Lake County Green Symposium

Every once in awhile we get the rare opportunity to look outside of our comfort zones and be challenged to break out of our regular habits and patterns.

This morning was one of those mornings.

I woke up early and walked down to Mount Dora Coffee House for a cappucino and then strolled across the block to the Lakeside Inn where Lake County hosted their first Professionals Turning Green Symposium.

The first panel of speakers, including yours truly, were discussing the green initiatives of the Florida Green Lodging Program. I discussed methods we used to incorporate the four main initiatives of the program which included Water Conservation, Energy Conservation, Waste Reduction and Clean Air Practices.

My perspective of these issues broadened while hearing from other industry experts regarding water and waste management issues. Sometimes the subject of conservation can be so heavy and dull with technical jargon that it seems far removed from our daily lives. However, today's speakers really painted a picture of what these municipal processes entail and how if each person really can make a difference just through making conscious choices.

I was reminded about small things such as vitamins, prescriptions and batteries that so often get tossed away, yet should be recycled properly. A handful of vitamins seems so insignificant, but when multiplied by the number of people in the state it does have an impact on our water supply.

This is just one of the many "ah-ha" moments I experienced this morning. It's always good to exercise the mind now and again to be reminded of the things we forget about in our busy day-to-day.

Rachelle Lucas & Sharon Tatum

Debi Dyer, Rachelle Lucas, Greg Mihalic

###