Adopt a Beach Trash Can Proposal
Our Eco Art Gallery by the Sea
South Beach Anti-litter Project
SUMMARY
The goal of the "Adopt a Beach Trash Can Campaign - Our Eco Art Gallery by the Sea" is to achieve a cleaner beach (Miami Beach from Government Cut through 23rd St.) by out-pacing the rate of litter and increasing clean-up and educational initiatives. The project organizes business and resident stewards who care about the environmental and economic implications of clean beaches by offering a convenient way to participate in a solution to a growing problem:
Allow sponsors to underwrite additional clean-up and educational budgets collectively by adopting trashcans located on our sand
In exchange for sponsor contribution, the top portion of each adopted trashcan will be decorated with a sleeve of commissioned artwork as well as an accreditation plaque that highlights a sponsor's participation. Beach trashcans serve as an aesthetic complement to the vibrancy of our beach and community in many ways, including an invitation for beach patrons to use them. Further, success from this campaign could set future precedent with regard to the beautification of other Miami-Dade parks and beaches. Beach litter is a grave threat to Miami Beach's tourist-based economy. A pleasant experience during tourists' “day at the beach” greatly influences the general opinion of their vacation, what they tell their friends when they get back home, and their future decisions to return. To sustain high occupancy rates at our hotels, busy doormen at our night clubs, and hourslong reservation waits at our restaurants, Miami Beach business owners must ensure that tourists are impressed with the upkeep and eco-culture of our vacation destination. Together, The Environmental Coalition of Miami Beach, the City of Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County, local artists, businesses & community stewards can positively influence visitor perception of Miami Beach through increased clean-up and educational initiatives. Major Benefits achieved from the "Adopt a Beach Trash Can Campaign - Our Eco Art Gallery by the Sea" include: • • • • • A cleaner beach without additional tax dollar cost Significant funding to government agencies from a local environmental non-profit An art gallery along our shoreline attracting tourists during their visit Greater business involvement as beach stewards / stakeholders Strategic opportunity for the City of Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County to demonstrate national leadership in a community teaming activity
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
I. To reduce the amount of litter on Miami-Beach by raising the awareness of beach users and increasing the frequency & coverage of clean-up initiatives.
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By the end of the project, the rate of residual litter accumulating on the beach from Government Cut through 23rd St. will have reduced by at least 70%
To strengthen existing partnerships and develop new ones with local government agencies, residents and private businesses, such as beach area hotels, nightlife and restaurants associations. To secure 204 sponsored trashcans - first offered to local businesses and later to national corporations if need be
THE NEED FOR THIS PROJECT
Our 2.3 miles of sandy coastline from Government Cut through 23rd Street is one of Florida's most valuable natural resources. Miami Beach is an integral part of the county's economy, generating approximately $7.9 billion a year (according to the Greater Miami Conventions & Visitors Bureau). It attracts over 5 million visitors annually from all parts of the world. An unfortunate consequence of more and more visitors, is that too often, they leave behind their litter. In 1988, during the Florida Coastal Clean-up Day, a total of 194 tons of debris were collected from Florida’s coastal zones. In the year 2000, this amount increased to 532 tons (www.floridacoastalclean-up.org). In addition to the general aesthetics & economic problems, litter has also become a serious threat to marine life, a transportation hazard, and a threat to human health & safety. When washed into our ocean waters, marine debris may sink to the sea-floor or drift in the water column. Marine animals are not able to distinguish between inedible human-made debris, such as plastic bags, from natural food sources, and end up either ingesting trash or getting entangled, which most of the time proves to be fatal.
ECOMB IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBILITIES
• • • • • • • • • Project design and implementation Management & coordination of marketing initiatives Collection of sponsors’ funds Installation of trashcan sleeves Artist procurement Oversight of educational initiatives Manage funding for clean-up initiatives Public relations and marketing Trashcan sleeve replacement with regard to wear & tear, vandalism, theft, etc...
PROJECT DESCRIPTION I. CLEAN-UP PHASE
Funding derived from this project directly supports an overarching goal of a cleaner beach. Project components consist of staffing and equipment for Litter Picker Teams, Sand Sifting, & Sand Dune Enhancements. ECOMB has worked alongside Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation Department, the City of Miami Beach's Public Works and Sanitation Departments, and the Boucher Brothers to craft an implementation strategy customized to meet the geographic and frequency needs of litter patterns monitored over the years. The proposed project budget reflects a year long beach clean-up complement to existing public beach maintenance dollars.
COMPONENTS & METHODOLOGY
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Litter Picker Teams: A significant amount of trash (straws, cigarette butts, and bottle caps) accumulates on sand dunes, along dune crossings as well as the east side of the dunes – all the way to the water. To amend this problem, the Adopt a Beach Trash Can project aims to reduce litter in these areas by increasing litter-picking staff. Routine rounds from an additional litter-picking teams could remove this debris across the 23 blocks discussed. This ensures a pleasant entrance and exit for every patron that enjoys our facilities throughout the year. Miami Dade County will staff and equip this effort for around $120,000 (4 Workers, 4 days/week @ 4 hours/day @ $20/hour). Sand Sifting: Sand sifting is the process of elevating collections of sand and utilizes a sifting screen to sieve the debris. The debris is then deposited into the collector and the waste is later disposed of properly. A Sand Sifter is a wheeled machine attached to the rig of a tractor that performs this process. The City of Miami Beach will take over monthly sand sifting for the South Beach public beach areas after the sand renourishment project is completed in the Lummus Park area. In discussions with Miami Dade County, they have agreed to run the sand sifting program from Government Cut to 23rd Street, while the County maintains responsibility for sand north of 23rd St. It is estimated that the City can provide this service for a total cost of $27,600 per year.
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Dune Enhancements There is a need to improve certain areas of our sand dunes with enhancements such as new fencing, rope, irrigation, & exotic plant removal. Dune replenishment is an arduous process and preemptive initiatives will allow us to avoid this expense in the future. The Dune Improvement budget totals at $20,000 and will be performed by the City of Miami Beach Public Works Department.
II. EDUCATIONAL PHASE
In addition to the clean-up activities discussed above, funding derived from this project will also complement and enhance established educational initiatives already being provided by ECOMB and Miami-Dade County: ECOMB's “Clean Beaches Campaign” is a long-term anti-litter educational campaign, which addresses the litter problems at our beaches and waterways by targeting both residents and visitors with anti-litter TV PSAs, anti-litter awareness ads on printed media, beach user survey, scientific beach litter sampling, biodegradable trash bags, cigarette butt bag systems installation, aerial banner messages, & anti-litter educational brochures. The main objective of the campaign is to reduce the amount of litter on Miami-Dade County beaches by raising beach goers’ awareness regarding the impact of litter on our beaches and surrounding aquatic habitats. It is hoped, by continuously exposing them to positive anti-litter messages for a long period of time, that beach goers will become more conscious of the impact of their actions and consequently change their behavior regarding littering. Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management's litter awareness campaign, "Don't Trash It. Can It!", hopes to reduce the amount of litter in Miami-Dade County by encouraging residents to take advantage of garbage cans to 'can' trash instead of littering and illegally dumping in neighborhoods. The goal of the project is to decrease the amount of litter in Miami-Dade County. The litter awareness campaign is a DSWM effort to raise public awareness and get residents involved in keeping Miami-Dade County clean. The litter awareness campaign, which began in May 2007, features advertisements and public service messages on radio, bulletins, bus shelters, in newspapers, DSWM literature and on DSWM automated garbage trucks. The Department is encouraging residents to dial 3-1-1 to report littered areas, and it suggests that residents make a pledge not to litter our neighborhoods. Money raised from the "Adopt a Beach Trash Can Campaign - Our Eco Art Gallery by the Sea" will be used to provide Aerial Banners, Anti-Litter Educational Brochures, Anti-litter PSA's, Biodegradable Cigarette Butt Bags, and Trash Can Signage.
COMPONENTS AND METHODOLOGY
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Trashcan Decoration and Slogan Signage A stretch of 204 trashcans are positioned from Government Cut through 23rd St. By decorating these trashcans with a sleeve of artwork, we are inviting beach patrons to participate and make use of our cans for proper disposal of their garbage. Artistic decorations are featured on a sleeve of outdoor polysilane that wraps around the top of each can. The sleeves are printed in full color and are covered with weather-proof lamented U.V. coating to avoid sun wear and tear. To avoid abrasion from routine pick-up truck “hugging” or sudden needs to collect and stack cans, the sleeves are bolted to the top (¼) portion of the trashcan (7 inches from the top their circumference is 74 inches). When a particular trashcan becomes “adopted”, its sleeve is fitted with an accreditation plaque that we bolt over top of the area where the two ends of the sleeve meet (similar to a washer). ECOMB will be responsible for sleeve & plaque maintenance with regard to erosion, abrasion, vandalism, or theft. Cost for 204 sleeves and plaques is $5,100 with an additional reserve budget of $15,100 to ensure replacement. Trade opportunities will also be explored with a participating print shop to supplant this cost. Anti-Litter Educational Brochures Provide funds for additional printing of ECOMB’s “Clean Beaches Campaign” multi-lingual anti-litter brochure Green Tips to a Clean Beach. Participating hotels will feature these stand up brochures in each of their guest rooms and lobbies. We budget a $3,013 printing costs for this component of the project. Aerial Banner Messages: Provide funds to complement ECOMB’s “Clean Beaches Campaign” aerial banner component. Banners will be printed with anti-litter messages produced by Miami-Dade County school kids and with other messages such as the “Don't Trash It, Can It” slogan, in support of the County’s anti-litter program. The banners will be flown along Miami-Beach shoreline during weekends and holidays, sixteen times a day, for a period of approximately 10 months. The project increases the frequency for which aerial banners will be flown and complements the “Clean Beaches Campaign” in the dollar value of $15,620. Biodegradable Bags: Provide funds to complement ECOMB’s “Clean Beaches Campaign” purchase and distribution of additional 2,500 biodegradable litter bags at a cost of $1,125. Anti-Litter Campaign Ads:
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Provide funds to complement ECOMB’s “Clean Beaches Campaign” printing of 18 anti-litter ads in the SunPost and Miami New Times at a total cost of $5,242.
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Anti-Litter PSAs Provide funds to complement ECOMB’s “Clean Beaches Campaign” production of 2 anti-litter video PSAs to be aired at local TV networks at a cost of $2,000.
PROJECTED COST & BENEFITS FOR TRASHCAN ADOPTERS
The project offers a one year sponsorship to businesses and residents. The price structure to market 204 trashcans from Government Cut through 23rd St. offers 1 can for $2,500 and 3 for $5,000. A business's or resident's “adoption” is marked on a plaque where their logo-name is featured next to information about the campaign as well as ECOMB's logo, Miami Dade County's Logo, and the City of Miami Beach's Logo. In addition, a sponsor can create a 40 character message to print on the plaque. This plaque covers around 11 inches (wide) by 7 inches (tall) of the real estate devoted to the decorated sleeve. The plaque is attached by bolting it over top of the area where the two ends of the artwork sleeve meet. In exchange for participation in the Adopt a Beach Trash Can Project, sponsors will receive many benefits: • • • • Beach-side placement of a decorated trashcan sleeve Original artwork (which the sponsor can choose to donate to ECOMB for auction) Featured on partner list of www.ecomb.org Featured on the official press release sent out to media outlets
ECOMB, as lead project marketer, reserves the right to adjust pricing and clout rates by a maximum of 100% in both positive and negative directions after 10%, 30%, 60% & 90% of sales capacity during the marketing duration of the project (with proposed value displacement for early participating sponsors). For the first two weeks of our marketing initiatives, inventory will be made available to seed sponsoring businesses located parallel to corresponding beach trashcans. During the following month, all Miami-Dade County businesses and residents will be invited to participate, and a month then after, sponsorships will be made available to national and world-wide businesses. This order of availability will encourage local participation while maintaining our assurance of reaching success. Sponsor procurement and targeting efforts will be cognizant of preexisting City of Miami Beach brand relationships.
PLANNED PROJECT MARKETING
Sponsor participation in the "Adopt a Beach Trash Can Campaign - Our Eco Art Gallery by the Sea" is crucial towards its success. To effectively inform our neighbors about the opportunity to participate in this community building exercise, three media outlets will be used: print media, public media, and word of mouth. • Print Media ECOMB's existing media relationships will assist the non-profit in sponsor procurement. Through editorial placement and reduced ad rates, we can inform the public of rates, availability & benchmark dates. Trade opportunities will be explored with participating media outlets to supplant this cost. Participating outlets can include Miami Herald, SunPost, New Times. Estimated budget for marketing is $10,000. Public Media Incorporating public channels of information broadcast will increase our success probability with minimal additional cost. The green movement is capturing increasing levels of editorial coverage. Reporting on the community building aspects of our project will also paint Miami Beach in a positive light. Mr. Jay Moore, Development Coordinator for the City of Miami Beach Office of Communications, has reviewed the Adopt a Beach Trash Can and sees the
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project as a complement to his Municipal Marketing initiatives. ECOMB could work together with the Miami Beach Channel, the Beach Channel and Miami Beach Magazine to inform the public of this opportunity to participate. • Word of Mouth Through our networking relationships, ECOMB will deliver formal presentations to business associations relative to our area: Ocean Drive Association, Lincoln Road Business Association, South Beach Hotel & Restaurant Association, Miami Beach Nightlife Association, the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, and more. Along with our contacts, ECOMB will actively pursue & process sponsors through direct marketing efforts.
LOCAL ARTIST PARTICIPATION
The trashcan artwork discussed is meant to enhance the beauty of our beach. Currently, our trashcans are a bleak metal color, bent and rusting. Colorful illustrations will complement the culture of our area and achieve notoriety similar to that of our charismatic lifeguard stands and flamingos. Under the proposal, local artists will be presented with the chance to display their skills along our natural art gallery by submitting "ECO by the Sea" sketches to ECOMB. The "Adopt a Beach Trash Can Campaign - Our Eco Art Gallery by the Sea" partners will help distribute a formal CALL TO ARTISTS. This information will be advertised in local print media and local artist websites & email lists along with rules and artwork canvas size (approximately 62 inches by 7 inches), . All submitted sketches will be featured in a menu booklet that ECOMB will use to present to potential sponsors, allowing them choose their preferred adopted trashcan design(s). The "Adopt a Beach Trash Can Campaign - Our Eco Art Gallery by the Sea" will be announced formally through participating media outlets (Sun Post, New Times, & Miami Herald) and appointments will be scheduled on a first come, first serve basis. If a potential sponsor does not find a preferred sketch from the presented menu, then the potential sponsor reserves the right to find his/her own artists to produce a custom trash can decoration. Each sponsor will then-after work together with their preferred artist to produce a final version to be printed and installed on beach trashcan(s). Artists will be paid $200 for each design printed and officially featured on the beach. Artists are asked to take measures to digitize their artwork in order to submit their sketches and final designs. ECOMB will encourage sponsors to provide opportunity for as many artists as possible to participate. Budgeted dollars needed for this proposal total at $40,800 to service 204 beach trash cans. The artist retains the digital copyright to the original artwork featured on their adopted trashcan, however the sponsor retains the rights to the original print. If the sponsor does so choose, they can donate the original print to ECOMB to be auctioned off at the "Adopt a Beach Trash Can Campaign - Our Eco Art Gallery by the Sea" kick-off celebration party. All participating sponsors will be invited to this kick-off celebration party where all trashcan artwork will be unveiled during an eco-fashion show. To deter theft and vandalism, the opportunity to purchase prints on ECOMB's website will be clearly marked on the plaque: "Support our Clean Beaches and Artists @ www.ecomb.org. Please Do Not Steal or Vandalize Trashcan". Money raised from the sale of the artwork will be split 50% - 50% with participating artists and ECOMB. ECOMB reserves ongoing rights to the artwork for use in a coffee table book, and other revenue generating ideas devised down the road.
RESPONSE REPLACEMENT POLICY
The possibility of trashcan replacement is high for a number of reasons (Theft, Vandalism, Pick-Up or Stacking Abrasion, Sand & Salt Water Erosion). To prepare for these unforeseen events, proper budgeting will cover the cost for backup trashcans, sleeves, and plaques. These costs estimate $8,000 for additional trashcans and $15,100 for additional sleeves. Surveillance of unsightly cans, sleeves, and plaques will be performed in cooperation with ECOMB, City of Miami Beach Employees, Miami Dade County Employees, as well as the Trashcan Sponsors. Trashcan sponsors must submit a formal replacement request letter and thereafter, the three aforementioned parties will decide whether the sponsor must incur the additional expense in order to fulfill the request.
EXPENDITURE PRIORITY & ACTION ORDER
Project expenses will be covered first, as funds are raised from participating sponsors. Incremental revenue from the project will be distributed equally among The City of Miami Beach Environmental & Clean Up Budgets, Miami Dade County Clean Up Budgets, and The Environmental Coalition of Miami Beach Educational & Administrative Budgets until documented budgets are met for each remaining category listed in the formal "Adopt a Beach Trash Can Campaign - Our Eco Art Gallery by the Sea" budget. Project Expenses 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Trash Can Sleeve & Plaque Production Sleeve Maintenance & Backups Replacement Trashcans Project Marketing Artist Payment Accounting Project Management - Sales, Marketing, Implementation ESTIMATED TOTAL $25 per trash can $75 per trash can $8,000 $10,000 $40,800 $2,500 $171.57 per trash can sponsored $116,400
PROCUREMENT
Upon successful implementation - 60% sales capacity within 1 year from project onset - ECOMB can reserve the right to market beach trashcan sponsorships from Government Cut to 23rd St. (identical to this campaign) for the next 11 years.
TIMELINE
Feb 20th – Feb 29th • Formal project contract drafted and signed by ECOMB, City of Miami Beach, and Miami Dade County • Design Review Committee Meeting, Artist Agreement Finalized, and Call to Artist formally distributed • Website Launched • Sales package & Sales Contract Finalized and Seed Group of Sponsor Sign Contracts and Supply Startup Funding • Marketing Relationship Established with Media Outlets • Finalize Editorial for Local Media Mar 3rd – Feb 1st • Advertisements Run with Media Outlets • PR Editorial Runs in Local Media • Sponsorship opportunity opens to Miami-Dade based companies • Formal Sales presentations delivered to Miami Beach Association Figurehead Mar 3rd – Mar 7th • Sponsorship opens to national and world-wide companies Apr 7th - Apr 30st • Kick-Off Celebration Party & Fashion Show • Adopted Trash Cans Unveiled on South Beach • City sand sifting commences • Litter picker team initiatives commence • Dune Improvements Commence Apr 2009 •
Contract renewals secured
PROPOSED PARTNERS
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City of Miami Beach Public Works Department: to assist with project coordination and clean-up implementation. Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation: to assist with project coordination and clean-up implementation. Boucher Brothers: to assist with project presentation and sponsorship procurement Ocean Drive Association: to assist with project presentation and sponsorship procurement Lincoln Road Association: to assist with project presentation and sponsorship procurement Miami Beach Hotel Association: to assist with project presentation and sponsorship procurement Miami Beach Night Club Association: to assist with project presentation and sponsorship procurement Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce: to assist with project presentation and sponsorship procurement The City of Miami Beach Communications Department: to assist with public relations and project exposure Sun Post: to assist with public relations and project exposure Miami New Times: to assist with public relations and project exposure Miami Herald: to assist with public relations and project exposure Miami ArtZine: to assist in with the Call to Artists Dream in Green: to assist in with the Call to Artists City of Miami Beach Design Review Board: to assist in with the Call to Artists Raleigh Hotel: host the kick-off celebration party NUE Salon: coordinate fashion show at the kick-off celebration party