Nowhere captures the spirit of Miami like Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. Tourists take pictures in front of the famous clock, with its thermometer; the sound of revving engines fills the air as cars creep slowly down the street.
To see and be seen – that’s the Miami motto. People here like to have horsepower under the hood, and they like to show it. It’s all about making an impression. Concern for the environment takes a back seat, to say the least.
Miami is by no means the only American city where cars are such an integral part of everyday life, but it is a prime example. The streets are clogged with traffic jam after traffic jam, and the air is thick with exhaust fumes.
And yet, nature is also an important part of Miami’s identity. The city is framed by two national parks – the Everglades with its unique swamplands to the west, and the Biscayne National Park to the south. The magnificent sandy beaches in the area are a huge draw for tourists.
As a result, efforts have been growing on the part of politicians and local residents to protect Miami’s natural beauty and the local ecosystem.
Plastic has been banned on Miami Beach, for example – a highly unusual move in the US. No plastic bottles or cups, no food “to go” packed in Styrofoam.
On the beach and in the parks, visitors are also reminded by signs to keep things clean by taking their rubbish away with them. There are rows of huge waste containers behind the beach houses, and anyone caught “littering” faces a 1,500-dollar fine.
Even so, there is still a need for regular beach clean-up sessions carried out by both private and public groups. They remove trash that has found its way from the sea onto the beach, and help prevent new debris from getting into the sea.
The Palms Hotel and Spa in Miami Beach has an environmental action plan called “Inspired by Nature.” As part of the programme, staff take part in beach cleaning sessions once every three months.
The plan also includes measures such as limiting the use of air conditioning, reducing waste and recycling where possible, and changing towels and sheets only when guests have requested it.
The hotel’s restaurant, Essensia, has its own garden where tropical fruits and herbs are grown for use in food and parties. The restaurant also has a so-called “farm-to-table” philosophy, with the products guaranteed to have come from farms in the region.
And what about solar panels? After all, the sun shines more than 300 days a year in Miami.
“We are looking into it,” says Tanja Morariu, head of the Inspired by Nature programme. The main problem is that in the hurricane season, the panels might be ripped from the rooftops. This would not only be expensive to fix, but also dangerous. “That’s the reason we haven’t decided [on solar panels] so far,” Morariu says.
Along with other hotel operators, Morariu is a member of the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association’s Sustainable Hospitality Council, a body where new ideas for sustainability projects are hatched.
Public transport is also an important part of the fight. Miami now has a “Metromover” – an electrically powered, fully automated rail system – that runs through the downtown area and is free of charge.
There are also tourist buses known as trolleys, as well as rental bicycles. Users insert a credit card in a solar-powered pay station, take a bike and off they go. It costs 6.50 dollars per hour, or 24 dollars a day.
Meanwhile, older buildings in Miami are being renovated while new, environmentally friendly ones are being built. For example, the huge American Airlines Arena has a more than 2,000-square-metre canopy with integrated solar collectors.
The recently opened Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science makes a sustainability statement by allowing winds from the ocean to waft through the building, which is open in places. It also has solar trees – decorative structures that hold multiple solar panels in the shape of a tree.
Naturally, the museum – which also houses an aquarium and a small zoo 0 requires a great deal of water and energy. But much of it is produced directly on the premises.
“The water for the aquarium comes directly from the bay right out front,” notes Trevor Powers, one of the building’s chief engineers.
Another environmental highlight in Miami is the architecture of the Brickell City Center (BCC) in the financial district – a hotel and leisure complex that also contains luxury apartments.
Architect Hugh Dutton has connected the complex’s three towers with a so-called Climate Ribbon, a 30-million-dollar elevated trellis.
The ribbon, which resembles a horizontal shutter blind, assures that no direct sunlight falls on the shops, while also channelling sea breezes through the complex.
The BCC is connected by the Metromover – as is the Frost Museum, at the other end of the line. Developers say their intention was to create “a genuine district” where people can live well, while also causing minimal damage to the environment.
Every Saturday, a traditional market is held beneath the trestles of the Climate Ribbon: farm-to-table shopping in the heart of downtown Miami. – DPA

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