-Green Up Day on Saturday, May 2, marks the 56th year of a treasured Vermont tradition launched in 1970 by then-Gov. Deane Davis.
Thousands of Vermonters are expected to come together in communities throughout the state to clean up roadside litter and tidy up public spaces to refresh Vermont’s naturally beautiful landscape.
Brattleboro will host four locations on Green Up Day. The traditional bright green-heavy duty trash bags will be available beforehand at the Brattleboro Regional Chamber of Commerce (180 Main St.), Brown & Roberts (182 Main St.), and Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main St.), and on May 2 at the Brattleboro Food Co-op (2 Main St.).
Tables will be set up from 8 a.m. to noon at Turning Point Recovery Center on Elm and Flat streets (contact Justin Johnson at 802-490-9525), M&T Bank (479 Canal St.), and Brattleboro Subaru (1234 Putney Rd.), where coffee and doughnuts will be available for volunteers.
On Thursday, April 30, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Burton Touch Free Car Wash and Self Service (873 Putney Rd.) will hold its 21st annual Car Wash Green Up Benefit. All proceeds from the car wash during that time, as well as donations, will be given to Green Up of Windham County. Bags will be available for pick up as well.
Below is contact information and other details about volunteering in a sampling of towns around Windham County:
• Athens (Lynn Morgan, 802-869-2227 or jelpmorgan@yahoo.com): Bags available at the Town Office (25 Brookline Rd.). Leave full bags along roadsides for pickup.
• Brookline (Vanessa Ballou, 802-365-4648 or vballou.brooklinevt@gmail.com): Bags available at the Town Office (734 Grassy Brook Rd.). Leave full bags along roadsides for pickup.
• Dover (Lori O’Hern, 802-348-7810): Meet at Dover School (9 Schoolhouse Rd., East Dover) at 9 a.m. for bags and assignments. Lunch 11:30 a.m. to noon at the school. Leave bags on roadsides or take to the dump.
• Dummerston (Mark Brown, 802-258-0832): Meet at 9 a.m. at the Dummerston Congregational Church (1535 Middle Rd.). Bring a picnic lunch to eat on the Common.
• Grafton (Grafton Improvement Association, giagrafton@vemontel.net): Bags can be picked up at the Town Office (117 Main St.) and then brought to the Town Garage (21 Vt. Route 21). Ice cream for volunteers.
• Guilford (Jaime Durham and Jethro Eaton, greenupguilford@gmail.com): Bags can be picked up at the Town Office (236 School Rd.). 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Full bags may be brought there until 5 p.m. Separate tires and metal from garbage. Ice cream for volunteers.
• Halifax (Patricia Dow; 802-368-7390 or halifaxtownclerk@gmail.com or Jessica Cooney, jac_trinity@yahoo.com): Bags available at Town Clerk’s Office (246 Branch Rd.) prior to Green Up Day, or 10 a.m. to noon at the Halifax Elementary School (246 Branch Rd.) on Green Up Day. Bring full bags back to the rear parking lot of the school. Refreshments served.
• Jamaica (Pat Meulemans, 802-297-9886, or Sara Wiswall, 802-874-4681): Bags available at the Town Office (28 Town Office Rd.) and Transfer Station (141 Castle Hill Rd.). Bring full bags to the Transfer Station from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Green Up Day.
•Londonderry (Rich Phelan, 802-289-7859 or rphela@aol.com): Bags available at M&T Bank, Clark’s IGA, the Town Office, or the Transfer Station. Take full bags to town trucks at Mill Parking Area, South Londonderry Fire Station, or the Transfer Station.
• Marlboro (Julie Sweethill, 802-254-2181 or juliesweethill@outlook.com; or Forrest Holzapfel, townclerk@marlborovt.us): Bags available at Town Office (510 South Rd.) and Marlboro Elementary School (2669 Vt. Route 9). Town map in glass case outside Town Office. Leave full bags along roadsides.
• Newfane (Fiona Chavalier, creedenese@gmail.com; Dani Brown, danikbrown26@gmail.com; or Luella Strainer, luella.strattner@gmail.com): Bags available at Newfane Store (596 VT Route 30) and Town Office (555 VT Route 30) during the week before Green Up Day. Leave full bags visible on roadsides for pick up Monday morning.
• Putney (Johnathan Johnson, 802-387-5862, Clerk@putneyvt.org): A Putney town truck will be parked at the usual spot next to Town Hall at 8 a.m. Bags will be available there all day. Take only number of bags needed. Full bags go in back of truck.
•Rockingham/Bellows Falls/Saxtons River (Margo Ghia, 802-869-1214, mtghia@gmail.com): Pick up bags in Bellows Falls at Lisai’s Market, the Rockingham Free Public Library, J&H Hardware, or the Rockingham Town Clerk’s office. In Saxtons River, bags are available at the Village Market. Pizza at Athens Pizza at noon for volunteers. Official Green Up bags can be left tied up alongside Rockingham roadsides or dropped off at the Recycling Center in the special dumpster provided for Green Up Day.
• Stratton (Candie Bernard, 802-896-6184, cbernard@townofstrattonvt.com): Bags available at Town Office from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Refreshments served to volunteers at Town Hall until noon. Leave bags along roadside but let the Town Hall know if there are larger or hazardous items.
• Townshend (Heidi Russ, 802-365-7606): Bags available at Town Clerk’s office and Elementary School before Green Up Day. On that day, bags will be available on the Common, along with coffee and doughnuts during the morning hours. Bring your bags of trash to the Townshend dump for disposal.
• Vernon (Hannah Rosinski, 802-380-1513, hpalmiter@gmail.com): Meet at Recreation Center Shelter at 9 a.m. Pick roads and go out. Refreshments and gloves provided. Come back for lunch at noon. Leave full bags along roadsides.
• Wardsboro (Colleen and Emma Sklar, 802-380-0556, colleenvt25@gmail.com): Road assignments and bag pickup from 8 a.m. to noon at the Town Office. Coffee, doughnuts, and other goodies for volunteers. Volunteer appreciation gathering at the Wardsboro Library at noon for pizza and a book giveaway. “Green Up Day Challenge” sheets available at bag pickup. Bring bags to the Wardsboro Transfer Station; do not leave on roadsides.
•Westminster (Westminster Conservation Committee, 802-869-3184, westminstervtconservation@gmail.com): Bags available at Town Hall and Westminster West Library. Leave large items on roadside with Green Up bag attached for pickup Monday.
• Whitingham (Susie Hanna, 415-734-6155, susie@daisystonestudio.com): Meet at 9 a.m. at Town Hill Park for road assignments and coffee and doughnuts. Barbecue lunch by Lions Club with live music, face painting, and flower clowns. Leave full bags on roadsides.
•Wilmington (Bonnie Bohan, bonnie.bohan@gmail.com, or Anthony Martino, 508-314-2885 or apmartino329@gmail.com): Meet at Buzzy Towne Park, 9 to 11 a.m., to get bags and route assignments. The week following Green Up Day, the town highway department will collect full bags which are left along the roadside.
•Windham (Ellen McDuffie, 802-874-4211, eflockwood@aol.com or windham.town@gmail.com): Meet at 9 a.m. at Town Office. Coffee and snacks for volunteers. Leave full bags along roadsides.
For safety, volunteers should wear bright colors and sturdy shoes and gloves. Remember also that the ticks are active, so tuck pants in socks, wear light colors, use tick spray, and do a thorough tick check when you get home. For more information, visit greenupvermont.org.
This News item was submitted to The Commons.