''Earth Day Eve'' Extravaganza Celebrates Million Trees Miami's Greening Partners
(MIAMI, April 10, 2015) – On the Eve of Earth Day, Tuesday, April 21, from 6-9 p.m., hundreds of eco-minded young professionals will gather under the Banyans of Vizcaya Village for a fun evening that celebrates the 2015 planting season and the “greening” milestones of the Million Trees Miami initiative, as part of the first annual “Earth Day Eve; Get Your Green On” party. In addition to eco-networking in support of individuals and organizations greening Miami-Dade with gardens and trees, guests will enjoy food from local restaurants, music and specialty “green” cocktails. Like-minded professionals and volunteers are invited to participate in this “friendraiser” to grow the impact of everyone focused on greening the community. Admission is free with an advance RSVP by visiting http://www.bit.ly/EarthDayEve.
Speakers for this event will include Million Trees Miami and Neat Streets Miami chairman Miami-Dade County Commissioner Dennis C. Moss (District 9); Director of Urban Forest Programs for American Forest, Ian Leahy; and Slow Food Miami President Michele Benesch.
The 2015 “Earth Day Eve; Get Your Green On” is being presented by Million Trees Miami and Neat Streets Miami in partnership with Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Slow Food Miami, Deep Eddy Vodka, Papas Pilar Rum, Art Basil, Segafredo, Spazio Night Club, A Joy Wallace Catering Production, Food and Farm Magazine and Shake 108, who will provide music for the evening.
“I am proud to ring in the 2015 Earth Day with a “green” event of this caliber. I applaud Neat Streets Miami, Million Trees and their community partners for their commitment to helping us grow a “greener” community,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez.
“This is Million Trees Miami’s way of saying thank you to everyone who is making Miami-Dade a better place to live,” said Commissioner Moss. ”Our partners deserve recognition for all of their hard work in beautifying and maintaining our community.”
"We are proud to welcome to the Vizcaya Village—a historic agricultural space that we hope to restore for public enjoyment—all the great organizations and individuals who are contributing to the greening of Miami-Dade," said Dr. Joel Hoffman, Executive Director of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.
Vizcaya Village is located at 3250 South Miami Ave., adjacent to the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science parking lot. Transit, biking and walking is encouraged.
Formerly known as the Community Image Advisory Board, Neat Streets Miami launched the Million Trees Miami initiative in 2011 with the intent of empowering individuals and organizations to plant trees to ultimately reach a 30 percent tree canopy for Miami-Dade County by 2020. According to recent studies, Miami-Dade’s existing tree canopy is about 14 percent.
About Million Trees Miami and Neat Streets Miami
The Million Trees Miami Campaign is a community-wide effort to plant one million trees by 2020 in order to achieve a 30 percent tree canopy cover for Miami-Dade County. Launched by Neat Streets Miami, this campaign promotes a healthy and sustainable urban forest to achieve social, economic and environmental benefits. To find out how to participate in the campaign, visit the Million Trees Miami website.
Neat Streets Miami is a multi-jurisdictional board dedicated to the maintenance and beautification of Miami-Dade’s transportation corridors, gateways and connections. For more information, visit the Neat Streets Miami website.
About Vizcaya
About Vizcaya Museum & Gardens Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a National Historic Landmark that preserves the Miami estate of agricultural industrialist James Deering to engage our community and its visitors through the arts, history and the environment. Built between 1914 and 1922, Vizcaya is one of the most intact remaining architectural examples from this era in United States history, when the nation’s wealthy industrialists built lavish estates inspired by the palaces of Europe. Vizcaya features a Main House, 10 acres of formal gardens, a rockland hammock (native forest), mangrove shore and a historic village that will be restored for additional venues for programs and community outreach. For more information, visit the Vizcaya website.
About Slow Food Miami
From the Edible School & Community Gardens it plants to encourage the enjoyment of foods that are local, seasonal and sustainably grown, to supporting local growers and artisan food makers for their use of sustainable methods -- Slow Food Miami supports the local community “from the ground up.” Slow Food Miami is the local chapter of Slow Food USA and the International Slow Food Association. For more information, visit the Slow Food Miami website.