vyccf.com. (Credit: Provided by VYC Charitable Foundation)

Sarasota County Extension seeks households for study

A citizen science project by University of Florida researchers – led locally by UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County staff – aims to enroll 100 Sarasota County households for a two-week study measuring how much food waste each home generates daily along with the amount of food-related packaging discarded.

Federal research indicates a third of all food goes uneaten. A Sarasota County Extension study found that the average Sarasota County household generates nearly 19 pounds of compostable food waste each month, most of which winds up in a landfill. The study hopes to shed light on how to get more Sarasota County homes involved in composting.

“Almost a quarter of our landfill waste stream is organic materials, most of which is our food waste,” said Randy Penn of Sarasota County Extension. “Residents who participate in our study will play an important role in understanding how we dispose of our food waste.”

Sarasota County households of all sizes that are interested in joining the study can start the process by visiting tiny.cc/ufsaraext_foodwastestudy and completing a short form. Extension then will distribute a food waste monitoring "kit" to log daily information. Kits will be made available April 1-5 at the UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County office, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota.

For more information about the study or to be a participant, contact Randy Penn at rpenn@ufl.edu or 941-861-9829.

12th Tour de Parks bike ride and Legacy Trail fundraiser

The 12th annual Tour de Parks bike ride and fundraiser for The Legacy Trail is Sunday at the historic Venice Train Depot, 303 E. Venice Ave., Venice.

The ride for cyclists of all levels is coordinated by Friends of The Legacy Trail, the Sarasota Manatee Bicycle Club, and Sarasota County. Participants have the option to ride a 21-, 35- or 62-mile route along The Legacy Trail, connecting to other parts of the county.

Sponsors include Maurice Menager and Lin Dunn of Michael Saunders & Company; Gulf Coast Community Foundation; Benderson Development; Trust for Public Land; Neal Communities; Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick LLP; Ear Research Foundation, and Crescent Communities. For registration/information, visit friendsofthelegacytrail.org/tour-de-parks-information.

Climate Adaptation Center to hold Hurricane Day event

The Sarasota-based Climate Adaptation Center will release its 2024 hurricane forecast at its first Hurricane Day event on April 4 at Selby Auditorium at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee.

Bob Bunting, CEO of the Climate Adaptation Center, said ocean temperatures and the disappearance of the El Niño climate pattern suggest another busy season. The Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. “We are going to have pay close attention this year,” Bunting said. “The trends heading into spring are super negative.”

Hurricane Day, which will be from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., includes experts and question-and-answer sessions and will be livestreamed. Visit theclimateadaptationcenter.org for tickets and information.

Community Day debate team excels at Lakeland tournament

Matisse Cantero of the Hershorin Schiff Community Day School Middle School debate team recently excelled at an Incubate Debate Tournament at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, qualifying for the Incubate Championship on April 5-6 in Jacksonville.

Matisse Cantero, 13, of Hershorin Schiff Community Day School recently qualified for the Incubate Debate Championship on April 5-6 in Jacksonville.
Matisse Cantero, 13, of Hershorin Schiff Community Day School recently qualified for the Incubate Debate Championship on April 5-6 in Jacksonville.

“Debate provides opportunities to build self-confidence," debate coach and teacher Michael Podolsky said. "A goal of the program is individual improvement; being better at the end of the day from where you started even if you did not receive an award.”

Cantero, 13, will compete in the championship tournament against students from Incubate Debate regions in Florida and South Carolina. Other Community Day students who excelled in Lakeland include sixth-grader Ava Chapman; seventh-grader Logan Curie; sixth-grader Benny Labinger; and eighth-grader Erik Sinift.

Around and about

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is hosting "Family Saturday" on March 23 at its downtown Sarasota campus. Activities will run from 10 a.m. to noon with art-focused projects in the Ann Goldstein Children’s Rainforest Garden. For information/tickets, visit selby.org. Selby Gardens members receive complimentary admission and discounts for guests.

· The Manatee County Master Gardener Volunteers Spring Plant Sale is March 23 from 8 a.m.-noon at Barbara Davis Educational Gardens, 1303 17th St. W., Palmetto. The sale features blooming plants, natives, vegetables, herbs, trees, shrubs, and more all grown by Manatee County MGVs. Proceeds support the Educational Gardens and MGV education and outreach programs. (Eventbrite).

· The Manatee Rare Fruit Council’s annual fruit tree and plant sale is March 23 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m at Premier Sports Campus, 5895 Post Blvd., Lakewood Ranch (off Route 70; I-75 Exit 217). Also available will be tropical vegetables, exotics, carnivorous plants, ornamentals, more than 20 vendors, and club members to provide expert advice. Proceeds benefit the Manatee Rare Fruit Council. (mrfc.org)

Submissions by Don Healy, Sarasota County Government, Cosette Kosiba, Marc Masferrer, Sharon Kunkel, Nancy Seijas-Kipnis, Katie Granberg, and Jennifer Perrella.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County Extension seeks households for UF composting research