On Oct 4th 2008 The 12 Annual Source to Sea Cleanup will commence. PEC is again a proud sponsor and local resource for bags, gloves and logistics. See below for locations that need work.
On Saturday Sept 29th, 2007 - Eight people set off on bikes and on foot to collect trash as part of the national Source to Sea cleanup day activities.
The Putney Energy Committee provided use of the Green Bikes for the day, and several were used as a part of this event. Riding a bike to cleanup is somewhat frustrating as we found out because we had to stop every ten feet to clean up. The amount of trash found in our woods and streams is simply unbelievable.
Collectively on Sat and Sunday, more than one pickup load was filled with trash just from River Road and a few people.
Items found include a TV set, a couch, tires, a basket ball, a swimming pool, an oil changing bin (leaking red oil), two front struts for a large pickup, many many bear bottles and cans, and many more water bottles. Several areas will need further cleanup, these areas have an empty clear plastic bag left on the location, and will be listed below;
LOCATIONS THAT NEED WORK
Other areas that were cleaned up include East Putney Falls Road and the brook including several swimming holes, and the HiLo Biddy Road / Conservation site of the old Paper Mills.
It is so sad to see the clear disregard for the environment, the disposal of bags of garbage by the side of the road, the small garbage dumps by the rivers and streams, and the clearly insane amount of bear cans. Littering is a crime. Throwing beer cans out of a car is two crimes (littering and driving while drinking). Vermont is one of the most beautiful places to live, but when you look closely in some place it is a garbage dump. Many of these places are near water.
I realize it is just a few less caring people (that ruin it for all of us), these people have no clue how ugly and un-safe all this trash is, but do they understand or care that other people have to clean up the mess they leave? I am afraid not. Who in their right mind drinks a bottle of fine Zinfindel then tosses it out the window? Who brings several cases of beer to the local swimming holes then leaves all of the garbage, including diapers? Why is this tolerated by the local collage, and the local residents?
Do they care about the plastics that breakdown and affect amphibian life, the fish and the sea creatures? Do these people realize that the world is not a dumping ground, that a swimming hole should be respected for it's beauty and not trashed the DAY AFTER IT IS CLEANED UP, as I have witnessed. Who does this?! Do people realize that the streams and rivers here are all connected to the Connecticut river and the ocean. The fish do, there are hardly any fish left. Those that are left are not safe to eat.
It is clear that the non deposit water and juice bottles are a major source of the problem, and that the trashers are a healthier lot than in years past. I guess we should thank the people that trash Vermont, because without them we would not have a good excuse to go out on sunny days and get any fresh air. But seriously we need mandatory deposits on all containers in all states, and around the world. We need to charge enough of a deposit (25 cents should do it) to make it worth while to not throw out all those water bottles.
This is a world wide problem, with a local solution. We need to start someplace, we need to treat everyday as Earth Day, every other day as Clean up Vermont day, and teach our children to do the same. We need to send a message to everyone that could care less, that it is not acceptable to trash the planet. This message also needs to go out to all the major corporations, oil companies, chemical companies and the US military (one of the worlds worst polluters) and to our children. Someones children must be doing this. They need to know it is a bad thing. And speaking of the children...
It is their world we pollute! So get your kids involved, get the schools involved. Get everyone involved.
Please join a cleanup operation around the state and around the country. Here are a few options.
http://www.greenupvermont.org/
http://www.ctriver.org/cleanup/index.html
http://www.comminit.com/awards2007/awards2007/awards-1696.html
http://www.foe.co.uk/learning/educators/green_up_your_school/index.html
http://www.sanfranciscobay.sierraclub.org/Marin/greenup.html
http://www.aot.state.vt.us/Maint/Documents/greenup.pdf
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0412-08.htm