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Educator Passionate About Environment

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By DEREK MAUL

Tribune correspondent

Published: June 7, 2008

SEFFNER - Marina R. D'Abreau has been passionate about the environment since she was a small child living on the West Indian island of Trinidad, helping her grandparents in their garden.

Today, she has translated that enthusiasm to a career with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, working for Hillsborough County Extension in Seffner.

She is an educator in Florida-friendly landscaping and horticulture and supervises the extension service's 130 active master gardener volunteers, who complete extensive courses in Florida gardening and bring that education to people in their communities.

D'Abreau said she loves imparting horticultural wisdom on others.

"I have a passion for the education part," she said. "I enjoy seeing the light bulb go off. I interpret my job as a liaison between the public and the science community. To me, the whole point of extension is to turn information into something useful and applicable."

Extension programs are important for creating public awareness, she said - "giving residents resources and information needed to design and maintain Florida-friendly landscapes, landscapes that are attractive, environmentally friendly and conserve wildlife."

D'Abreau said she would like the programs to reach more people to keep up with Florida's growth.

"We're capable, in my department, of reaching around 20,000 a year," she said. "It's a drop in the bucket, so we're working on technologies to get the message out."

The idea of sustainability, or investing in ways of preserving quality of life while maintaining natural ecosystems, has been slow making its way to Florida, she said.

"The true definition is not being actualized here," she said. "We're taking steps toward it, but new construction is still a matter of tearing down natural land, so there's always some damage ecologically. To me, redevelopment is more sustainable. We're doing some but not as much as we can.

"I strive to look at horticulture from a whole ecosystem perspective because everything's connected. I like to show people the domino effect of everything that they do."

D'Abreau has lived in Tampa since 1986, when her family left their Caribbean home. "We'd been in Trinidad about four generations," she said.

In 1990, the young environmentalist entered Hillsborough High School's charter International Baccalaureate program in Tampa. After graduation, she enrolled at the University of Florida.

"My goal was to be an ophthalmologist," D'Abreau said. "But my second year, I discovered wildlife ecology and conservation. I had always loved gardening and animals, and I never looked back."

D'Abreau earned a master's degree in environmental education, graduated from UF in 2000, taught a year at Chamberlain High School in Tampa and was hired to work for Hillsborough County Extension as the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods program coordinator in 2001.

"I finished my doctorate in organizational leadership in 2007" through Nova Southeastern University," she said.

She said some people might be surprised about what Florida friendly really means.

"People are fearful that Florida friendly means cactus and rocks," she said. "But Florida friendly means the right plant for the right place, and that can be beautiful. It's not complicated at all."

D'Abreau wants Floridians to enjoy the state's natural resources - "but also protect them at the same time," she said. "The footprint that we leave does take its toll, and our opportunity is to minimize it."

An optimist by nature, D'Abreau say education makes a difference in protecting the environment.

"There's a growing number of people who are getting it," she said. "People are willing to listen and to modify their behavior."

D'Abreau has big plans.

"The sky's the limit," she said. "My ideal would be to host a nationally syndicated television show that talks about conservation, and to travel all over the world.

"We already do a lot of educational videos, interviews and PBS spots," she said. "Mass media is the way to reach the public, and I enjoy it."

MEET MARINA R. D'ABREAU

OCCUPATION: Extension agent, environmental horticulture, Hillsborough County Extension Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
OFFICE: 5339 County Road 579, Seffner

BORN: Trinidad, 1977

EDUCATION: Hillsborough High School; University of Florida; Nova Southeastern University, Tampa campus

MOVED TO FLORIDA: 1986

CONTACT: (813) 744-5519

Derek Maul can be reached at derekmaul@gmail.com.

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