During today’s Sustainable Living Show (8/11/2021), we spoke to Georgea Snyder who is part of the Sustainable Living Project in Tampa. We also spoke to Davis Byrkit, Office Manager and Community Content Manager at Wilcox Nursery and Landscape in Largo.

Wilcox Nursery and Landscape has been around for 70 years and specializes in plants native to Florida. Byrkit explains why it’s so important to incorporate native plants into landscaping and how it’s sustainable.

“The Wilcox Nursery is a native Florida plant nursery, so it’s kind of our specialty,” Byrkit said. “Keep and promote these types of plants to the public, as opposed to some of the traditional exotic plant types…

Since the surrounding Tampa Bay area has lost much of its habitat to development in recent years, it is extremely important to remember the types of plants native to the area. The region’s natural flora is home to all types of animal species and these animals help ecosystems function as they should.

Later on the show, we spoke to Georgea Snyder about the Sustainable Living Project located in Tampa.

The Sustainable Living Project is an urban farm and education center where people can be immersed in the world of sustainability. The organization implements innovative and traditional technologies that help reduce our impact on the environment.

The site is located on a 1 acre lot that houses 34 cultivation beds (including 10 dedicated to veteran volunteers), 3 cabins, a water catchment patio with solar panels, a greenhouse with aquaponics, a chicken coop, beehives and a 10 stall compost station.

“Our mission is to use sustainable living practices on our urban farm and in our education center as a model to serve, educate and build our community,” said Snyder. “We offer volunteer opportunities, courses and workshops or just a place to reconnect with the environment.

In addition to providing an environment to help educate people on how to grow food and to learn more about sustainable practices, Snyder says the project was created to help provide fresher food to people in the area. local community who may not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

“The project was started with the goal of changing what was going on in our food banks,” Snyder said. “A lot of processed foods or fresh fruits and vegetables are not at their best. So the idea was that if we could start developing it in the city where we have hungry people, we could start to change some of that. “

Snyder pointed out that the Sustainable Living Project is a very welcoming environment and encourages people to come, learn and have fun in the process.

You can volunteer, attend classes and workshops to learn more about growing food, composting, mowing and maintaining the garden at the Sustainable Living Project.

Listen to the show here: