Besides our health, it’s pretty clear that as a society, we’re all taking for granted just how much we love going places and doing things. And here in sunny, swelter-y South Florida, we especially love being outside.

So here are a few ways you can celebrate the amazing ecosystem we call home all day long. And in some cases, all the time!

Experience the environment from home: 

The best thing about Earth Day in South Florida during the pandemic is the *amazing* way our national parks, museums, zoos, gardens and more have come together to celebrate with a FULL DAY –as in you could do something new every hour –with streamed content, conversations and live animals (obviously). You love to see it, folks.

Animals are SO. HAPPY. 

While morons continue to ruin everything by leaving their masks and gloves all over the place, marine life is thriving without boats around. Check out how animals around the world are enjoying the empty-ish streets.

Farm To You

A few weeks ago, Florida’s farmers were worried their harvests would go to waste. Now, due to their ingenuity, there is a resurgence of a local farm-to-table movement so strong that there’s a site where you can directly source produce and more from local farmers. Check it out here.

You can also shop virtual farmers’ markets if you miss perusing the stands. This list from Edible South Florida features lots of local favorites.

📊 By The Numbers — as of Tuesday. The state updates its testing numbers here twice daily, late morning and after 6 p.m.

• 26,761 positive cases in the state, up from 26,660 on Monday
• 839 deaths, up from 789 deaths Monday
• 244,711 people who’ve been tested don’t have COVID-19
• In Dade and Broward, we’re at 13,989 positives as of Monday
• Here’s a list of long-term care facilities affected by COVID-19 statewide.

💉Testing Updates — Here’s a list of testing sites in Miami, Broward and Monroe counties. Heads up that FIU has opened up a new site at the fairgrounds near their main campus. The call center opens at 9 a.m. and you must have an appointment to get tested. They’re taking 300 people per day. More information here.

In-home testing in Miami-Dade County is underway and is open to senior citizens and adults living with disabilities.

Remember, most testing facilities have some kind of prerequisite, be it an appointment or pre-screening. Look your facility up before showing up.

🗣️ Response —

Any parents with little ones know, the day-to-day is exhausting. Luckily, the state mandated that child care centers are essential–which is crucial for other essential workers with kids.

That said, care providers say DCF hasn’t provided any kind of protective equipment or sanitation supplies—which puts yet another group at risk for infection.

Another question that remains is whether Miami will shut down streets to ease the congestion from all the foot traffic. Six feet of space is hard to find when everyone seems to have taken up running during the pandemic.

🏨 Business Impact — With Royal Caribbean extending its pause of service until June and stories of cruise employee deaths surfacing, the cruise industry’s bounce back is a subject of much speculation.

The events industry is another one that’s difficult to gauge. Reliant on contractors and spreading far beyond venues and caterers–think planners, photographers, sound and AV, decor–business owners and event producers are left in a gray area when it comes to receiving federal aid.

🎓Schools — As we know, K-12 schools will not return to campus this school year. As far as higher education goes, colleges and universities are making tough decisions about commencement and whether to reopen in the fall.

❌ Closures, orders, and cancellations — Here’s a roundup of curfews and mandates that individual cities, towns, and villages in the 305 have ordered for their residents.

✅ Other helpful info — The Herald put together a list of resources for folks seeking unemployment help, child care, and some useful hotlines. Here’s a look at new operating hours for grocery stores, including hours designated for senior citizens to shop. And here are lists of local food spots offering takeout and delivery from the New Times and Infatuation Miami.

Sponsored by the Miami Dade College Foundation

Bulletin Board

🤝Launch that business you’ve been meaning to get off the ground. Swat 305–a small biz incubator of sorts from Krillion Ventures and the Knight Foundation–is hosting a digital coaching pop-up called Swat 1:1. Think business coaching that’s personalized to managing your start-up during these crazy times.

🏠Got real estate questions? Miami’s Community Newspaper is putting on a Facebook Live to answer questions about the impact of COVID-19 on real estate. Find out what all of the financial uncertainty could mean for South Florida homeowners and prospective buyers. Join here at 2 p.m. today.

🛏️Calling all hospitality workers. Mayor Gimenez himself will be tackling the issues plaguing the hospitality and tourism industry with other key thought leaders in the space, complete with a Q&A session immediately following. Consider joining to discuss what a road to recovery looks like. A Zoom meeting will be held here at 1:30 p.m. today.

We’ve compiled all of these COVID-19 bulletin board entries on our website.

We’ve continued to update this list so feel free to share any online events, volunteer opportunities or other ways for folks to get involved while staying safe. Hit reply and let us know or email us with the subject line COVID Bulletin Board. 

Thanks again to our Bulletin Board sponsor, the Miami Dade College Foundation. Head here to support their COVID-19 Student Relief Fund.

Ultimately, let’s hope this Earth Day, when we can’t safely enjoy all the natural beauty South Florida has to offer, we learn to appreciate it more.

BRB, going for a walk.

— The New Tropic