Farewell, Wynwood: These Are The Amazing Things We Achieved Together [INFOGRAPHIC]

It’s hard to believe that almost four years have passed since we broke ground on four vacant lots on 29th Street in Wynwood to begin building what would become our magical space, The Wynwood Yard. Since we opened in November 2015, we have all accomplished and created so much together with you, making The Wynwood Yard a thriving community gathering space where people from all walks of life are welcome.

Thanks to you—our stakeholders— and your unending support, encouragement and patronage, The Yard has evolved and blossomed. We're deeply grateful to you for being a part of our extended family. Thank you for taking our special space and making it your own. Thank you for sharing your unique magic with our community. From the bottom of our hearts, we couldn’t be more grateful to have shared these experiences with you.

We look forward to creating many more magical moments with all of you at The Doral Yard, opening in late 2019. Follow us on our Instagram account to keep up to date with the latest news and Grand Opening date! Until we meet in Doral, farewell.

The People in Miami who Make it Earth Day Every Day

by Franchesca de la Cruz and Trina Sargalski

"The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand." -Carl Sagan

It's truly great that we have a day to celebrate Earth. A day that has influenced positive environmental changes; a day that always brings more awareness and collective action within communities. Earth day is a reminder that our planet needs to be celebrated and preserved every day. It’s the only planet we know that provides us all the resources we need to sustain life.

What do you think is the best thank you gift you can give Earth?

It’s choosing to recognize and understand our impact on the environment. Are you aware of our human-influenced climate change, natural resource depletion, energy consumption, overpopulation, pollution, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity? These are just some of the challenges the planet, our home, is facing.

The future of our planet depends on our actions, not our awareness.

The majority of people are aware of global warming. Living in the U.S. we hear it in the news, see it on social media, even experience it in natural disasters. Although the urgency of awareness is very present, there isn’t enough action.

If, like many people, all of this kind of overwhelms and/or depresses you to the point that you just want to get in bed and stay there forever, fear not. We’ve got a panel of six amazing people who are not superhuman (although we think they’re superheroes), who’ve taken real steps to making living in Miami and on Earth more sustainable. They’re here to drop their knowledge, answer your questions and guide you on next steps, wherever you may be on the sustainability path.

The panel is on Saturday, 4/21, in the Charcoal Garden Bar + Grill Conservatory. Led by moderator, Catherine Kaiman of Earthjustice, the talk will focus on the urgency of building sustainability awareness, influencing policy change, and encouraging community action. It’s not like we have a lot of time to procrastinate on these things, people.

Our panelists will discuss why action is needed and how our local citizens can get involved at any level, from the local/ community level to influencing policy change at the local and national level. They’ll share information, encourage, inspire, and move our local community from awareness to action.

Panelists include:

Anastasia Mikhalochkina, Founder of Lean Orb

Kelly Cox, Staff Attorney and Program Director of Miami Water Keeper

Saira Fida, Co-founder of Debris Free Oceans

Ian Wogan, Co-Founder & Arborist of True Tree Service

About our experts:

Moderator: Catherine Millas Kaiman, Earthjustice

Cady Kaiman is an associate attorney with the Florida regional office based in Miami. Cady is a public interest distinguished graduate of the University of Miami (UM) School of Law and also the Miller School of Medicine, where she received a Masters in Public Health. She co-founded UM’s Environmental Justice Clinic and served as its Lecturer/Practitioner-in-Residence/Supervising Attorney before coming to Earthjustice.

During law school, Cady was Editor-in-Chief of the Race & Social Justice Law Review and co-founder of the school’s Law Students for Reproductive Justice Chapter. Her articl,e Environmental Justice and Community-Based Reparations, 39 SEATTLE U. L. REV. 1327 (2016), was published in the Seattle Law Review.

Anastasia Mikhalochkina, Founder of Lean Orb

An environmental advocate, Anastasia creates conversations about waste optimization, industrial composting and circular design. She's a founder of the local company that offers plant-based packaging in the hospitality sector. Her mission is to change the culture around single-use plastics while promoting waste solutions that bring the South Florida region to the forefront of the environmental movement. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Kelly Cox, Miami Waterkeeper

Kelly serves as Staff Attorney and Program Director for Miami Waterkeeper, where she works on a wide range of programs and with its talented volunteer legal team to ensure swimmable, drinkable, and fishable water for South Florida. Kelly is adjunct faculty at the University of Miami and she enjoys teaching the next generation about important environmental issues in Miami-Dade and beyond.

Saira Fida, Co-Founder of Debris Free Oceans

In Miami, Saira co-founded and serves as the Board Treasurer and program lead for sustainability consulting services of Debris Free Oceans (DFO), a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating marine debris from our beaches, reefs, and oceans. DFO hosts a myriad of events, the most popular being the education and outreach events. These range from education programs in the local public schools, which explain the issues to the students of our community, to bringing these same students into the outdoors to directly see the issues and assist with clean-ups (shorelines and, when possible, the deeper oceans through scuba diving events). Saira incorporates sustainability into her daily life and her passion is to educate the community on how the transition from convenience living to making sustainable choices can be seamless and effortless.

Ian Wogan, Co-Founder & Arborist of True Tree Service

Ian has initiated and been involved in a wide range of arboriculture-based projects, including mangrove management, native habitat restoration, hurricane preparation and post-storm recovery efforts, tree mitigation, adaptive tree management strategies in the urban environment, specimen tree restoration and management planning and land-use/development consultation.

Most recently, Ian is pursuing registration with the American Society of Consulting Arborists and has been elected President of the Tropical Arborist Guild. He has been working closely on projects with the city of Miami to guide solutions in the management, protection & restoration of the urban canopy.

Drink Beer and Do Something Good for the Planet at Earth Day at The Yard

by Franchesca de la Cruz and Julie Frans

Keeping your Beer Cold Helps the Environment

Social drinking is a ritualized act. Certain "social norms" of consumption make the setting appropriate or acceptable. For example, when we are out at a bar with friends, ordering multiple drinks that come in plastic cups, do we question it? Do we consider that not only do plastic cups not keep beer cold, but how many plastic cups are being thrown away after only being used once?  

Our automatic behavior is to order another beer and another (and another?) in ANOTHER plastic cup--doubling, tripling, quadrupling (!) the waste when we throw away the (consequently) warm beer AND the plastic cup! Imagine the number of plastic cups going into landfills and oceans while we are enjoying ourselves.  It''s pretty mind-blowing when you start thinking about it. So much  plastic (and beer?) wasted...

via Saltwater Brewery

So, what's the best way to enjoy a cold brew while also being environmentally conscious? Yes, environmentally-conscious beer drinking is a thing! Sounds complicated and weird but it's genius. Why? because instead of using multiple plastic cups, you use your own stainless steel cup!

As many of you already know, The Wynwood Yard and Debris Free Oceans joined forces to bring us the greatest idea ever for beer drinkers, as well as juice, smoothies, and lemonade drinkers….  the reusable Klean Kanteen cup. Not only are these cups significantly reducing the number of plastic cups being used, they also keep your beer (or lemonade) cold for a longer period of time. GENIUS!

You can purchase these Klean Kanteen cups from The Bar at The Yard. You get $1 back on every draft beer purchased at The Bar at The Yard forever after. The Yard ALSO offers plenty of local craft brews, which not only reduces our carbon footprint, but also supports local craftspeople who care about sustainability and quality. It's a win-win!

Bartender Courtney with our reusable cup at The Bar at The Yard: Get $1 off every draft beer purchase forever when you use this cup

On Saturday, April 21st, The Bar at the Yard celebrates Earth Day at The Yard with a six-hour long happy hour. So you have ALL day to propose a toast to Mother Earth. From 12 pm to 6 pm enjoy $6 beers and keg wines, featuring our local sponsors Concrete Beach Brewery, Saltwater Brewery, and South Beach Brewing Company who sponsored kegs for a good cause.

But wait there's more:

When you buy ANY of the following beers (in a Klean Kanteen cup we hope) proceeds go to environmental organizations:

 Concrete Beach proceeds go to Surfrider Miami, an organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves, and beaches.

Saltwater Brewing proceeds go to Debris Free Oceans, an association that inspires local communities to responsibly manage the lifecycle of plastics and waste as part of a global effort to eradicate marine debris.

South Beach Brewing proceeds go to VolunteerCleanup.Org, a couple on a mission to raise awareness about marine debris through education, activism, and action.

The Wynwood Yard is also reducing waste and the need for recycling, as we have turned to keg wine for our white and red house options at Bar at the Yard.  They are also $6 from 12-6pm. We reduce & reuse what we can, then recycle everything else that is recyclable. (We wish plastic cups were recyclable but in Miami… they’re not. Bring your reusable one!)

Since we're on the topic of environmental activism... and drinking beer... This month we have a very special Keg & Clean as part of our larger Earth Day / Earth Month celebration at The Wynwood Yard. We’ll spend the day celebrating our earth and learning more about what we can do to reduce our carbon footprint, one step at a time. We'll finish up the day of fun, education, and activities with real action... cleaning up our city streets.

Included in the $20 participation fee is a reusable Klean Kanteen cup, a complimentary draft beer at the entry to the cleanup, PLUS $1 back on every draft beer purchased ever at The Bar at The Yard forever after.  Besides the regular clean-up materials (trash bags, gloves, pickers, directions), you'll receive sponsored bites and drinks as we travel through the neighborhood, making pit stops at Division Surf & Skate Shop, Concrete Beach Brewery, and R House with Bousa Beer. Finish at the Yard around 6:30 pm. Proceeds raised will benefit Debris Free Oceans and Surfrider Miami. Pre-register here.

Environmentally-conscious drinking is a culture shift. It's all about becoming aware of the activities we engage in that we consider normal, but are in fact are harming our environment. You can still have fun and go out for a beer, but take your cup with you, and inspire others to be part of a new eco-conscious cultural norm.

Earth Day for Everyone at The Wynwood Yard: Foodies, Crafters, Herbalists and Fashionistas

While it’s widely accepted that healthy food choices help us prevent disease, maintain balance, and live a healthy life, how often do we consider how our healthy choices also play into the health of the planet? Or how interconnected the health of our planet is to our own health as individuals and as a community? How can we hope to be truly, wholly healthy beings, if our daily choices and habits do not coincide with a healthy planet?

On April 21st, join us at Earth Day at The Yard for a day of fun, learning, classes and workshops to get you thinking and acting in more green ways.   

Image courtesy of Pamela Wasabi

Cooking to save the Earth

Learn how to make delicious plant-based recipes, get  “tip to tail” cooking guidance from the pros at Miami smokers and make “scissor salsa” with your kids at one of the three cooking classes in the Yardbox, located behind the garden:

Learn how to make quick and simple plant-based recipes like creamy avocado bisque and pancakes with maple cashew cream at home with beloved Miami cookie-maker, cookbook author and proponent of “eating more beauty,” Pamela Wasabi. From 11 am to 12 pm ($20, pre-register here. Space is limited).

Little humans can cook too! You’ll be surprised to see how well kids will eat their veggies when they’re able to pick the ingredients from the garden, and make the food with their own little hands. Join Mimi Chacin of Skills! Culinary for the special, hands-on kids’ cooking class from 1-2pm. Little cooks will make “scissor salsa” and blender pesto after harvesting in the garden, and they’ll have fun learning how to make veggies delicious ($15, pre-register here. Space is limited).

Calling all carnivores! Have you ever wondered what your meat eats before you eat it? If you are what you eat, you should know what your food eats and how it’s raised.  Where does it come from and what are the supplier’s environmental, social and ethical practices? Learn how to distinguish high quality meat, and where to find it. The experts at Miami Smokers will discuss heritage breeds, sourcing, and using the whole animal in respect of the food we eat. You’ll learn how to make sausage using different cuts of the meat, and homemade sauerkraut to accompany the sausage. Best part? At the end, it’s time to eat! ($20, pre-register here. Space is limited).

The Wynwood Yard is also hosting additional food workshops and stations throughout the day including:

Create your own trail mix with Whole Foods Market from 12 pm to 3 pm behind the garden pergola using tasty selections from their bulk bin of yummy items. You'll receive a reusable container, courtesy of Preserve Products, to mix up your own to-go snack. **Bring in your #5 plastics to The Yard where there will be Preserve Gimme 5 bins to better discard your yogurt cartons, cottage cheese tubs, and hummus containers.

Earth-conscious folks don’t have to wear burlap and Birkenstocks

Did you buy some beads or paint for crafting or ribbons for gifting, used a little and ended up with a bunch of leftovers that just ended up laying around your house? Bring those materials and learn how to make rad upcycled bracelets with The Full Edit. This kid- and adult-friendly workshop is from 2 to 4 p.m.  The Full Edit’s business is based around an eco-centered purpose--it’s a professional closet editing service that helps people organize their space and upcycle their fashion waste.

Learn how to share space with Mother Nature

The feathery stars of Jungle Island want to hang with the community on the mainland. Bring your little humans to The Yard for an exciting educational experience. Animals such as Jungle Island's famous parrots will make an exclusive appearance at Charcoal Garden Bar and Grill. Learn about the other species that share the planet with us and why it’s important to protect them. Activities will include hands-on animal interactions and surprise activations and will run from 11 am to 2 pm. Register here so you don’t miss this experience!

Healthy soil is an essential element in forming the foundation of our food supply. Soil feeds the ecosystem and by composting organic material, we can feed the soil. Composting is one of the best ways to go green and recycle in a sustainable manner. Learn how to start your own composting system with Composting 101, a free workshop hosted by The Worm Whisperer. From 12 pm to 1 pm in the garden.

Learn how to harvest and make your own home remedies with farmers & herbalists Katia Bechara and Gabriela Serra of Mother Earth Miami Farm. They’ll teach the Herbalist Gardening Workshop from 2 pm to 4 pm in the garden. This workshop will demonstrate all the different ways to use plants as medicine (infusions, decoctions, poultices, etc) with an overview of the most common medicinal plants found in subtropical Miami. We’re trying to break free from plastic and waste so we strongly encourage our participants to bring their own jars with proper lids. For the oil, you’ll want to bring a small 4-oz glass jars and for the salve, you’ll want to bring a ½- or 1-oz jar (tin or glass). ($25, pre-register here. Space is limited).

Via @workshpp.taller.atelye

Create your very own tiny ecosystem with The Workshop Taller Ateyle at The Wynwood Yard. Build a terrarium from 2pm to 4pm. Taller Atelye will teach little humans how to create beautiful and unique plant art. This is a fun and artistic way to introduce children to gardening. Prices vary based on size of terrarium, see available ticket options here.

Move your body

Join us for two fitness classes throughout the day: at 11 a.m., parents and kids can enjoy fitness together with Loop Family Fit + Play , followed by Yoga for Mama Earth at noon with Ahana Yoga and Dawn B.

To see our full schedule and RSVP for Earth Day at The Yard click here.

Time for Spring Cleaning : Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse!

by Julie Frans and Franchesca de la Cruz

Our planet currently has 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic garbage on it.  91% of all plastic can't be recycled, and it takes over 400 years to start to degrade.  Much of this plastic is "single-use" plastic, or something we use ONE time, throw away, and contaminates our planet for centuries.

If we continue with this trend, by the year 2050, there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic waste on our planet... in litter, landfills, and oceans. It's hard to imagine.

It’s critical for us to be mindful of our actions in order to keep our only planet clean. First, we need to consider what items we use and discard that could be replaced with reusable items. Think cups, bottles, straws, bags… Let’s consider first what waste could be reduced by reusing.

Next, let’s think about what items could be repurposed or “upcycled” rather than discarded and sent to landfills.  DIY inspiration is all over the place these days, encouraging us to reuse textiles, vessels, and more.

When we have reduced waste as much as possible, then we turn our sights to recycling. Unfortunately, the list of what actually gets recycled is very limited, including items like certain plastics, aluminum and tin cans, and in some (but not all) cities, glass. Recycling can be tricky, as there can be no food or drink in items getting recycled, the bags cannot be contaminated at all, and recycling can only go in clear bags or no bags. If any of these conditions are not right, there is a good chance the remaining items don’t get recycled. Our recycling plants are so overloaded and lacking in resources and manpower, the amount of items actually being recycled is not as great as we would like to think.

When we think about our Spring Cleaning, let’s reduce where we can, then reuse what we can, then recycle what is left that can be recycled.

Visit The Wynwood Yard on Earth Day to learn all of the ways that you can reduce, reuse, and recycle to make the most of your efforts.

REDUCE

Some companies have embarked upon more innovative forms of reducing harmful plastic waste by creating other products instead. For example one of our Earth Day sponsors Saltwater Brewery, a Florida-based brewery, has taken the green initiative in using the E6PR™ (Eco Six Pack Ring). This eco-friendly six-pack ring is made from compostable non-toxic material design to replace plastic rings. How cool is that?!

Image via @saltwaterbrewery

Visit our booths at Earth Day to learn more about reducing your use of single-use plastics. Debris Free Oceans has just launched a really fun #MiamiisnotPlastic campaign to help us keep Miami clean and maintain our #sexybeach.  Lean Orb and Surfrider are a few other organizations that propose that we first REDUCE, then recycle.

You may have noticed  that The Wynwood Yard has initiatives in place that reduce waste, like our “no straw” initiative at the two bars, our “no styrofoam” policy throughout the yard, a variety of biodegradable packaging offered at food trucks like della bowls and House of Mac, and our offering of reusable cups sold at the bar to reduce single-use plastics going to landfills. Best news about the cups? You get $1 off every beer when you bring your own cup!

REUSE

Earth Day at the Yard will offer a number of ways to help you reuse unwanted items, and think about new ways to upcycle old things.

Donate feel-good Books to the new Positivity Library at Jackson Hall

The same team that brings you The Wynwood Yard will open a new venue in the Miami Medical District. Once it opens on April 17th, Jackson Hall will incorporate six healthy concepts with one purpose. The space features a library created for guests of all ages (in collaboration with Books & Books), filled with books that make you laugh, lift your spirits, transform your mindset, and motivate wellness and positive thinking.

Bring your book donations for the swap section of the Positivity Library to Earth Day at The Yard.

Upcycling as a fashion statement

Have old clothes you no longer want? Don’t donate them... upcycle them!  Since 95% of all textiles CAN BE recycled, we should be repurposing them rather than throwing them out or donating them.  Only 10% of donated clothes actually gets sold or used, while much of it goes to landfills.

Bring your unwanted clothes to The Yard for upcycling! Professional organizer and designer Colleen Coughlin from The Full Edit will host an upcycling workshop from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Colleen will teach how to make upcycled denim bracelets and speak about the importance of sustainable fashion and the goal of eliminating waste. You won't have to bring your own fabric to the workshop. However, if you do want to donate clothes for the workshop please bring gently used clothes, any ribbons, bows, old beaded jewelry, or art supplies you no longer want.

There will be bins at the entrance for all unwanted clothes. The clothes donated will be added to the 4,094 lbs TheFullEdit has eliminated from the waste stream.

Eco-conscious DIY projects with upcycling

Why you’re probably already doing it and why you should probably do more of it

Upcycling is taking old bell bottom jeans and turning them into new stylish shorts. It’s also using the empty pasta sauce Mason jar and turning it into a storage container for cereal. Upcycling is essentially reducing waste and taking materials that one might have originally considered garbage and turning them into a product that creatively changes its purpose and value.

image via @upcyclethat

Refurbishing a product is not only creative and useful, it’s also environmentally friendly. However, it’s not a new concept--in fact, many of us have upcycled without even knowing it,  like using a shoe box to store art supplies.Upcycling has become more popular as we become more aware of how waste impacts our planet and the urgency of being more environmentally conscious. Check out this beautiful glass bottle lamp from Upcycle That; a platform for upcycling DIY tips and inspiration.

Glass is an excellent element that can both be recycled and repurposed. If you have unwanted glass containers bring them to Earth Day at The Yard where Allapattah Candle Company will accept any glass jars and aluminum containers to repurpose and reuse for candles. This a great opportunity to support sustainability and local businesses that represent green initiatives.

image via @allapattahcandleco

image via @allapattahcandleco

RECYCLE

What is recycling and why is it important?

As you probably know, recycling is the process of taking consumer items like paper, plastic, and glass and breaking them down to convert them into new materials and products. This process generally downcycles items and the material is used to make something completely different. However, that does not mean the final product loses its value--the material is simply being transformed into another useful item. Sometimes the consumer item is used for the same purpose such as wine bottles. Paper, for example, is recycled and turned into pulp, and then used to create more paper.

Recycling is critical because this is the only planet we know that can sustain us and we have to take care of it. Our human activities have had a negative impact on the environment and we have to collectively take action in reducing waste. Recycling also reduces the amount of energy used daily, by reducing the need to produce new materials. This reduces the greenhouse gasses that go into our atmosphere.

Plastic is complicated and a lot of us are not aware that certain plastics do not get discarded properly even after we place them to be recycled. But if you are a pro recycler you know for a fact that #5 plastic containers are usually not accepted and an extra step is necessary to recycle these items in an environmentally safe way. These plastics are the very common yogurt cups, cream cheese tubs, hummus tubs, or Tupperware.

Visit Whole Foods at Earth Day at the Yard

Whole Foods Market collects #5 plastics at all locations.  They collect yogurt containers, cottage cheese containers,cream cheese containers, and other white plastics, and work with Preserve to manage full circle recycling. The “Gimme 5” recycling program turns these #5 plastics into usable items like toothbrush handles and containers.  Bring your #5 plastic containers to Earth Day at The Yard where you can participate in the Whole Foods : Create Your Own Trail Mix station. There will be a recycling box at the entrance of The Yard for additional (clean) plastics to discard, and your trail mix will come in a recycled container made possible through this unique program.

Look for the blue bins around the yard to recycle your bottles, cans, and other items. Remember to empty them before they go in the bin, and to never put soiled food containers or plastic cups in the bins.

Infographic via Webstaurant Store

Hello, 2018! What Lies Ahead for the Yard [Infographic]

Happy new year to The Wynwood Yard community! You--our stakeholders--have helped us create this place and we are so grateful to you. So we thought we’d take a minute to reflect on what we have all created together at The Wynwood Yard in 2017 and what lies ahead in 2018. Thank you to our guests, team members, entrepreneurs, sponsors, event partners, musicians and artists for contributing your loyalty, love, and talents to this magical space.

We welcome your thoughts on this new year as well. We have created a survey to get your feedback on what draws you to The Wynwood Yard and what you would love to see in the coming year.

Thank you to the members of our team who worked to collect the information and create this infographic, particularly to Genesis Cosme, our graphics wunderkind!

Entrepreneur Profile: Ro Espinoza of Tedge Mindful Coworking

Meet our new neighbor: Ro Espinoza! She’s the co-founder of Tedge Mindful Coworking, which launched a couple of months ago down the street in Midtown.

What exactly is Tedge Mindful Coworking? Ro explains it this way: “We rent workspaces with soul on a monthly basis. Depending on the person’s need, they choose a membership i.e., virtual office, dedicated desk, studio, or private office and enjoy the different wonders of the Tedge World: physical group activities, soul development workshops, meditations, healthy food access, and a community of conscious entrepreneurs.”

Ro and co-founder Fabiana Trevino purposely designed the space for a more homey and welcoming vibe than either traditional offices, co-working spaces or even startups. At Tedge, you’ll find a vintage sewing machine, like your abuela might have used, as well as diffusers for the essential oil aroma of the day. Tedge also offers weekly yoga classes and daily meditations in the membership, along with organic coffee and healthy food/exercise subscriptions (coming soon!)

….

Ro says she is “passionate about discovering the process of entrepreneurship.” This is the 25-year-old Venezuelan’s first business and she’s learned a lot, some by sheer luck. What has surprised her most? “The unexpected circumstances and risks that come along despite all of the calculations we made. Looking back, I now think: “Had I known this was a possibility, I would have never taken the risk; I’m glad I didn’t know.”

Meet Ro, and learn more about Tedge Mindful Coworking, at our Young Entrepreneurs Day on January 20th.  Tedge is a generous sponsor of our event!

“Our main focus is community. We strive to create it, grow it, and learn from it to better serve it. I believe this is exactly what Wynwood Yard does in their own magical frequency, and that is why it’s so easy to collaborate with The Yard.” Ro’s favorite parts of #yardlife? “Playing with my friend’s children in the green space, eating #dellabowls, all while listening to live reggae!”

For the month of January, #tedge is extending a two-day free trial + 15% off the first month. Talk to them at tedge.co.