Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Silverstein.
Rachel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I graduated in 2012 with a Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Fisheries from University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. I accepted a Knauss Sea Grant fellowship, which places scientists into policy roles in the federal government. I was placed on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on the subcommittee for Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard and got a crash course in the federal legislative process. I knew I wanted to return to Miami to take my newfound policy skill set and to work to conserve the reefs and the ecosystem of south Florida that I had studied as a Ph.D. student. I moved back to Miami in June of 2014 and took over as the only staff member at what was then Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper. In just a few short weeks, I was involved in our first federal litigation suing the Army Corps of Engineers for killing Endangered Species Act listed corals during the PortMiami expansion. (That litigation lasted years more and resulted in the restoration of thousands of corals and long-lasting changes in Army Corps policies.) I was the only staff member at the organization for another two years. We changed our name to Miami Waterkeeper and kept working to grow our team and to expand our work. Now we have a full-time staff of 11 people – all working every day to protect our waterways.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As a small organization taking on big polluters, there are always challenges. When I started, I had no experience with non-profit management or litigation. I’ve learned so much along the way and I have felt really empowered that citizens can make a big difference. We’ve really been able to see the needle move on key issues. But we are always the underdogs, and we’ve had to learn to say “no” to working on some important issues because of capacity. That’s really been the hardest thing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Our work is interdisciplinary and always starts with a strong foundation rooted in science. Our theory of change is to use that scientific understanding to craft policy goals and then to conduct a strategic outreach, education, and an advocacy plan to achieve our goals. We will also go to court to defend our environmental laws if necessary. We advocate primarily for three focus areas: clean water, ecosystem protection, and a resilient South Florida. We work to ensure a clean and vibrant South Florida watershed and coastal culture for generations to come. We work closely with community members and stakeholders to provide citizens with the opportunity to make their voices heard in support of conservation. In addition, we engage thousands of citizens and community leaders through dozens of outreach events annually, education programs such as 1,000 Eyes On The Water and the Junior Ambassadors Program.
How do you define success?
The future of Miami’s water is still uncharted, and we are here to navigate it. At Miami Waterkeeper, our vision is an environment with swimmable, drinkable, fishable water for all. We envision a pollution-free Biscayne Bay that once again resembles our water’s historic splendor. We envision a resilient community that embraces sustainable solutions. We envision robust and thriving coral, seagrass, and mangrove habitats where fish and wildlife populations can thrive — despite global environmental changes. We envision a region with reliable infrastructure for wastewater, drinking water, energy, and stormwater, preventing spills, leaks, and contamination. Most importantly, we envision a future in which every community member can fully enjoy their right to clean water.
Some of our other (and more tangible) successes we’ve had include a coral rescue valued at over $14 million for the public, achieving new environmental assessments to protect coral reefs during dredging at Port Everglades, and the retraction of a proposed rule by the state of Florida that would have added more toxic chemicals to our water. In the last few years alone we have avoided 10,000,000 gallons of spilled sewage waste, 100’s of millions of gallons of toxic chemicals are avoided annually. We have notified the public about more than 170 swim advisories, and we’ve successfully advocated for multiple local bans on styrofoam, fracking, plastic bags, straws, and offshore drilling. We’ve been honored to be recognized by the community for our work, including being awarded inaugural Miami Herald Visionary Award (2016); Named top 20 environmentalists in South Florida by New Times (2016); Reitmeister-Abess Center Environmental Stewardship Award (2016); Diatom Award for Environmental and Civic Activism presented by Mayor Philip Levine of Miami Beach (2015); Co-author on “Best Paper of the Year” in Coral Reefs (2018) and most recently, the Preservation Award from Dade Heritage Trust (2021)
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@miamiwaterkeeper.org
- Website: www.miamiwaterkeeper.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miamiwaterkeeper/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MiamiWaterkeeper
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiamiWaterkpr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ7yt0CDs2rLHZPuijg7Jew
Image Credits
Credit: Miami Waterkeeper LLC
