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<p class="MsoNormal">We encourage you to join the DEP initiative “Skip the Straw”:
<a href="https://floridadep.gov/waste/waste/campaign/skip-straw">https://floridadep.gov/waste/waste/campaign/skip-straw</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:black">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 20, 2018<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:black">CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, <a href="mailto:DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us"><span style="color:#1D5782;text-decoration:none">DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:black">DEP Encourages Floridians to Celebrate Earth Day<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
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<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue"">~Join a cleanup, enjoy a festival or pledge to reduce waste~<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><img border="0" width="448" height="244" style="width:4.6666in;height:2.5416in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/FLDEP/2018/04/1902632/1898625/earth-day-press-release-photo-2_crop.jpg" alt="Coastal Cleanup Event for Earth Day"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<strong><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:#323232">DEP educates the public through events and initiatives.</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:#323232"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:#323232">TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Department of Environmental Protection encourages residents and visitors to reduce plastic waste and protect Florida's environment on Earth Day, April
22. DEP is celebrating Earth Day by hosting <a href="https://floridadep.gov/waste/waste/campaign/content/join-cleanup-skip-straw">
<span style="color:#1D5782">events and festivals</span></a> across the state focused on volunteerism, outdoor recreation and natural resource protection.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="gdp" style="margin-bottom:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:#323232">"Whether it’s cleaning up coastlines, or committing to recycling and producing less waste, everyone can play a role in environmental protection,"
said DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein. "I encourage Floridians to spend Earth Day outside celebrating our state’s natural beauty and resources."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="gdp" style="margin-bottom:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:#323232">To coincide with Earth Day, DEP has launched a voluntary initiative to encourage Florida residents and visitors to reduce their plastic use
and "skip the straw" for one week. Plastic straws are one of the many single-use plastics that litter beaches, pollute oceans and harm wildlife. Learn more about the
<a href="https://floridadep.gov/waste/waste/campaign/skip-straw"><span style="color:#1D5782">Skip the Straw</span></a> initiative, and
<a href="https://floridadep.gov/waste/waste/campaign/content/take-pledge-skip-straw">
<span style="color:#1D5782">take a pledge</span></a> to reduce plastic pollution.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="gdp" style="margin-bottom:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:#323232">Earth Day is also an opportunity for everyone to rethink their recycling practices and reset their behavior. About 30 percent of all household
materials recycled in Florida are incorrectly disposed. DEP has partnered with the Florida Recycling Partnership, Waste Management, MARPAN, Waste Connections, Single Stream Recyclers LLC and local recycling coordinators to decrease recycling contamination
and encourage proper curbside recycling practices through the <a href="http://floridarecycles.org/">
<span style="color:#1D5782">Rethink. Reset. Recycle.</span></a> project. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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