The City of Miami is doing everything it can to counter the urban heat issue it has experienced in recent years. City leaders have implemented specific green initiatives related to sustainability, green building renovations, and more. In addition, with the help of beautification and green revolution projects like Miami green walls, the city is steadily becoming the center for green living. By adding vertical gardens to city areas like restaurants, hotels, and commercial buildings, we can reduce urban pollution. This will help make green living the norm.
Green Initiatives in Miami
Miami is a city that wants to be environmentally friendly. It has many green initiatives that reach from the Everglades to Miami Beach. Some initiatives include green building codes, beach laws, and food rules for sustainable seafood. They also promote recycling programs and planting more trees.
The Green Print Program
One program that is at the forefront of Miami’s green living initiatives is the Green Print: Our Design for a Sustainable Future Program, which outlines a collaborative process among stakeholders of the community. With county staff, community groups, business experts, and leaders in education coming together, more than 100 public meetings have been held, and about 360 new and existing initiatives have been evaluated.
The Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners has worked hard to get the city ready for a green future. One specific example is the U.S. Cool Counties Program, in which Miami-Dade County agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
The Sustainable Buildings Program
With high-rise buildings and other real estate developments taking place in almost every part of Miami, the city leadership has also implemented a Sustainable Buildings Program. This program aims to combine materials and construction methods in building design. It promotes environmental quality, economic growth, and social benefits. This is done through sustainable best practices. Overseeing this program is the Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience (OOR) within the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER).
Miami-Dade County is dedicated to green building design and construction. This helps protect the environment and improve life quality. It also supports sustainable development in city communities. The Sustainable Buildings Program includes a green building initiative called “The Green Building Expedited Plan Review Program.” This program promotes energy-efficient and eco-friendly construction. It has specific criteria that construction projects must follow. This initiative applies to commercial, industrial, residential, and green building-certified projects.
Some Examples of Green Buildings in Miami:
- The recently remodeled LEED-certified Aventura Branch Library is the County’s first “green” library because of the sustainable materials and eco-friendly construction practices used in its design.
- The Miami-Dade County’s Children’s Courthouse which features a green-roof patio and a high-efficiency water system.
- The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science that has been awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification for its outstanding practice in the design, construction, and operation of a sustainable and energy-efficient facility.
- The Miami Beach Convention Center that has been awarded a silver LEED certification for the use of recycled materials throughout the building, with more than 20 percent of materials sourced locally in Miami and Florida.
