Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful honors Sunshine Health for its commitment to sustainability
Date: 12/17/20
Tampa, Fla.
Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful honored Sunshine Health at its socially distanced December awards ceremony for its commitment to keeping Tampa Bay and all of Florida beautiful through sustainable business practices on Dec. 3, 2020.
Sunshine Health donated money to purchase an Augmented Reality Sandbox for Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful’s new Environmental Education Center. The sandbox teaches students how trash travels and impacts the ecosystem.
Sunshine Health has always been committed to sustainability and the environment. In 2020, Sunshine Health eliminated single-use coffee cups, cutlery and paper plates from its break rooms across the state and asked employees to sign a pledge vowing to bring their own reusable cups and utensils. For every signature, the company donated $5.
“Earlier this year we made a pledge to keep 31,000 cups, paper plates and plastic utensils out of landfills,” said Elizabeth Miller, CEO of Centene’s Florida health plans, which include Sunshine Health and WellCare of Florida. “It’s a way we could have a big impact quickly. Imagine the positive environmental impact if every corporation in Florida did this.”
Sunshine Health’s effort was statewide, but it directed its donation to Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful in Hillsborough County. Sunshine Health has an office and hundreds of employees in the Tampa Bay region.
“We recently visited Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful’s new Environmental Learning Classroom on the Hillsborough River. They told us their dream piece of equipment was an AR Sandbox and that it would be a different experience for the kids every time they use it.” Miller said. “We were sold.”
Soon after the sandbox was purchased, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful joined most of the world in going into lockdown due to COVID-19 precautions.
“We’re eager to let the kids get their hands on it, but the lockdown has given us time to learn its many functions,” said Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful Executive Director Debbie Evenson. “The AR Sandbox was on our dream list, but we didn’t think we’d be able to get it this quickly. We’re very happy to have this new relationship with Sunshine Health.”
Top left: Miller is pictured with the award and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful Board President Stan Kroh. Top right: Students can mold the sand and make it come to life with an elevation color map, topographic contour lines and simulated water. Bottom: Liz Miller, CEO of Centene’s Florida health plans, accepts the award for Sunshine Health’s sustainability campaign at Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful’s new outdoor learning classroom.