Greg Konrath of Marathon Garbage Service delivers recycle bins donated by the City of Marathon to Marathon High. Receiving the donation is MHS Green Club sponsor Melody Dodamead and several Green Club members, who are volunteering to increase recycling rates at the school.

Inspired by environmental nonprofit Green Living & Energy Education’s monthly newsletter and the increased attention to reducing, reusing, recycling and composting throughout the Keys, a group of Marathon High School students has formed a Green Club to promote eco-friendly practices at their school.

Posted - Sunday, November 23, 2008 05:21 PM EST

Solar panels tilt toward the sun in a field next to the FKEC Marathon Operations Center. When completed, the array will produce up to 97 kilowatts of electricity. (Photo by Chris Pankow/FKEC)

A half-acre solar array will be producing electricity for homes and businesses in the Florida Keys in the next few weeks.

Posted - Friday, November 21, 2008 08:08 AM EST

During the month of November, Green Living & Energy Education volunteers throughout the Keys are planning cleanups, workshops and fairs to provide the information needed to practice the 4 Rs — Reduce, Reuse, Rot and Recycle.

Posted - Saturday, November 08, 2008 06:35 PM EST

Do you use paper towels? How about plastic bags? What about those throwaway paper-based floor sweepers? Those raglike kitchen cleanup products? Plastic water bottles?

Posted - Saturday, November 08, 2008 06:29 PM EST

Green products touting environmental features such as “recyclable,” “biodegradable” and “eco-friendly” seem to be everywhere from grocery stores to card shops to car dealers.

Posted - Friday, November 07, 2008 12:00 AM EST

Traps litter Long Beach on Big Pine after storm season. According to a study released last week, 75 percent of the debris researchers found in ocean and bay waters surrounding the Keys was the result of lobster and crab trapping. (Photo by KAREN QUIST)

As Robert Keeley drove through Geiger Key one day last month, he caught a glimpse of something odd out of the corner of his eye. He backed up to get a better look. It was a white ibis, lurching about in a way that looked unnatural to Keeley, who works at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary office in Key West.

Posted - Sunday, November 02, 2008 03:00 AM EST

Question: We’ve got a lot of Christmas lights we’ve been using for years, but I keep seeing ads about new LED and other energy-efficient bulbs that use much less energy and cost a lot less to operate. Do you think it’s worth buying the new bulbs or won’t they make much of an actual difference?

Posted - Sunday, November 02, 2008 03:00 AM EST

When Gov. Charlie Crist signed The Energy, Climate Change, and Economic Security Act of 2008 into law this past summer, he established a statewide recycling goal of 75 percent, to be achieved by the year 2020. It’s a realistic goal, Crist said. After all, Floridians are already well on their way to hitting that mark, with a current statewide recycling rate of 25 percent and 12 years to make improvements.

Posted - Sunday, October 26, 2008 03:00 AM EDT

Question: I've been reading a lot about solar electric PV systems lately, and really would like one for my home. Do you think now is the time to buy, or should I wait for prices to come down and technology to get even better?

Posted - Sunday, October 05, 2008 10:23 AM EDT

Nettles Electric employees fill in ditches for inverters that will convert sunlight into AC power at the Florida Keys Electric Cooperative's new solar array.

The present-day impact on energy use of a new solar array being installed by the Florida Keys Electric Cooperative is akin to a drop in the bucket, but Chief Executive Officer Scott Newberry has a much larger picture in mind.

Posted - Sunday, September 28, 2008 12:33 PM EDT