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The Coconut Grove BID and Girl Scouts Troop 204 were out in full force across the Coconut Grove Business District August 19 to share education and tools by which visitors may help keep Coconut Grove and its Bay waters clean.
Andrea Bolz and Isabella Holcombe of Troop 204 coordinated with the Coconut Grove BID to implement their Girl Scouts Silver Service Award. Before high school, every Girl Scout is encouraged to complete a service project to make their community a better place.
This project is called the Silver Award, and girls choose what need in the world they would like to pursue, based on interests, concerns, and impact objectives. By planning and carrying out this goal, girls who complete the project grow in so many ways, learning important values such as problem-solving, citizenship, responsibility, and communication.
Andie and Isabella chose “Dog Days of Summer,” an eco-themed campaign hosted by the BID to raise awareness and inspire change with pet owners regarding responsible dog waste management and water quality. Their goal was to offer alternatives to plastic while at the same time encouraging stewardship of both animals and the environment.
As Andie and Bella agreed, they chose their project based on their shared love for Biscayne Bay and the land around it, as they both spend a lot of time outdoors in the beautiful town of Coconut Grove.
After attending several of the BID’s events promoting sustainability in the past year, they met with BID Acting Executive Director Cynthia Seymour to discuss how they could help further that cause. Upon learning of the Blue Grove Initiative scheduled for summer 2023, they set their sights on a project to clean up the District area while also celebrating businesses that are actively working to eliminate single-use plastics. This project aligned perfectly with the girls’ Silver Service Award goals. And so, the partnership with the BID was formed.
During the Dog Days of Summer event on Aug. 19, the BID and the Scouts teamed up to operate four stations around the Grove, on Main Highway, McFarland Road, Commodore Plaza, and Fuller Street. The Scouts handed out water-soluble dog waste bags and educated visitors about how dog waste can have a negative impact on the environment – both on District thoroughfares and when the dog waste either enters the nearby waterways in or out of plastic bags.
The Scouts let people know the following points:
- To keep your shoe soles clean: Did you know a team of six Grove Ambassadors spends over 240 hours a week cleaning our sidewalks?
- To keep our streets clean: Dog waste accounts for a quarter of the garbage removed from our Business District!
- To keep our waters clean and healthy: Let’s keep our town’s sanitation system and Biscayne Bay free from harmful bacteria.
- To lighten our load: Did you know we picked up 836 percent more bags of trash last year?
- To brighten your day: Kick back, relax, and enjoy your free community goodies!
Also on hand were Julia from Brutus Broth who was busy refreshing pups with some Puptails, Peds who provided pups with dog toy giveaways, as well as a fantastic DJ on Fuller Street.
