Tamarac Wants to Save the World

Tamarac, the western Broward city which began as a retirement community and was named for a car wash, is taking a global view of the world, looking beyond their cozy piece of South Florida real estate to help solve problems that concern people all over the globe.

Tamarac officials are looking at the problems of the world and seeing what they can do to help, taking that whole “think globally, act locally” credo to a whole new level.

Upon reports of the obesity crisis in America, Tamarac’s city commission urged restaurants to cut trans fat from their offerings. The city commission even stopped serving donuts at meetings.

They’re also doing what they can to tackle conservation, urging restaurants to serve water only when diners ask. That not only means less water left on tables untouched after meals, but also less water wasted to wash those glasses. The commission is looking into other ways to recycle water, including irrigation for city medians, and using recycled water.

Commissioner Patte Atkins-Grad would also like Tamarac to take on global warming and help save the penguins. There’s no plan in place yet, but unlike most American cities, Tamarac is working on it.

Tamarac was founded in the early 1960s by midwestern businessman Ken Behring, who envisioned a model retirement community. He named the city after his successful carwash franchise, Car-a-Mat. Car-a-Mat backwards is Tamarac.

While homes in Tamarac were originally designed for retirees, much of Tamarac’s population now includes families. And while the median age of a Tamarac resident is 52, younger residents are becoming more prominent; the city’s median age gets younger with each census.