Today we’d like to introduce you to Elaine Fiore.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My path and passion have always been about children. I’ve taught everything from sixth-grade history to a nature class for kindergarten students. A few years ago, I viewed a YouTube clip on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It left me feeling shocked and overwhelmed by how our everyday consumption of plastics was affecting the oceans. Once you see something like that you can’t unsee it.
Being a true believer in Lao Zhu’s statement “A journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step,” I began with one action. Whenever I went to the beach, I found myself combing it, determined to remove plastics. Additionally, I shared the video with my class and discussed how we could be a part of the solution. We partnered with the City of Hollywood and learned to collect data using Arc GIS to prove the need for more recycling bins on our local beach. The project earned my students a seat at Captain Charlie Moore’s Algalita International Youth Plastic Pollution Summit in California.
From that point on this whole environmental path opened for me. I applied and was selected to join the ASU Sustainability Teacher Academy. This inspired me to create a Sustainability course for middle school students. The ASU experience also led me to become involved with my green partner in crime, Linda Gancitano, and her How Low Can You Go Energy Challenge with the Miami Heat. This nationally recognized program for reducing energy in schools created an opportunity for us to be invited to The White House for a roundtable discussion on Climate & Sports. A few months prior to this we began collaborating with green school leaders to create a non-profit 501c3, Climate & Sports Student Summits, CS3. Held at LEED certified professional sporting arenas across the country, CS3 creates a space for youth to be inspired by each other and professional athletes to take sustainable actions in their schools and communities.
Excited about my latest endeavors. At the school level, we are spearheading a Food Rescue program for Broward County Schools. Over 1 billion unopened and unpeeled food items are thrown away each year in school cafeterias across the nation. Kids are learning one simple act empowers them to make a huge difference. Once expanded, Food Rescue holds the potential to offset over 1 million lbs. of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and feed those in our community who are hungry. Most recently, I am proud to have co-created the Free Our Seas Environmental Art Festival with Manon Weise, Alissa Alfonso and the team at MEEC. The mission of Free Our Seas is to harness the power of ART to connect with the environment, shine a light on solutions and inspire and educate as a way to create change. Our first Festival took place in honor of Earth Day. Over 1500 festival goers filled the Broadwalk, Historic Carpenter House and Hollywood Beach for a day of amazing, inspirational environmental art, live music, food trucks, children’s activities, non-profit educational tables & vendors, a beach clean-up and community art installation. Look for out next event on June 9th – We’ve partnered with Surfrider on March For the Ocean on Hollywood Beach. @freeourseas
The environmental path I’ve been walking is very well rounded. Over the past two years, I have had the opportunity to take two groups of middle school students to explore the rainforest in Costa Rica. This summer, I’m traveling with another group to the Sea of Cortez, touted the World’s Aquarium for the biodiversity. Serving the greater good has definitely created quite a rich life experience.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For the most part, it has been a fairly smooth road. Obstacles pop up here and there, however, I believe they are to be expected and a necessary part of growth and success. One of the biggest challenges is balancing my teaching career, non-profit work and outside projects with motherhood. I want to be present to enjoy it all.
One challenge that comes to mind in the beginning stages of taking the idea of food rescue and putting it into action, was coordinating with so many different entities in order to make it happen. While we thought, lets put in a fridge and start collecting food, there were many other pieces to the puzzle. We had to make sure we were in alignment with Health Department protocols. Then, coordinate with the requirements and needs of the Food & Nutrition Department. The paradox is bringing together like-minded people from vastly different sectors to collaborate towards a common goal is the sole reason why it happened. The Kids Can organization donated our refrigerator and Broward Outreach distributes the recovered food.
As far as CS3, running a non-profit without centralized office and self-funding until sponsors jump on board can be challenging at times, too.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Climate & Sports Student Summits – Free Our Seas – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
According to the 2016 State of Our Schools report, “the scale of U.S. public K–12 school facilities is astounding: every school day, 50 million students and 6 million adults occupy approximately 100,000 buildings.” Buildings which encompass an estimated 7.5 billion gross square feet and 2 million acres of land. Consider the environmental impact 56 million people have on 2 million acres of land. Why shouldn’t reducing the greenhouse gases emissions in this critical environment be a priority?
If our intention is to affect the habits and behaviors of this generation producing lasting transformational change, we must educate, inspire and activate this generation of children who inhabit these buildings. The Climate & Sports Students Summits – CS3 Game Changers are designed to create a space where youth are inspired by each other, professional athletes, and our sports culture, be empowered with the knowledge and tools to create sustainable change in their schools and communities.
Our niche harnesses the popularity, power and common ground sports offers to create an effective way to raise environmental awareness and empower students to create change in their schools. Designed to keep the students moving, engaged and interactive, coupled with the influence of the sports world, and professional athletes, the students create action plans based on nationally recognized zero waste and net zero energy programs which harness the spirit of competition. Summits take place in LEED certified sports arenas across the country, we’ve hosted summits with the Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, CU Boulder, and are planning now with the Atlanta Falcons.
Latest endeavor connects art and the environment. The idea for Free Our Seas and Beyond blossomed in 2017 when a group of passionate, determined, ocean-loving friends was unified to raise awareness of the impact plastic pollution has on our local beaches at our city’s annual Candy Cane Parade. Recognizing that not everyone is educated about the effects single use plastics have on our oceans and sea life, we decided to harness the power of Art to shine a light on the issue. Trash was collected along the shoreline daily, cleaned and sorted to create an amazing Gingerbread themed float. Palm trees made from buoys and flip flops, gingerbread house decorated with single-use plastics to look like candy, a surfer riding a trash wave and a sea turtle entangled in ropes and plastic bags.
Walking in the parade dressed in plastic bag tutus alongside our artistic beach trash float, created an energy of excitement and interest, offering us the opportunity to educate curious parade-goers on the number of single-use plastics and other marine debris that contaminate our beach.
This experience awakened the idea to harnessing the power of ART to stimulate curiosity, connect with the environment, shine a light on innovative solutions while inspiring and educating to create change. From curating environmental art festivals to partnering with local schools, Free Our Seas collaborates with a variety of like-minded community partners to raise awareness, create solutions and reduce the use of plastics.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My vision of the future includes continuing to guide and nurture young environmental leaders and to create a Green Museum. The CS3 youth summits are expanding. We are building our Teen Board. The vision they have of how CS3 can best serve this generation is exciting. I see the Free Our Seas Environmental Art Festival as the first step, on my journey of 1,000 steps, to creating, designing and building my Green Museum, I am eager and enthused for the opportunities that are coming my way and look forward to continuing collaboration with people from a wide range of industries towards our common goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.climatesportsstudentsummits.org www.freeourseas.org
- Phone: 954.635.8803
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @freeourseas
- Facebook: #climatesportsSS
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
