See It: The Community being helped

Krafty Kids is a non profit organization in Miami, Florida. Our group consists of four high school freshmen, but new members are always welcomed. We believe that every child should have a memory of making something creative with their own hands, because everyone deserves to enjoy their childhood. We plan out and preform activities with the children in Miami's hospitals and we also donate money to St. Jude Research Hospital.

Krafty Kids began as a class assignment but has turned into much more than that, and we need your help to help make our dream a reality. Our goal is to collect as many arts and crafts materials as possible so that we can take them over to Miami Children’s Hospital and Baptist Children’s Hospital and the children can enjoy the fun and enriching activities we have planned out for them.

As you may realize this is a very ambitious project and we can’t do it alone, that is why we are asking your store to please help and support this great cause. We are in need of materials such as construction paper, glitter, liquid glue, glue sticks, ribbon, markers, crayons, and scissors. If you are not able to donate any materials a monetary donation would also be greatly appreciated. Any contribution helps, you would be helping to bring smiles to many kid’s faces.

If you would like more information on our members or would like to see pictures please visit www.kraftykids.weebly.com

Or email us at

See It: The Community being helped

“Going Green” is basically humanities efforts to reverse or rectify the destruction that we have wrought on this blueberry planet we call earth. I really do not mean to sound negative, but as the dominant species, our intelligence and ingenuity has gotten us into a precarious situation. Global Warming is real, the depletion of necessary resources is real, and the break down of our fragile eco-system is a scary thought but is as real as the flesh on our bones. As a result of this grim reality that has presented itself we must take action. If not for the children and if not for future generations to come, do it for yourself. Because our world is currently going through a rapid change and whether people believe it or not, we will and are witnessing significant change in living conditions within our lifetime. As always, we do have various courses of actions available. We can either act now, or we can procrastinate and wait for a certain shade of green. Honestly, the longer we wait, the darker the shade gets therefore turning into a rotten ball of mush (absolutely unlivable). Now to make this not sound like a pesky rant, I will present a solution to one aspect of the situation.

Care-Fleet, an excellent environmentally friendly company, offers affordable vehicle maintenance services. What makes us different from our competitors is the quality of service rendered and the technique used to execute the request. Our innovative method of using steam to clean vehicles is ingenious because there is absolutely no water/chemical run-off and it conserves water. Most people are not aware of the harmful effects of chemical/residual run-off into our drainage systems. Allow me to enlighten you with some recent facts and figures. As of October 2007 in Miami-Dade and Broward County, there were a total of 3,354,519 registered vehicles (Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles). Realistically, not everyone has vehicle maintenance high on their (I) priority list so let’s estimate that half of those registered vehicles are regularly washed. Half of 3,354,519 would be 1,677,259 which is still a large number. These numbers are significant because those who wash their cars use chemicals detergents which contain properties such as phosphates, sodium, potassium, boron salts, enzymes, cellulose ethers, flurescers, silicates and sulphates. Run-off from the paint and properties on the car include zinc, rust, and chlorine. This is detrimental to marine life and humans because of the large concentration that has been pumping into our waterways steadily over time.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), some of the chemicals mentioned above over stimulate the growth of algae blooms which in abundance is capable of suffocating fish. Harmful algae blooms can also be fatal to humans if they ingest seafood tainted with the algae blooms. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United (II) Nations states, “Recent global assessments of freshwater resource availability confirmed that some regions are or will be facing serious water shortages. Demand by, and competition among, various sectors for water - in terms of quantity and quality - will increase significantly in the future. ” Major reasons for water scarcity are water contamination, waste, and drought. (III) South Florida is no stranger to water restrictions and droughts. Hopefully, most of you are aware of the fact that South Florida has been on a water restriction and will continue on that restriction due to Lake Okeechobee’s current levels standing at ten feet above sea level. Water levels are expected to drop to eight feet below sea level. Our source of fresh water at optimum standing is seventeen feet above sea level. We as South Floridians cannot afford to waste (IV) water by means of misuse or contamination.

How can Care-Fleet help the environment and humanity? Basically, when we maintain vehicles we use around one liter of water for both the interior and exterior of a vehicle. Our competitors use an average of twenty gallons per wash (average includes SUV’s, compact cars, and trucks). By using a self-serve car wash, at gas stations, people use on average twelve to fourteen gallons of water. Some may think it is more efficient to wash a vehicle at home, but facts state the contrary. Washing a vehicle at home uses at least fifty gallons of water.(V)

By: Kymberlee Osborne

Bibliography

(I)
http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/html/reports_and_statistics/CVR-1007.pdf
(II)
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/topics/coasts/hab/welcome.html
(III)
http://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/13820
(IV)
https://my.sfwmd.gov/portal/page?_pageid=3034,19800838,3034_19800997:3034_19801083&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
(V)
http://www.greenct.org/carwsh.htm

See It: The Community being helped

“Going Green” is basically humanities efforts to reverse or rectify the destruction that we have wrought on this blueberry planet we call earth. I really do not mean to sound negative, but as the dominant species, our intelligence and ingenuity has gotten us into a precarious situation. Global Warming is real, the depletion of necessary resources is real, and the break down of our fragile eco-system is a scary thought but is as real as the flesh on our bones. As a result of this grim reality that has presented itself we must take action. If not for the children and if not for future generations to come, do it for yourself. Because our world is currently going through a rapid change and whether people believe it or not, we will and are witnessing significant change in living conditions within our lifetime. As always, we do have various courses of actions available. We can either act now, or we can procrastinate and wait for a certain shade of green. Honestly, the longer we wait, the darker the shade gets therefore turning into a rotten ball of mush (absolutely unlivable). Now to make this not sound like a pesky rant, I will present a solution to one aspect of the situation.

Care-Fleet, an excellent environmentally friendly company, offers affordable vehicle maintenance services. What makes us different from our competitors is the quality of service rendered and the technique used to execute the request. Our innovative method of using steam to clean vehicles is ingenious because there is absolutely no water/chemical run-off and it conserves water. Most people are not aware of the harmful effects of chemical/residual run-off into our drainage systems. Allow me to enlighten you with some recent facts and figures. As of October 2007 in Miami-Dade and Broward County, there were a total of 3,354,519 registered vehicles (Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles). Realistically, not everyone has vehicle maintenance high on their (I) priority list so let’s estimate that half of those registered vehicles are regularly washed. Half of 3,354,519 would be 1,677,259 which is still a large number. These numbers are significant because those who wash their cars use chemicals detergents which contain properties such as phosphates, sodium, potassium, boron salts, enzymes, cellulose ethers, flurescers, silicates and sulphates. Run-off from the paint and properties on the car include zinc, rust, and chlorine. This is detrimental to marine life and humans because of the large concentration that has been pumping into our waterways steadily over time.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), some of the chemicals mentioned above over stimulate the growth of algae blooms which in abundance is capable of suffocating fish. Harmful algae blooms can also be fatal to humans if they ingest seafood tainted with the algae blooms. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United (II) Nations states, “Recent global assessments of freshwater resource availability confirmed that some regions are or will be facing serious water shortages. Demand by, and competition among, various sectors for water - in terms of quantity and quality - will increase significantly in the future. ” Major reasons for water scarcity are water contamination, waste, and drought. (III) South Florida is no stranger to water restrictions and droughts. Hopefully, most of you are aware of the fact that South Florida has been on a water restriction and will continue on that restriction due to Lake Okeechobee’s current levels standing at ten feet above sea level. Water levels are expected to drop to eight feet below sea level. Our source of fresh water at optimum standing is seventeen feet above sea level. We as South Floridians cannot afford to waste (IV) water by means of misuse or contamination.

How can Care-Fleet help the environment and humanity? Basically, when we maintain vehicles we use around one liter of water for both the interior and exterior of a vehicle. Our competitors use an average of twenty gallons per wash (average includes SUV’s, compact cars, and trucks). By using a self-serve car wash, at gas stations, people use on average twelve to fourteen gallons of water. Some may think it is more efficient to wash a vehicle at home, but facts state the contrary. Washing a vehicle at home uses at least fifty gallons of water.(V)

By: Kymberlee Osborne

Bibliography

(I)
http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/html/reports_and_statistics/CVR-1007.pdf
(II)
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/topics/coasts/hab/welcome.html
(III)
http://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/13820
(IV)
https://my.sfwmd.gov/portal/page?_pageid=3034,19800838,3034_19800997:3034_19801083&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
(V)
http://www.greenct.org/carwsh.htm