Sustany meets at 4 p.m. the third Monday of each month.

Tampa Bay’s Environment: The Buzz

At our annual event, the Sustainable Buzz organic wine tasting, we asked people to tell us their greatest environmental concerns.  See photos of the event and hear their answers in our blog.

The Circle of Sustany
Click below to join the Circle of Sustany with a gift of $20/month.

The Circle of Sustany
Click below to join the Circle of Sustany with a gift of $20/month.

A legacy of opportunity

Decades ago, Native Indians settled in Tampa Bay in the ecosystem they called “cotanchobee”—where the big water meets the land. Then came the Spanish conquistadors, seeking the secrets of youth and great wealth. Pioneer settlers, immigrants from Europe and Africa, and cigar makers followed. Of late travelers from northern states, Canada, South America, and even Asia have built new lives here, their hopes and dreams as varied and brilliant as the evening summer sky over the bay. All have helped sculpt our heritage and are bound by a common thread—a reverence to nature and the bounty it brings to a richer quality of life.

We’re fortunate to live in a region that has long been an almost perfect blend of natural resources, rich opportunity and welcoming climate¬—a formula that has developed into this region’s quality of life that we love.

But the mix is fragile. And our natural resources aren’t infinite.

We live at a critical juncture in our area’s history. Our communities¬—corporate and civic—are the final stewards of the land, water, air and vegetation that sustain Tampa Bay’s rich quality of life. We share this unique environment and must work to protect it.

So, the question is: How do we maintain opportunities for growth and business while, at the same time, sustain the environment that attracted many of us here? Equally important, how do we assure that both opportunity and our area’s natural resources extend to our children and future generations?