What's your new year's resolution?

Jess Swanson, News Editor at Miami New Times, posed the following question:

"If you could change or improve one thing in Miami in 2022, what would it be, and how would you accomplish it?"

She clarified: "No idea is too sweeping or too niggling in concept or geographic specificity. And don't allow money, bureaucracy, or other potential obstacles stifle your best ideas."

So I got to thinking...

As I thought about this question, I mentally scrolled through all the initiatives that Miami Waterkeeper is working on. Would I stop pollution by eliminating fertilizer use , repairing our county's sewer lines , hooking up all properties that are on septic to sewer lines, and properly managing stormwater? Or would I protect marine ecosystems,?restoring?corals that?were killed during the PortMiami?dredging and planting seagrass and mangroves throughout Biscayne Bay? Or would I force FPL to fix the contamination and safety issues at Turkey Point ??

I couldn't decide. I would do all these things. I asked myself, 'Why?'

My answer is simple – to ensure Miami can endure for as long as possible. I'm not thinking about Miami potentially changing for a generation that isn't here yet; I'm thinking about it being here for my own children. I want my two sons, ages 4 and 2, to experience the diverse, eclectic coastal culture that is unique to Miami. I want them to grow up in a community that is driven by sustainability and that proactively adapts to our changing environment. And I want them to be safe while swimming in a Biscayne Bay that is free of pollution and that encompasses diverse ecosystems that protect our coastline.

So I guess my new year’s resolution is all of the above. I will do whatever I can to make Miami more sustainable and more resilient to sea-level rise.

This means advocating for policies that promote clean water and protect ecosystems . Only in clean water can our marine ecosystems thrive, and only with thriving marine ecosystems can we be prepared for sea-level rise .

As we face the inevitability of a changing environment, we must work with nature, not against it, to protect the incomparable culture we have created here in Miami.