Earth Day the best day
It was a beautiful sunny day on Saturday April 23rd and the sun kept shining on the 52nd Annual Earth Day Cleanup and Climate Smart Earth Day Celebration in Pleasant Valley.
Groups and individuals arrived early for the 8:30 AM Clean up registration. They kept streaming in to register their clean up location and collect a vest, gloves, bag and picker. There was also coffee, snacks, and a large multi-use shopping bag compliments of Royal Carting filled with delights for the whole family.
The bag contained a folder filled with Climate Smart information on how families can do their part to adapt and mitigate climate change, adapt to the extreme heat, flooding and the air we breathe. A description of what a Climate Smart Community is and a list of upcoming climate smart events including information on creating a Pollinator Pathway in Pleasant Valley.
Also tucked inside the folder were seed packets donated by Adams Farms and a tire pressure gauge (keep those tires properly inflated to improve fuel efficiency) compliments of Climate Smart.
The cleanup crews (parents with kids in tow) arrived back after gathering their trash to report where they left their bags for the Town to pick up later that day. They reported lots of liter, plastic drink cups & bottles, coffee cups, masks, and tires.
Everyone who came, perused all the Climate Smart information booths. They included Composting info, two different types of compost bins; one from Dutchess County Solid Waste Management, and a tumbler type that is available from the local hardware store. Another booth had the dangers of plastic in water, lakes, oceans and our own blood, and ways to mitigate the use of plastic. There was a native and pollinator plant table with info why it is important to use native plants and the importance of pollinators to save the bees, insects and butterflies, that have seen a huge decline in their population in the past 10 years. Without bees, means life without food for us. Bees are responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat.
A solar table, with a representative from Sun Common Solar, had information for residential solar and a sign up for a Community Solar project coming soon to Pleasant Valley. There was a Rain barrel on display and information on how to make your own; information about the Pollinator Pathway, and how to create a friendly habitat for the pollinators in your own yard; there was info on the upcoming Repair Café on June 4th, where you can bring broken items to the Repair Café and get them fixed for free. There was also a survey with simple questions so Climate Smart can bring info the community needs about adapting to climate change and Climate Smart future events.
There was also a very busy craft table where busy artists were taking trash and making them into treasure with Mama Bear and Debby, to take home, and some included more plants.
Earth to Table demonstrated natural food alternatives and information on food to grow that would make your body and soul feel good with samples galore. Joe Baldwin, donates lots of farm fresh food to food pantries, and believes good food is good health and wealth.
Scout Troop 55 was there to collect recycled bottles, and also do clean-up, including Cady Field behind Town Hall.
Restore -Habitat for Humanity, was collecting furniture and kitchen wares to furnish the homes they build.
All in all it was a good day in Pleasant Valley. Roads were cleaned and the community came together to celebrate the Earth and learn how to keep it going for many years to come. Hope to see everyone at our Earth Day Celebration next year.
