The Sustainable Communities Workshop (SCW) celebrated its 20-year milestone by inspiring and informing many in our community and celebrating successes as we explored the theme “Then, Now, Next: 20 Years of Sustainable Communities.” Topics included resilient architecture, green business, climate communication, Sarasota’s sustainable past and future visions, and regenerative community strategies. SCW was hosted at the Harvest House Learning Enrichment Center in Sarasota, FL. The new space allowed us to host 181 attendees during our workshop and about 60 at the social and awards reception following the workshop.
We kicked off this year’s celebration with special community involvement, including a screening of the film Good Natured. This documentary by WEDU PBS features stories of climate change impacts in Florida and sustainability efforts around the state. We also solicited nominations for Sustainability Champions to honor individuals in our local community achieving progress towards a more sustainable Sarasota-Manatee region.
Inspiring Speakers
The workshop’s agenda of speakers, panels, and sessions began with Sarasota’s sustainability story from early indigenous wisdom to present day with local historian John McCarthy of Selby Gardens at Historic Spanish Point. John shared the connections between our history and Sarasota’s future. The relationship between people and the environment in Sarasota has shifted over time with the loss of indigenous people and culture, the rise and fall of various modern cultural and environmental movements, and through our changing population, resources, industries, and economic opportunities. One SCW attendee shared John’s impact on them:
“It was truly inspirational to hear Selby Gardens’ Jon Mcarthy’s speech about our community’s pre-historical past and path from local harmony and sustainability to today’s wrong turns, I felt like we can learn so much from our history and integrate these proven resilience practices moving forward.”
Emily Raboteau, author of “Lessons for Survival: Mothering Against the Apocalypse” and professor at City College of New York, shared stories of communities in response to climate change from the streets of the Bronx in coastal New York City. Her community experiences the impacts of climate change in their everyday lives including public health concerns and regular neighborhood flooding. Amid these realities, Emily shared how she spots hope and shifts toward positive action and outlooks from the feelings of anger, sadness, or fear that often can occur. Emily “looks for the helpers” in her community and aspires to be a helper herself. She shared how the many bold street art murals of endangered birds in the city, created in partnership with local artists, businesses, and the local Audubon Society, drew her attention to the beauty, connection, and loss associated with our changing world. Her story produced actionable takeaways such as finding like-minded community members and local projects to become involved with as a way to process our own emotions, spot hope, and take actions in response to climate change impacts around us.
Don Hall, training coordinator for Transition Network and author of “The Regeneration Handbook: Transform Yourself to Transform the World,” guided the last session of our day by sharing transitional frameworks towards more sustainable communities into the future. Don
also led the audience through a visioning activity to imagine the community we can build together in the next 20 years and articulate individual ways we can each help transition our local region into a more sustainable future. One SCW attendee shared Don’s impact on them:
“I enjoyed imagining a local food secure future with Don Hall and knowing that similar intentional regenerative communities have and are already successfully thriving elsewhere on our planet. We can make this happen if we want to, it is possible to live a meaningful fulfilling community life …[and] we saw the seeds and sprouts (and even some strong mature trees) of an inspiring alternative.”
Three panels took place throughout the day featuring experts on the topics of resilient architecture, green business, and climate communication. All sessions were well received with lots of engagement with our audience through question-and-answer periods.
Attendee comments below showcase the inspiration, information, and ideas for action that resulting from our wonderful speakers this year.
“This workshop and the topics and presenters were some of the best ever! I was so inspired and re-oriented to what matters, community and recharged with purpose and ease.”
“I was impressed by many of the speakers’ obvious commitment to a sustainable future.” “I am better prepared and will continue to seek & learn as the year progresses, inspired by all that took place at the sustainability conference. I am most grateful that I was available to participate.”
Did you miss our speakers this year? You can view all panels and presentations from this year and past workshops, by visiting http://tiny.cc/ufsaraext_scwarchives.
Local Youth Lead Sustainability
SCW’s planning committee prioritizes involving local youth because they bring important varied perspectives, innovative ideas, and ambition to the conversation around our sustainable future. This year’s special milestone workshop brought new events and celebrations that involved youth, including an environmental film screening, the awards ceremony honoring local Sustainability Champions, and a project showcase at our workshop.
We partnered with The Bay, EarthEcho International, WEDU PBS, and local schools to present a youth panel discussion for our screening of Good Natured. This captivating PBS documentary follows filmmaker Ashley Stokes as she seeks solace and solutions in the transformative power of nature. The film showcases stories from Central and South Florida and encourages a fresh mindset towards current environmental issues and solutions — highlighting the delicate balance between human advancement and environmental stewardship.
Following the film screening at The Bay, our local youth panelists responded to the film’s themes, shared their own experiences in Florida’s environment, and brainstormed actions the community can take to make a difference, speaking to over 80 community members in attendance. The panel included Andromeda Rhea (4H 4-paws club member), Brice Claypoole (Kids for Clean Water, The Kid Who Cares), Mackenzie Valenza (Riverview Marine Science Club), and Jake Grandusky (Riverview Marine Science Club). Zahir Ringgold-Cordes, UF IFAS Extension Environmental Education and Outreach Program Assistant, moderated the panel discussion.
At SCW, local youth continued to be part of our celebration.
- Local sustainability projects from six local youth were featured on the main screen during breaks and meals.
- Sophia Haakman, one of our Sustainability Champion recipients, presented her project to attendees during lunch and afternoon breaks. Sophia founded and currently leads a bird monitoring citizen science project in the Jim Neville Marine Preserve with Sarasota Bay Watch. To learn more about this project, follow Sarasota Bay Watch and view their event calendar for opportunities to engage with Sophia’s work.
- Brice Claypoole and Sophia Haakman received Sustainability Champion awards at our ceremony following the workshop for advancing sustainability in our local communities.
Celebrating Local Sustainability Champions
This year’s 20th anniversary workshop included honoring nine local “Sustainability Champions” for their commitment to advancing or promoting strategies that help build resilient communities and address current environmental challenges. The awards ceremony was led by Lee Hayes Byron, Director of Sarasota County UF/IFAS Extension and Sustainability, after the workshop. The ceremony and social event included food, drink, and live music from The Garbage-Men.
The “Sustainability Champions” who were recognized, along with the award category, include:
- Alia Garrett, People
- Tracie Troxler, People
- Lee Amos, Planet
- Megan Barry, Planet
- Bill Johnson, Prosperity
- Alyson Zildjian, Prosperity
- Brice Claypoole, Youth Leadership
- Sophia Haakman, Youth Leadership
- Tim Rumage, Nina Powers Legacy Award
Recipients were selected from nominations submitted by the public in categories that celebrated positive impact on the local environment, community, and prosperity of our region, along with a legacy award and special award for youth leaders.
Tim Rumage earned the Nina Powers Legacy Award for years of service advancing sustainability across multiple sectors. He serves as coordinator and developer of environmental studies at Ringling College of Art and Design, as well as coordinator for Sustainability in Design Education at CUMULUS, a non-profit global association of some 400 universities and colleges of art, design, and media.
Nina Powers founded the Sustainable Communities Workshop in 2006, while a member of Sarasota County’s sustainability team. Remembered by many for her collaborative sustainability work in the region, as well as her infectious smile, she worked with Rumage on multiple projects, including mentoring young students interested in sustainability initiatives. Honorees received achievement certificates and nature photos from Damon Powers, son of Nina Powers.
Community Connection and Action
The chance to meet and make connections with others working towards actions that create a more sustainable future for our local region is a valued part of SCW. This year’s workshop included longer breaks, lunch, and a post-workshop social to ensure more time for attendees to connect to local businesses, organizations, groups, and other community members that are working towards similar goals.
One of our exhibitors, Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, shared about the opportunity for sustainability connection across sectors:
“As a preservation professional, it was a valuable experience to highlight the critical role historic preservation plays in creating solutions to our climate crisis. We were able to connect with individuals that we might not have otherwise met, and finding that synergy between fields and discovering opportunities for collaboration is precious.”
An SCW community member shared the value of connection to them on this day:
“I attend workshops like this for educational reasons but also to meet and listen to people who are passionate about sustainability, conservation and preservation of natural spaces. Working to conserve Florida is a challenging at times depressing endeavor. Events like this re-energize me to continue the work that I hope can make a difference.”
Another SCW attendee shared how SCW equips our community to act:
“I am better prepared and will continue to seek & learn as the year progresses, inspired by all that took place at the sustainability conference. I
am most grateful that I was available to participate.”
Our Sponsors
As we move onward together, we are so grateful to our sponsors of the 20th Annual Sustainable Communities Workshop. A special thank you to our keynote sponsor, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, for their continued support of our workshop. With this kind of community support, we are confident that we will be coming together to drive change and find inspiration in each other for future decades to come.
SCW News and Resources
- Come to our next workshop! – Subscribe to our sustainability e-newsletter, check our website, and follow UF IFAS Extension and Sustainability on social media for updates (Follow UF/IFAS Sarasota County for SCW updates (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky)
- SCW Archives – View past presentations, photos, and topics from the first 20 years.
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