LEAD Brevard's Leadership Brevard Class of 2019 Leadership Action Project Cocoa Beach Main Street is part of a statewide and national network of revitalization programs. This project will help to improve negative environmental impacts and support conservation and cooperation within our community. The project team will create a strategic plan and implement a conservation program centered on downtown businesses. The goal will be two-fold: encouraging the use of reusable serve ware and packaging as well as begin a downtown business recycling program. This project will require communication and cooperation of downtown business owners, local city government, and community.

1. Creating a
Sustainable Downtown
A 2019 Leadership Brevard
Leadership Action Project
with
Cocoa Beach Mainstreet
LAP Team Members:
Roger Anderson - Kelly Billon - Charles Biondo - Mark Boyd - Amy Envall - Sarah Kraum - Joe Perno

2. Project Introduction
 In the summer of 2017, Cocoa Beach Main Street
submitted a project application to Leadership Brevard for
their Leadership Action Project program.
 The project’s purpose was to “improve negative
environmental impacts and support conservation and
cooperation within our community.”
 The two main focus areas were to be encouraging the use
of sustainable products in restaurants and begin a
recycling program.

3. Project Participants
 Leadership Brevard Leadership Action Project Team
 Leadership Brevard class members are required to participate in a Leadership Action
Project. Leadership Action Projects are meaningful community projects that help
fulfill the goals of Leadership Brevard of Community Education, Relationships, and
Network. They also enrich our community and provide the team members the
opportunity to learn more about volunteer opportunities and ways to engage and give
back.
 Cocoa Beach Main Street
 Cocoa Beach Main Street is a 501c3 non-profit, fully accredited Main Street America
program and a member of the statewide main street program. The purpose is to
encourage economic development, health, revitalization, and vitality in Downtown
Cocoa Beach.

4. What is Sustainability?
 Sustainability is a complex subject that can be difficult to define.
Sustainability, as discussed by the UN World Commission on Environment and
Development, is “development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The
Environmental Protection Agency states that “to pursue sustainability is to
create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist
in productive harmony to support present and future generations.”
 In the simplest terms, sustainability is being mindful of the use of resources
so that the economy, community, and environment can thrive for generations
to come.

5. Project Development
 Stakeholder Meetings
 The first step in the project development process was a series of meetings with
various stakeholders to discuss sustainable practices already being implemented in
the project area, interests of the community, and the City of Cocoa Beach, and
consider steps of implementation.
 The team met with the following stakeholders:
• Cocoa Beach City Manager, Jim McKnight
• Cocoa Beach Sustainability Committee Chair, Todd Swingle
• The Tiny Turtle Owner, Kelly Lieneke
• Waste Management Inc., Amy Boyson
• Keep Brevard Beautiful, Bryan Bobbitt and Kaylyn Palmer

6. Project Development (continued)
 Keep Brevard Beautiful Litter Quitter Program - “Businesses Against Waste”
 During the stakeholder meetings, the Keep Brevard Beautiful Litter Quitter Program was discussed.
Litter Quitter is a program designed by Keep Brevard Beautiful in partnership with the Brevard Zoo
with the goal to reduce common sources of litter. It targets businesses to change policies and switch
to sustainable options as a means of reducing common sources of litter, like single-use plastics, plastic
bags and polystyrene (Styrofoam). The businesses can then either apply to be members or be
nominated by a volunteer.
Bronze Level:
•Ask-first straw policy
•Switch to a sustainable straw option (i.e. paper, metal, hard reusable plastic, etc.)
•Encourage customers to bring their own reusable straw
Silver Level:
•Switch plastic bags to paper bags
•Encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags
•Switch plastic utensils to a sustainable option (corn-based, paper, reusable, etc.)
Gold Level:
•Switch styrofoam cups to a sustainable option (corn-based, paper, reusable, etc.)
•Switch to-go containers to a sustainable option (corn-based, recycled plastic, paper, etc.)
•Encourage customers to bring their own to-go containers
•Deck netting for waterfront businesses

7. Project Development (continued)
 Waste Management Site Visit
 A recycling site visit was also completed by the project team, City
of Cocoa Beach Staff, Cocoa Beach Main Street Staff, and Waste
Management Staff. The purpose of the site visit was to review the
recycling facilities already present in the main street area and
discuss potential expansion.
 Some of the key points that arose from this meeting are as
follows:
 Business owner must pay for recycling service
 Process for a business to receive recycling includes visit from
Waste Management to assess options, needs, and available space
(including a visit by a truck to ensure accessibility)
 Contamination issue – if the recycling load exceeds the
contamination thresholds, there are additional fees
 Potential locations – parking is a priority of the City’s, locations
may not be accessible by truck, best location is the parking lot
behind Yen Yen’s where a dumpster is already present, other
potential locations are behind the strip with The Tiny Turtle and
The Green Room

8. Project Goals
 Restaurant Sustainability Initiatives: “Businesses Against Waste”
 “Meet & Green”
 Organizational alignment is a foundational element for the success of this project.
Task 1 for the Lead Brevard team is to assess the current stakeholders and a build a
bridge.
 Cocoa Beach Main Street-KBB-Restaurant Owners – Litter Quitter Program Goes to
the Beach
 “Educate & Act”
 Host two workshops with KBB and distributors (Sysco/US Foods)
 Provide information and immediate on-ramp to ask questions with representatives
 Goal-50% participation of eligible restaurants in the Litter Quitter Program; Stretch
Goal-100%
 Goal-Information Distribution
 Clear path to follow-up with Litter Quitter POCs, Cocoa Beach Main Street, Sysco/US Food
Representatives
 Community Recognition Program

9. Project Goals (continued)
 City Planning-Keep Moving Forward
 Paving the Way
 Assess current recycling options for restaurants in Cocoa Beach Main Street
 Work with city to identify a location for a recycling receptacle
 Goal—Identify acceptable location for recycling receptacle and path to implementation
with Waste Management and City

10. Project Implementation
 Litter Quitter Volunteer Training – February 25, 2019
 On February 25, 2019 the project team and Keep Brevard
Beautiful hosted a Litter Quitter Volunteer Training at the
Brevard Zoo in the Nyami Lodge.
 The purpose of the training was to educate potential new Litter
Quitter volunteers on the program and their role as a volunteer.
 Fifteen (15) potential new volunteers attended.

11. Project Implementation (continued)
 Litter Quitter Restaurant Workshop – March 4, 2019
 On March 4, 2019 the project team and Keep Brevard Beautiful hosted a Litter
Quitter Restaurant Workshop at Coconuts on the Beach.
 The purpose of the workshop was to educate the restaurants on the Litter Quitter
Program, provide them with tools and ideas to implement sustainable practices via
restaurant supply vendors, and provide a forum for current Litter Quitter members
to share their experiences with becoming a more sustainable restaurant.
 Through the process of planning the workshop, Coconuts on the Beach became a
Silver Level Litter Quitter.
 The workshop was attended by 12 guests/vendors and 8 workshop planners from the
project team, Keep Brevard Beautiful, and the Brevard Zoo.

12. Project Implementation (continued)
 Litter Quitter Restaurant Outreach
 Following the Restaurant Workshop an analysis of the Cocoa
Beach Main Street Restaurant’s Litter Quitter Participation
was completed.
 It was found that of the 37 restaurants provided to the team
by Cocoa Beach Main Street, 6 are already Litter Quitter
Members, and an additional 3 non-members attended the
workshop.
 With overlap, this left 28 restaurants that neither are Litter
Quitter Members nor attended the workshop.
 The team members made the decision to divide the
remaining restaurants and utilizing the skills they learned at
the Litter Quitter Volunteer Training and reach out to the
remaining restaurants.

13. Conclusions
 Developing sustainable communities is a complicated, but
necessary task.
 It takes continuous work and improvement.
 The steps taken by the LAP team, not only completed the
goals outlined by the project application, but also
positively impacted the environment and Cocoa Beach
Main Street Community.

14. Suggested Next Steps to be Taken by
our LAP Team
 Education campaign at Main Street events to educate citizens on sustainable
options and programs.
 Regular restaurant workshops held by Keep Brevard Beautiful.
 Distribution of materials educating on the process of getting recycling
services.
 Cocoa Beach Main Street to develop monthly meetings for the businesses to
discuss sustainability and implementation.
 Creation of resource website.
 Outreach to the other businesses in the Cocoa Beach Main Street area.
 Publication of sustainability materials in local magazines and press.
 Informational booth at Friday Fests and other Cocoa Beach Mainstreet events.

15. Sustainable Practices for Everyone - What
LEAD Brevard is Doing To Become More
Sustainable:
 Utilizes venues and other vendors that practice sustainability, such as
minimizing use of single use items, have a refillable water bottle station, or
offer recycling.
 Attended Litter Quitter Volunteer Training in Feb. 2019.
 Includes sustainability in the Leadership Brevard curriculum.
 Encourages presenters to utilize the mobile application or email.

16. Sustainable Practices for Everyone - What
LEAD Brevard is Doing To Become More
Sustainable:
 Practices sustainable office practices, such as recycling and electronic
documents and file housing.
 Eliminated straws from annual fundraiser and other events.
 Reuses name badge holders.

17. 10 Things Anyone Can Do To Live More
Sustainably
 1. Support sustainable businesses and organizations.
 2. Get involved with your local sustainability board.
 3. Make changes in your business or place of employment.
 4. Educate and empower a friend, family member, or neighbor on sustainability.
 5. Reduce single use plastic items in your household.
 6. Bring your own reusable to-go box when eating out.
 7. Properly recycle.
 8. Incorporate “meatless Mondays” or other non-meat options into your diet.
 9. Ride transit, bicycle, walk, carpool, or use another sustainable form of
transportation.
 10. Reduce household or office energy.

18. Start with the straw….. parting points to ponder: