International fellows describe sustainability and waste-management projects after month in Deerfield Beach

Two Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) fellows presented their reciprocal sustainability projects and described a month-long exchange hosted by Deerfield Beach staff during the Oct. 21 commission meeting.

Chad Gresick, the city’s director of municipal services, and Hillary Silverstone, the city’s sustainability coordinator, introduced the fellows and outlined the host program that arranged departmental rotations across municipal services. The city hosted two fellows: Aminat (Thailand) and Marina (Cambodia). Staff said the program aimed to expose early-career sustainability professionals to municipal operations including solid-waste systems, water treatment, emergency management and community engagement.

Marina (Cambodia) described two waste-management initiatives she studied during her month in Deerfield Beach: a drop-off recycling center and a composting program. She said the recycling drop-off site provided education and a tracking system for participation; the composting program demonstrated how organic waste could be diverted from landfills and converted into compost to support local agriculture and household income. Marina said she plans to pilot a community project in Siem Reap Province that will teach household composting and reuse, promote the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), and encourage increased leadership roles for women in local environmental stewardship.

Aminat (Thailand) presented on municipal sustainability practices she observed and described reciprocal project plans focused on sustainable finance and policy engagement. She said she worked on marketing and outreach concepts while in Deerfield Beach and intends to pursue partnerships that could include exchanges between local municipal staff and Thai regulators or financial institutions.

City staff thanked several departments including public safety, community services and public works for providing site visits and hands-on experiences — examples noted by the fellows included a water treatment plant tour, solid-waste routing and recycling education and dune planting activities at a city festival. The fellows said they will nominate a Deerfield Beach host to participate in reciprocal fellowships in their home countries.

Why it matters: The presentations highlight local sustainability operations, cross-cultural exchange and potential follow-up partnerships; the fellows left with project plans intended to apply lessons learned in their home communities and to strengthen municipal-to-municipal links.

Next steps: The fellows will present final project proposals to their program sponsors and seek funding/partnerships to implement reciprocal projects in Thailand and Cambodia.