As an avid kitesurfer, Karen Beber Futernick has seen more than her share of plastic bottles and beer cans floating aimlessly in the waters of Biscayne Bay.
Now, six months after being appointed to Key Biscayne’s Sustainability Advisory Board, Futernick has made a big impact, piloting an aluminum canned water recycling initiative during the Fourth of July parade to help create a more environmentally friendly community.
Although the amount of weight recycled from the 3,000 aluminum cans has yet to be tabulated, the result, at least at the onset, was the lowest use of plastic in any Key Biscayne parade in recent memory, according to Village officials.
Futernick’s “baby,” as she calls it, follows the June 1 implementation of a resolution that prohibits the use of single-use plastic products in all Village facilities, such as the government center, the Community Center and even parks. The Village previously banned polystyrene (Styrofoam) in those locations in 2014…