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 April 2026
Welcome to the city of Clearwater’s sustainability and resiliency newsletter!
 This newsletter aims to serve as a communication tool for progress made on Greenprint 2.0, the city’s Sustainability Action Plan and sustainability-related events, programs, volunteer opportunities and tips.
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Earth Month Events
April is Earth Month! What better way to celebrate our planet than by making every day Earth Day? The city of Clearwater invites you to honor the Earth with a variety of fun, educational and family-friendly events happening throughout the community. In recognition of this celebration, Mayor Bruce Rector has an official proclamation designating April as Earth Month. Visit a full list of related events.
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Earth Month Kickoff, Moccasin Lake Nature Park, Wednesday, April 1: Bird Blind Project | 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.; Wednesday, April 8: Turtle Pond Workday | 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Sustainability team will be participating at events tagged with * -- Stop by to pick up sustainability swag and learn about our Resilient Clearwater campaign!
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Wyland Water Challenge
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Join Clearwater in the 16th Annual Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, April 1–30. Take the pledge to conserve water, reduce waste and make simple, meaningful changes at home. From fixing leaks to using reusable bags or planting Florida-native landscaping, every action adds up. Pledge today and help Clearwater become one of the most water-wise cities in the nation - plus, you could win eco-friendly prizes. |
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Neighborhoods Day
 Clearwater’s Neighborhoods Day on March 28 brought the community together with 35 block parties across the city. Sustainability staff visited more than 20 neighborhoods, sharing information on the Resilient Clearwater: Stormwater Campaign and Adopt-A-Drain program. We value this opportunity to meet residents where they are and have meaningful, two-way conversations about protecting our community.
Pictured: Sustainability Manager, Cassie Cordova, at the Sandy Ridge Drive Neighborhoods Day Celebration
Municipal Services Complex: Sustainability
The city of Clearwater is committed to implementing sustainability practices, demonstrated during last year’s renovation of the city’s Municipal Services Building (MSB), which required a large portion of staff to be relocated for nine months. Furniture, equipment and technology from MSB were repurposed across temporary office locations. The city also acquired gently used furniture originally slated for disposal, giving them a second life in workspaces across Clearwater. During decommissioning, additional furniture and materials were either reincorporated into newly renovated facilities, donated to local businesses or properly recycled. The city also reused packing materials, including boxes and bubble wrap from the moves out and back in.
Additionally, the city is currently building its new City Hall, which will be the city’s first LEED certified building, aiming for LEED Silver. Stay tuned for more details on all the sustainable features of our city’s new home.
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Adopt-A-Drain Program is Live
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Clearwater’s Adopt-A-Drain Program officially launched during Rubber Ducky’s Birthday Bash at Coachman Park in mid-January. This initiative gives residents, neighborhoods and community groups a simple, hands-on way to help protect our environment and reduce localized flooding.
By adopting a storm drain, you help keep leaves, trash and other debris off the grate. Adopt-a-Drain helps reinforce the city-wide campaign, “Only Rain Down the Drain,” as most storm drains flow directly into Tampa Bay and the Gulf. When you adopt a drain, you’re preventing pollution, protecting wildlife and supporting the resilience and beauty of Clearwater!
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Pictured: Clearwater youths playing the ‘Save the Ducks’ game, which involved removing litter and debris from the water to protect ducks, demonstrating how the Adopt-a-Drain program keeps pollution out of our local waterways protecting all our wildlife.
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Mayors' Monarch Completion
In January 2026, the city of Clearwater officially completed the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, an initiative sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation that encourages local leaders to protect and restore habitat for monarch butterflies and other essential pollinators. Over the past year, Clearwater launched a comprehensive public outreach campaign, ‘Pollinator Power,’ to support pollinator populations. Additionally, city libraries added pollinator-friendly flower seeds to their Seed Library and the city hosted our annual Arbor Day tree giveaway.
By fulfilling the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge, Clearwater reaffirms its commitment to supporting monarchs and other pollinators, recognizing their essential role in biodiversity, food production and ecological health. To build on last year’s success, the city has signed the pledge again for 2026! Stay tuned for more details on another proclamation with new initiatives!
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Recycling in Clearwater: Simplify to 5
 The Sustainability team partnered with Parks & Recreation at the Sea-Blues Festival on Feb. 28 and March 1, staffing the recycling tent and educating attendees about Clearwater’s “Simplify to 5” recycling approach. Because recycling rules can vary from city to city, Clearwater promotes this simple message to make recycling easier and more accessible: focus on the five most common recyclable materials – plastic, paper, metal, glass and cardboard.
To keep recycling effective, never place trash or non-recyclable items in your bin, as they can contaminate the entire load. Items should also be free of food residue; for example, the bottom of a pizza box with grease cannot be recycled, but the lid can! When we recycle correctly, we help reduce waste, save energy and ensure that valuable materials are reused.
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Resilient Clearwater: Plants & Trees
This spring let’s support our community from the soil up! Planting and caring for plants and trees native to Florida is key for maintaining resilient landscapes that are adapted to local conditions, support wildlife, keep neighborhoods shaded, require less water and create greener, healthier communities.
Native plants and trees benefit YOU! How, you may ask? Species native to Pinellas County are naturally suited to our climate, meaning they:
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Reduce water use and lower utility costs
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Improve stormwater infiltration and decrease runoff
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Support native pollinators and local wildlife
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Enhance community resilience to heat and storms
Whether you’re refreshing your lawn or starting a wildflower garden, planting native will help your landscape thrive with less - and give you more in return.
For a list of species most readily found and recommended as suitable trees in Clearwater click below and view the Recommended Trees section, which includes shade trees, accent trees and palms.
For a full list of species native to Florida, visit Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) Plant Database. Search by conditions such as available light, type of plant (tree, shrub, vine, etc.), salt flooding tolerance, color of flower, what type of wildlife you want to support and more. Click 9B, 10A and 10B or Pinellas County for our climate zone.
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municipal energy savings program continues to deliver results as the program enters the last quarter of 4th performance year, achieving an overall 15.7% reduction in energy use and a total cost avoidance of $4,377,119. After accounting for program costs since its launch in April 2022, the city has achieved net cost savings of $2.22 million.
During Energy Specialist Fabian’s regular audit, he noted that despite the busy holiday months of November and December, Parks & Rec staff did a great job in conserving energy after events! Public Utilities Complex staff also did a fantastic job at setting back AC temperatures during unoccupied times.
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CONTACT THE SUSTAINABILITY TEAM
If you have questions about the city's sustainability or environmental programs, email our sustainability team: Sustainability & Environmental Division Manager Cassie Cordova, Sustainability Specialist Melody, Sustainability Intern Caitlin Lynch.
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Sea Turtle Awareness Day Lake Cleanup
April 4 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
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Florida Solar 101
April 23 | 6 p.m.-7 p.m.
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2026 Hurricane Preparedness Day
May 30 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
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