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Eco-Teers: “40 for 40: Spread the Love” Grant and Invasive Removal!

Flamingo Gardens is thrilled to announce that our Eco-teers program has been honored with the “40 for 40: Spread the Love” grant from the Community Foundation of Broward! To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Community Foundation awarded a total of $400,000 to 40 innovative nonprofits across Broward County, and we’re excited to be one of them. This grant will support a project that embodies our commitment to sustainability: 40 Rain Barrels for Broward.

In line with the grant’s creative requirement to incorporate “40,” the Eco-teers will install 40 rain barrels throughout the county to highlight the Foundation’s 40 years of impact and support for sustainable practices. Over the coming year, our Eco-teers will work with community gardens, schools, businesses, and nonprofits across Broward County to identify locations for these rain barrels. Our team will install and maintain each rain barrel and provide training to our partners—all at no cost to these organizations.

Why rain barrels? They’re an incredibly effective tool for sustainable water management, which is vital in our South Florida climate. By capturing and using rainwater, these barrels reduce water costs, prevent runoff pollution, lower demand on local water supplies, and reduce flood risks. More importantly, this project will raise community awareness of water conservation and showcase practical steps we can take together for a more resilient environment.

But the impact goes beyond just water conservation. One of our long-term goals is to track how much water we’re saving collectively and look for other large-scale opportunities to support Broward County’s sustainability efforts. This initiative wouldn’t be possible without the Community Foundation’s dedicated Fundholders who partner to create funds that fuel projects like this. Their support over the last 40 years has provided more than $190 million for causes ranging from student achievement and arts education to environmental resilience and social justice.

Ashley Vieira Eco-teer Coordinator and Genevieve Marcello Sr. Director of Programs

In addition to launching this rain barrel project, our Eco-teers have been hard at work. Saturday October 5th, they tackled an invasive species removal project at Fern Forest Nature Center, targeting Sida cordifolia (flannel weed) and Urena lobata (Caesar’s weed). These invasive plants, which threaten local ecosystems, were removed to restore balance to the area. Over three hours, our Eco-teers cleared nearly 100 pounds of invasive species by the root, helping to protect and rejuvenate native plant life.

We’re incredibly grateful to the Community Foundation of Broward for their continued support and are looking forward to rolling out Celebrating Sustainability: 40 Rain Barrels for Broward! To all our supporters and partners, thank you for helping us create a healthier, more sustainable Broward County.

More updates to come on future projects/events if you follow us on Instagram!
Instagram: ecoteers.fg

To volunteer with Flamingo Gardens and/or EcoTeers,
contact us at:
[email protected] or [email protected]

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