The recent marina workshop got me thinking about improvements and opportunities that could have real benefits for our beautiful city. There should be a large culvert installed that empties into the Gulf next to the Seabreeze. This would allow the water to move thru the marina instead of being trapped in what in effect becomes a large settling pond. . A hydrologist will explain that both openings to the marina need to be of similar capacity in order to be effective. This would reduce the frequency of dredging in the future thus saving considerable sums of money. Thinking ahead to the next dredging operation, the city should buy an off island parcel of land to have a place to dispose of the dredging spoils. You only have to look at the numbers from the last time the marina was dredged to see that this alone will save our city tens of thousands of dollars in hauling and disposal fees. As the dredged spoils have been shown to be safe through laboratory testing, this off island parcel set aside for disposal of the safe spoils could also be used to place Mr. Bill`s chopped yard waste. This composting opportunity to combine the spoils and chopped yard waste would be a boom for all the frustrated gardeners in our sandy paradise. Let`s take this a step further and develop a program that captures all of the post consumer food waste from our many restaurants and school and also compost that. Post consumer food waste is any food waste or anything that has food waste on it. This would require a shift away from styrofoam to the use of both paper or biodegradable table ware. This has already been done in other cities, so why not us too? If all of the above happens we will end up with a resource; compost that can either be used on the island or sold. If utilized on the island, this opens the door for all kinds of opportunities. By making the compost available to all of our citizens, everyone`s gardens will flourish. A community vegetable garden becomes a real possibility as does other public gardening projects. Another positive outcome of this concept is the direct and potential cost savings to the city. There would be a large cost savings in spoils disposal, no question. Then there is the potential cost savings in the reduction of solid waste produced by the restaurants and school. The EPA states that 25% of post consumer food waste is comprised of solid waste from restaurants and schools. When you work the numbers, there is considerable savings that could be realized in the reduction of the monthly solid waste tipping fees. Another benefit is that, if done properly, our city would garner significant positive press about the little group of islands that is serious about energy awareness, conservation and sustainability and is doing something about it. This may very well be the biggest benefit that could be realized. Through government leadership and community participation these ideas can become a money saving reality for our city and all of its residents. This column is a project of Cedar Key`s Energy Advisory Panel, which welcomes first-person accounts of how individuals are conserving (or, even, aspiring to conserve) our community`s natural resources. Your submission may be made via email to eileenlbowers@yahoo.com. Please include your full name and your phone number. | 