The morning after Vermont’s 55th annual Green Up Day, evidence of the statewide cleanup effort could be seen in the neatly tied green bags along roadsides and the noticeably cleaner parks and public spaces across our communities.
In Woodstock, where more than 70 volunteers gathered on Saturday morning, the day began with coffee, donuts, and a group photo on the Town Hall steps before participants dispersed to their assigned routes. Woodstock Rotarians played a significant role, with over 25 members participating in the event that distributed 140 bags and covered approximately 75 miles of roadway.
Beyond typical roadside litter, volunteers discovered some unusual items. Woodstock’s cleanup crew removed “a television (the kind with tubes, not a flat screen), five tires from Garvin hill, old tiki torches, and a frame for a pop-up tent” from roadsides and stream banks.
The Boy Scouts also played an important role, collecting recyclable and returnable cans to support their organization’s activities. David Crosby, scoutmaster of Boy Scouts Troop 220, noted the importance of getting young people involved: “What’s actually impressive is to get young people excited about cleaning up their environment. They’re the ones who will get it right.”
Boy Scouts from Troop 220 in Woodstock sort recyclables collected during the clean up. Proceeds from redeemable bottles and cans will be used to fund troop activities.
In Bridgewater, Green Up Day coincided with “Bridgewater Day” and the annual raft race, combining environmental stewardship with community celebration. Brian Sherwood, a manager at Long Trail Brewery, explained the dual nature of the event.
“It’s not only a cleanup day, but it’s Bridgewater Day and the raft race,” Sherwood said. “So, this is actually a very big day here for Long Trail — clean up and fun.”
The brewery played host to the festivities after the morning cleanup.
Donn Cann and Misty Mullins, visitors who happened upon the festivities, were impressed by the community turnout. “We were skiing over at Killington, but two or three runs there was enough, so we decided to come have a beer. And this was happening. We didn’t know,” Cann explained, adding, “I think we’ll be here next year.”
In Barnard, Amelia Lennon helped coordinate Green Up Day efforts. While turnout was slightly lower than previous years, with about 64 participants, Lennon attributed this partly to changing weather conditions.
“I think it’s always very weather dependent,” Lennon explained. “This year, it was kind of sunny in the morning, but rainy…I think it did a little bit affect numbers in our town.”
Despite the weather challenges, Lennon highlighted a touching story from the day: “A mom came back and she said that she was walking with her family, and one of her children said that it was his favorite day because they all walk together on the road and they just spend time together while they’re picking up the trash.”
She also noted an encouraging trend. “A lot of people reported that there were fewer items to pick up. There was a little bit less trash this year than last year,” suggesting that the Green Up Day ethic extends beyond just one day of the year. “That’s a really great sign…People are doing a better job of not littering or also [picking up trash] throughout the year, not just on that one day.”
For more on this, please see our May 8 edition of the Vermont Standard.
