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Reducing your Carbon Footprint 

Water Conservation

 

Water, Water, Everywhere!

It is easy to dismiss the notion of having to conserve water in Florida, especially when we are surrounded by it. Tampa is a beautiful city and we, as residents of South Tampa, are very fortunate to have the Bay as a resource. But, water, like all our natural resources, is finite and we should endeavor to conserve our precious drinking water resource as much as possible. 

 

Some Water Facts:

Residents of Hillsborough County, including the City of Tampa and surrounding counties, have their water supplied by an agency known as Tampa Bay Water. This organization is “a non-profit, special district of the State of Florida created to plan, develop and deliver a high-quality drinking water supply.”  The agency determines that “Water demand projections show the Tampa Bay region will need an additional 10 million gallons of drinking water per day by 2028. Conservation can reduce water demands and delay the need for Tampa Bay Water to build new water supplies.”

 

According to a recent article, the winter of 2022–23 has been Tampa Bay's 9th warmest winter on record, with average temperatures 9.9 degrees warmer than those of winter 1970. Drier weather can worsen drought conditions and contribute to other weather-related issues.

 

Tampa Bay Water has many functions, one of which is to protect and conserve our water. To this end, they practice environmental stewardship, offer rebates and tips for water conservation efforts through the Tampa Bay Water Wise program. For more information on:

  • Residential and Commercial Rebates

  • Water saving tips

  • Watering restrictions

  • Water conservation resources

  • Retrofitting

Please visit Tampa Bay Water's website and the City of Tampa’s website. Both have information on rebates and retrofitting.

 

Tampa Bay Community Water Wise Awards Program:

This program is designed to recognize attractive, water-conserving landscapes in various water-use sectors, for example homes, businesses, industry and government. The program also seeks to identify actual examples of outstanding Florida-Friendly, Water Wise landscaping and to promote those principles within the community.’

Follow this link to find out how to apply for the Tampa Bay Community Water Wise Award program. The deadline for entries for 2023 was June 30.

Energy Conservation

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Solar

According to solar.gov, "Solar energy is the fastest growing and most affordable source of new electricity in America. As the cost of solar energy systems dropped significantly, more Americans and businesses have taken advantage of clean energy."

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A Great (Renewable) Resource

Solar United Neighbors (SUN) is a vendor-neutral 501c3 non-profit organization that brings Hillsborough County homeowners together into a group, or co-op to help people go solar. SUN provides unbiased, installer-neutral support through each stage of the process of going solar. Co-ops take advantage of the group’s bulk-purchasing power to get discounted pricing and a quality installation. SUN is partnered with Hillsborough County, the city of Tampa and others.

The Tampa Bay Times ran this article on the co-op in August. 

 

After a successful launch in May 2023, SUN picked up a lot of new members, extended their August 4 deadline to August 31, 2023 and exceeded their 150 member goal. Although the Hillsborough 2023 co-op is now closed to new members, SUN's commitment to provide information to help residents and small businesses go solar is ongoing.

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SUN are still running solar information sessions and other helpful webinars via Zoom. The next one on Solar & Electrification: Better Together, takes place Wednesday, November 8, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  SUN is partnering with the electrification experts at Rewiring America for this one night event. In this webinar, you'll learn how to:

  • Switch to electric devices to maximize your solar investment

  • Benefit from incentives to help you electrify, and

  • Navigate the electrification process, from homeowners who've done it themselves

Come with your questions about going electric. Everyone is welcome! Please invite any friends, family, or colleagues who you think would be interested. Click here to register.

 

You can also join the SUN's waitlist for the next co-op and/or read information on going solar solo!  Got questions? Email them at flteam@SolarUnitedNeighbors.org.

Solar Conservation

Resource List: 

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