Members of the South Broward High School Coral Club arrived at the ArtsPark to participate in Funtastic Friday, which recently had an environmental theme.
“We are working to save the coral reefs off the coast of South Florida,” said Barbara Jacobovitz, vice president of the Coral Club. The club works alongside members of the Coral Restoration Foundation. “We are working on getting club members scuba certified so they can help with the coral nursery.”
The club’s main project is a coral garden. They plant coral polyps on underwater artificial “trees” to restore declining coral populations. Members were also educate members of the community on the importance of saving coral reefs.
Members of the Coral Restoration Foundation were also present. “We are working to restore the coral reefs. We are working to develop a coral nursery to grow coral so we can restore the reefs,” said Alyssa Reed, of the foundation.
Members of the Hollywood Green Team were also part of the event. They hosted activities for children and spent time with the public. “We were showing children how to plant beans and sunflowers. We are also educating people on the problem of plastic pollution. We want to encourage people to use fewer single use plastic bottles,” said Tanya Krefsky, a Green Team member.
Issues related to plastic waste were also discussed by members of Free Our Seas and Beyond. Manon Wiese, one of the founders and leader of the organization said, “We want to create awareness about the problem of single use plastic bottles, plastic straws and plastic pollution,” said Wiese. “We want to teach people about the importance of caring for the environment.”
Members of the Driftwood Middle School Green Team also participated in the event. Students organized games to show people the importance of caring for the environment. According to Linda Gancitano, a Driftwood teacher and Green Team coordinator, the students are encouraging people to plant more trees, car pool, unplug electronic devices, and recycle.
The overall atmosphere at the event was fun and festive. The Hollywood community came out to socialize and support environmental sustainability.