Yesterday, On #Earth Day 2015, President Obama came to the Everglades.

Here is his speech

miami.cbslocal.com/video/11416318-web-extra-president-barack-obama-talks-climate-change-in-the-everglades/#.VTgwYPBYm3Z.facebook

“In the words of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas there are no other Everglades in the World.”

“If we don’t act there might not be an Everglades as we know it.”He talked about salt water intrusion, and how South Florida, 7 million Americans, get their drinking water from the Everglades.”

“The pentagon says that climate change poses a risk to our national security”

“All of this poses a risk to Florida’s 82 billion dollar tourist industry on which many jobs and livelihoods depend.”

“Protecting our parks is a smart thing to do for our economy.” (you know jobs, jobs, jobs)

President Obama said “We want to restore the natural flow of the Everglades which we know is one of the best defenses against climate change and rising sea level.”

“This is not some impossible problem.”

“If you’ve got a storm. You prepare for the storm. You don’t stick your head in the sand.”

The pentagon says that climate change poses a risk to our national security.

That’s so true. Read this book. It was a total non partisan issue to screw up the plumping.

The Federal Government has invested millions of dollars and with out buying the land in EAA Everglades Restoration will never be complete. The Aquifers will not be recharged. The salt water intrusion will continue. We will get discharges forever. The drinking water of South Florida will be destroyed.

So if our President of the United States, a guy who is really busy, understands this simple message why doesn’t our Florida Legislature? Do they hate him so much they would destroy our Everglades, our drinking water and continue to to allow the toxic discharges and the wasting of millions of gallons of water? President Obama, millions of gallons of water are sent out to tide and are destroying our northern estuaries.

When our President says we have to do this we have to do this and our Florida Legislators must make this happen. They can no longer keep their heads in the sand. They need to prepare for the storm.

Please call your legislators today and tell them we must buy the land.

#buytheland #sendcleanwatersouth

For Earth Day Pick up the Garbage!

Apr22

#earthday2015

Here’s my award winning short film about an amazing group of people who pick up the garbage in exchange for keeping the dogs on the beach.

Featuring the great music of Big Vince and the Phat Cats.

mike paparo gary frost big vince dave allen

What weighs 20,000 pounds and takes nearly 4,000 people to move it? The Garbage on Jupiter Beach.  15 years ago a local resident Anita Lankler made a deal with the City of Jupiter. You let our dogs on the beach and we’ll pick up the garbage. This little group grew into a membership of 4,000 plus and became the “Friends of Jupiter Beach.”  Once a month hundreds of people, 6 to 86, from fifteen zip codes surrounding Palm Beach County, converge onto Jupiter Beach… to pick up the garbage.

Stylin music provided by Big Vince and the Phat Cats.
Archival footage provided by Joanna Aiken
produced, shot, written and edited by Cyndi Lenz

my directors chair- a gift from the friends of jupiter beach

Photography Tina Valant and Cyndi Lenz
Fine Editing and Art and audio mix : Adam Lenz

co won “Best Green Short” at the Delray Beach Film Festival 2010
first place standing in the short documentary category at Moondance Film Festival in Boulder Colorado.

moondancefilmfestival.com/02_festival.winners_film.html

We we the winners of the Calypso award at Moondance!

• MOONDANCE CALYPSO AWARD: This award is to encourage a spirit of enterprise in saving the environment, habitats and wildlife by creative individuals from around the world. The award is presented to the person who expands knowledge of our world, seeks to improve our quality of all life on the planet, and contributes to the betterment of humankind.

Best Eco Documentary Mountain Fest
Best Documentary Palm Beach International Film Festival Local Voices
international premiere at Eco-Fest in Malaysia

(One day i’ll figure out how to add to my IMBD page

for more info contact cyndi at clenz@mac.com

In honor of Mother Earth if you can’t get to an event don’t despair. Grab a bag and head to to your closet park or beach and fill that bag up with garbage. Imagine if the entire Martin County did this. The entire 148 thousand of us (or so). Imagine if all of Florida did this. Imagine if the whole US did this. Imagine if the whole world did this.

Lets do it!

Happy earth day mother earth

State Sen. Alan Hays: The Fox in Charge of the Hen House.

Apr21

State Sen. Alan Hays

To all the people that voted for him: thanks! yikes

To the press that quote him over and over again: really?

To Everyone else: Understand clearly who is making decisions about OUR DISCHARGES, OUR DRINKING WATER, OUR EVERGLADES.

To the new outlets: Didn’t you think this was necessary to include this information in your reports?

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-02-24/news/os-lk-lauren-ritchie-conservation-hays-20130224_1_conservation-land-extreme-bill-national-parks-and-forest

February 24, 2013|Lauren Ritchie, COMMENTARY

This is the time of year when state Sen. Alan Hays usually tries to turn one of his extreme opinions into law by filing a bill that the Legislature has to consider with a straight face.

Session 2013: The Umatilla Republican does not disappoint.

Hays has offered bills in the past that delighted his insurance and development backers but would have left his constituents seething. The worst among them was a bill that would have deregulated the insurance industry, launching the cost of homeowner premiums into the ozone.

The winner of the annual competition for Hays’ Most Bizarre Bill is SB 584, an absurd measure that seeks to prevent the state, counties and cities from buying any more conservation land than they already own unless they sell an equal amount of publicly held property.

Yep, that’s it, folks. Sell some of that “useless” property you’re just hanging onto for no reason if you want another park. You’ve hit the cap.

Now fast forward to now:

miami.cbslocal.com/2015/03/19/little-land-buying-in-senates-amendment-1-plan

Sen. Alan Hays, a Umatilla Republican who is chairman of the subcommittee, said the state might already have enough land within its preservation inventory.

to now

http://politics.heraldtribune.com/2015/03/21/still-little-land-buy-funding

Many lawmakers see the issue much differently. They say Florida owns enough land, and argue that the amendment language is broad enough that they can steer nearly all the money to other environmental priorities.

Hays chairs the Senate committee that was responsible for creating an environmental spending plan that conforms with the constitutional amendment.

Of course they do.

This is Florida where the fox is in charge of the hen house.

Now they are laughing at us.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20150321/NEWS/150329844

We live in Florida so this sounds just about right.

K.c. Ingram Traylor: The Engine behind Florida Not All Aboard

Apr21

Always happy to be invited to the Martin County League of Woman Voters for lunch.

The League of Women Voters of Martin County is a non-partisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Today’s speaker was K.C. Ingram Traylor who founded Florida Not All Aboard. KC is a lesson in trust your gut and never give up.

Here is her incredible presentation.

Florida NOT All Aboard on Facebook.

KC also has a radio show.The KC Ingram Show on WSTU AM 1450 – Tuesdays at 5:30 pm

Please contact FNAA at floridanotallaboard@gmail.com for a presentation in your community!

Thanks KC!

The First Earth Day Boston Mass

Apr20

I was looking for some info on the first Earth Day and I came across this really cool footage of students trying to have a peaceful protest at Logan and then all hell broke loose. Innocent people trying to make a point get arrested.

Then I found this years version. Quite a difference from the old days that’s for sure.

http://www.partyearth.com/boston/holidays/earth-day-7/#description

“In 2009, the United Nations agreed to name April 22^nd International Mother Earth Day to recognize the importance of the world’s vital ecosystems. Nearly forty years before in 1970, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day and drew over 20 million participants to its first celebration. Today, more than one billion people in 200-plus countries across the globe celebrate Earth Day annually.

America’s most patriotic city, Boston, joins in on the Earth Day party, becoming one of the nation’s most environmentally conscious cities in April.

Earth Day in Boston boasts a myriad of Earth Day events like the Charles River Cleanup. Though a famous song called “Dirty Water” is one of Beantown’s anthems, around 3,000 volunteers pick up trash along the water to make it look as clean as possible.

Individuals who want to look as sparkling as the Charles attend the Earth Day Eco-Beauty Bar, which features mini-massages, spa treatments, and samplings of organic skin care and eco-friendly wellness products. Meanwhile, Earth Day celebrations like Earth Day on the Greenway provide fun for the whole family with face painting, music, games, and food trucks.

Boston might be known for its Red Sox, but April brings a host of green events that make Beantown one of the most festive metropolises on Earth Day. ”

It’s amazing to me that children can learn to sail at Community Boating in clean water.

and we can’t have earth day without this sing a long. I love and miss you my home town!

Here’s the Dirty Water Song by the Standells.

Our Sugar Free Martin County DEC

Apr17

I’m always so proud of Martin County and so proud of our Sugar Free Martin County DEC.

Here is some of the video from the spring fling

Dave Dew, Martin County Commiteeman

Mary Westcott HIggins

Our friend Michael Kenny, District Director for Congressman Patrick E. Murphy

Unpaid volunteers make choices about our water

Apr13

www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb about us/governing board

The South Florida Water Management District is directed by nine Governing Board members who set policy for the agency. They reside within the agency’s 16-county region and represent a cross section of interests, including the environment, agriculture, local government, recreation and business. Governing Board members are unpaid citizen volunteers appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. They generally serve four-year terms.

The South Florida Water Management District encompasses two major watershed basins, the Okeechobee Basin and the Big Cypress Basin. The Big Cypress Basin also has a Basin Board, with appointed members setting policy. One Governing Board member also serves as the chair of the Big Cypress Basin Board.

The Governing Board appoints the Executive Director, who directs all South Florida Water Management District activities. The Florida Senate confirms this candidate.”

So the people on the board of South Water Management District are unpaid volunteers. We are volunteers. They are volunteers that are friends of Rick Scott. We get bubka’s.

Why does a group of unpaid volunteers get to make a decision about our discharges, our water, our everglades?

Here is the discussion at the end of the meeting last week about why the land will not be bought.

CBS news interviews guy who duped actors as real person.

Apr12

So i’m good with the attention and the general message. But I’m not cool with giving Everett Wilkenson any attention at all! Just two weeks ago he paid 50 actors 75 dollars and duped them into thinking they were shooting the backdrop for a tea party documentary. I know channel 12 knows this because i personally went over to the news truck last Thurs and told them myself.
read here: https://cyndi-lenz.com/2015/04/07/actors-duped-in-tea-party-protest-at-south-florida-water-management/

“I don’t know anything about people being paid! These are real protestors”

Here is the piece! Again thanks so much for investigating but please don’t give any attention to fake people.Why are we talking about “Land Grabs?” Its a conspiracy theory.

Coffee talk ! Let’s talk!

Apr12

For two years I’ve been begging people to talk to each other in the paper. We are so blessed to have the very best dedicated lagoon team. Now we can send articles to our friends! Our voices and the voices of the Stuart News is intragral to being heard.

So thank you who ever made this happen. (I think the person has the initials E.S.) because now we can talk to each other and reach out even more.

Thanks for publishing my letter.

Thanks to all the people who commented.

SFWMD APRIL 9: VIDEO: BUY THE LAND! STOP THE DISCHARGES!

Apr11

@SFWMD

#buytheland #stopthetoxicdischarges #saveourdrinkingwater

Water Advocates that are not paid duped actors advocate for the water at South Florida Water Management District.

So here we were back again on April 9. Due to work I missed most of the morning but I was able to get video in the afternoon. I’d like to take the opportunity to say thank you for being able to shoot this video to document the effort to save the lagoon. This is using my camera for the highest good and it also comes with the responsibility of being professional with my work product and I take that responsibility very seriously. I hope others do also. Don’t use your camera to act out, be vindictive and humiliate others.

For those who do not understand why this is so important: The option runs in October to buy this land. This has to be dealt with before May 1. The last video is the discussion by the board after we all spoke.

And this has been the issue. No one is talking to each other. We talk to the board, the legislators, Rick Scott. They have answers but they don’t talk to us. There is no discussion. There is however an enormous amount of frustration.

I think its important to listen to what board believes and address that.

Our friend Aiden Lewey telling us the lesson of the lorax.