The Florida Beverage Association (FBA) is thrilled to announce that President and CEO Elizabeth DeWitt has recently been appointed as Chair of the Florida Recycling Partnership Foundation (FRP).

“We are so excited about Elizabeth taking on this role,” says Keyna Cory, Executive Director of the FRP Foundation. “Her work with FBA and FRP will further our mission of educating businesses and community members on the importance of recycling.” As a nonprofit foundation that is focused primarily on developing and adopting sustainable business practices, the Florida Recycling Partnership allows FBA to connect with diverse organizations from across the state on projects that serve community members while also encouraging environmental sustainability.

On Jan. 3, 2022, Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez was inaugurated as the 80th President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), and we could not be more thrilled for Mayor Suarez to take on this new role.

“Mayor Suarez has always been a friend to the beverage industry,” explained Elizabeth DeWitt, President and CEO of the Florida Beverage Association. “His commitment to the residents of Miami on issues such as health and environmental sustainability is evident through his support of community-based programs in Miami. We are excited to have him as a partner.”

As President of USCM, Mayor Suarez will focus on a wide variety of issues ranging from poverty to housing to climate change, and where the beverage industry is concerned, his work will directly impact our efforts to build healthy and sustainable communities throughout the country.

The Florida Beverage Association (FBA) is proud to announce that its annual Community Grant Program is back for its seventh consecutive year. Each year, FBA invites local groups throughout the State of Florida to apply for the grant, furthering our commitment to the communities where we live, work, and play.

As the leading organization representing non-alcoholic beverage producers, marketers, bottlers, and distributors throughout Florida, FBA focuses a great deal on environmental sustainability, health and wellness through a variety of campaigns, including Every Bottle Back, the Clear on Calories Initiative, and the Balance Calories initiative. This grant provides the chance for other like-minded organizations to receive funding for a wide range of programs.

Recycling is an important initiative to support overall sustainability goals. However, we all know that for recycling to be effective, it must be done correctly.

That is just one of the reasons why the Florida Beverage Association recently awarded a $25,000 community grant to the Orange County Public School (OCPS) system. Now in its sixth year, our community grant program has contributed over $250,000 to support programs and organizations across the State that promote Environmental Sustainability and Balanced Lifestyles.

The grant that OCPS received will fund an education campaign to help students more clearly understand how to recycle correctly, which is necessary to the success of the school system's overall sustainability goals.

“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” -Helen Keller

We believe that partnerships are truly the key to impacting the change we want to see and are always looking for organizations whose work will complement our goals as an association.

The Florida Recycling Partnership Foundation is one such organization. With the mission to educate policymakers, business leaders, and the public on the benefits of recycling, the foundation is a coalition of businesses and organizations dedicated to improving Florida’s recycling rates.

Let’s talk trash. Ok, actually, let’s talk how to have less trash. Yes, let’s talk recycling.

We know that there is so much confusion about recycling as a consumer. From what and when to how.

But recycling is an effective way to support our overall environmental initiatives, and there are some facts and fun ideas to keep recycling a part of your everyday life.

So, the first question you are probably asking is, “How do I recycle my plastic beverage bottle?”

This one is easy. The easiest way to recycle a plastic PET beverage bottle is to empty, rinse and put the cap back on. That’s right. Throw the entire bottle, including the cap in your recycling. Our plastic bottles are made to be remade. We are carefully designing them to be 100% recyclable – even the caps. Many consumers do not realize that the cap is recyclable and to leave the cap on the bottle. Why? Because caps can get caught in recycling sorting machines. So, the next time just remember to put the cap back on and then toss it in your bin.

Summer is coming to a close and here in Florida, we look forward to the cooler days that will eventually greet us in the coming months.

Along with the excitement of school and the upcoming holidays, parents are faced with packed calendars of events and activities. The transition from more relaxed summer days, to days where we are living by the calendar, can cause us to lose sight of the importance of staying hydrated.

As a working mom, community volunteer, and overall coordinator of chaos, I know first-hand how a day can get away from me and before I know it, hours have gone by without any breaks for hydration.

The heat of summer has a tendency to help us remember to “drink” all day long, so how do we keep that focus as we “fall” back into our routines?

With the midway point of the year breezing by, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to check in on one of our FBA Community Grant projects ―Florida Seabins.

We were thrilled to be able to provide a grant to the University of Florida (UF)/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) and Florida Sea Grant Program’s Seabin project and to see the first of three Seabins installed and working at the Marineland Marina on Earth Day this year.

What are Seabins? They are a combination of floating trash cans and vacuums. Placed in clean marinas or other calm bodies of water, Seabins float on the surface and collect debris from the waterway and have a minimal impact on local sea life.

How do they work? The Seabin skims the surface by pumping water through its filters to capture trash and other debris as well as clean the water from contaminated organic materials. It has an oil absorbent pad that is able to absorb petroleum-based surface oils and detergent, which is found in most marinas. To learn more, visit Seabinproject.com.

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” -Henry Ford

We believe in the power of partnerships because together we can achieve so much more than working individually. With that in mind, the Florida Beverage Association (FBA) identifies organizations and programs that we can partner with to help spread our message and support our sustainability strategic goals.

One such partnership is with Keep Florida Beautiful (KFB). As an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful (KAB), KFB works with over 40 county and city affiliates in our state to organize clean-up events and provide education programs. KFB and KAB work together to educate the public on the benefits of recycling and the importance of litter prevention, reduction, and removal as related to protecting and preserving Florida’s natural environment.

As one of the largest volunteer-based community action and education organizations in Florida, partnering with KFB was a natural opportunity to support our sustainability initiatives.