Close to 40 people, kids and adults alike, answered our call to help clean up the rail trail on Wed. April 22, 2009!
As with last years clean up, this year did not disappoint the children in their treasure hunt-like adventure.Together, we picked up close to 13 large orange bags of trash!
Here are just a few of the things our group picked up along the old tracks:
The sun is out, it's warm, the birds are chirping - what more could you ask for on Earth Day!
Well, there is one thing. The Rail Trail (old railroad tracks in Delmar) needs some serious cleaning up. Please join us today and bring along the neighborhood kids!
Rail Trail Clean
Up Wed 4/22 @
4PM
Meet behind American Legion - back
right of parking lot
Kate Kloss - Principal, Dan Rain, Harriet Jaffe, Mike Klugman and I (Leslie Trosset), have put together some fun green activities at Elsmere School in honor of Earth Day, Wed. April 22nd.
We've planned a variety of week-long activities and guest speakers, including:
New Capri Sun, Kool-Aid, Honest Tea Drink Pouch recycling program that earns Elsmere's PTA 2 cents per pouch collected. Checkout www.terracycle.net.
Lunch trash daily weigh-in. We'll weigh the lunch trash everyday and see if through recycling, not wasting food, and using re-usable containers will help reduce waste.
Planting a strawberry bed with Dan Rain.
Green "Spirit" Day - wear green, eco-friendly shirts, organic shirts, earth shirts, etc.
A visit from Enviroman - our very own Middle School Asst. Principal Mark Warford will speak about the environment.
A visit from a wildlife rehabilitator.
A visit from Cornell's 4H who will bring their energy bike - pedal to see how much energy it takes to light a regular lightbulb vs. a Compact Florescent (CFL).
A visit from Sharon Fisher - our town's recycling coordinator, who will discuss recycling.
On Thursday, April 2, 2009, I video'd Sharon Fisher - Town of Bethlehem Recycling Coordinator as she shared information on recycling and discard of unwanted items, including old applicances, metals, paper, glass, cans, and the all confusing plastic. The Rupert Road Transfer station is for town residents only.
The biggest lesson learned for me was on the subject of plastic recycling. The town of Bethlehem ONLY accepts plastic BOTTLES 1 & 2. You have to reuse or toss all of your plastic food containers, even if they are labeled with a #1 or #2!
The town of Bethlehem can only recycle #1 & #2 BOTTLES:
juice
water
vitamin water
milk
any 1 & 2 bottle with a neck
Toss or reuse these containers:
butter
sour cream
peanut butter
berry containers
cooked meat trays
deli containers
any other container, even if it is labeled as a 1 or 2
Pre-1980 the Rupert Road facility was used as a landfill for municpipal trash and you'll see the large mound in the video. Around 1980, they were no longer allowed to accept the trash but they kept the facility open to accept items such as: tires, electronic items, old TV's, microwaves, refridgerators, paper, metals, plastics, cans, furniture and more.
If you choose not to pay a hauler, you can bring your regular trash there for a smaller fee and they will transfer it to the Albany Landfill where some of our haulers bring the trash they pickup curbside.
For more recycling details, please visit the town's web site, call Sharon Fisher - Recycling Coordinator at the town at 439-4955 ext. 1510, or leave a comment below.
For one whole week, decline the plastic bag and try bringing and using your own cloth or mesh bag at each and every store you enter.
I must admit, I've become accustomed to using my cloth bags at the grocery store, but I haven't gotten into the habit of using them at all the other stores. The strange thing is, I always keep my bags in the car, but I just don't think to bring them into CVS or Stewart's.
You may be surprised at just how challenging this task might be. I'm even talking about the produce and vegetable bags - the Macy's and Sears bags, and the dentist bags containing floss and a shiny new toothbrush. EVERYTHING!
Toss a scratch piece of paper and pen in the bottom of one of the bag and tally how many bags you didn't take because of your zero plastic bag policy.
I want to hear your results! Leave a comment below and let me know the number of bags you didn't use and we'll compare results.
Good luck! -Leslie Trosset
Update 3/27/09
The very next day after I set up this challenge I walked right out of CVS with one of their plastic bags. It wasn't until I got home that I realized what I had done! Other than that, I brought my reusuable bags with me everywhere I went - grocery store, Lowes, Stewart's and others. I have to say - it felt good knowing that I returned home without the plastic. I'll continue each and every day - and I hope you will too. Leave a comment and let me know how it's going for you!
This powerful speech to the United Nations by a Canadian girl back in 1992 has been circulating the web. Thank you to Kristin Devoe for sharing it with me.
We as a society, we as Bethlehem parents and citizens, cannot continue on this destructive path of polluting the environment, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat.
Please try to become a little greener everyday because it will make a difference. And when you head out to work on Monday, if you employer isn't following the 3 R's (reduce, reuse, recycle), plead with them to start.
It's Saturday: Good time to clean out your house and find all your hazardous waste
If you start now, there's plenty of time to clean out your basement, garage, and closet's- once and for all - and properly dispose of all the hazardous waste and old computers and parts collecting dust.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day in Bethlehem May 3, 2008 8am-1pm
Acceptable items:
paints (oil and latext) and thinners
toxic solvents
pesticides, herbicides, insecticides
fluorescent and compact fluorescent lights (contain mercury)
Free mulch / wood chips under 1 yard is available at the Town's Compost Facility to Town of Bethlehem residents.
When: April (until they run out) Mon - Fri: 8am - 4pm Sat: 8-12
Where: 1244 Feura Bush Road (Route 32), beyond Elm Avenue Park Selkirk, NY 12158
What to Bring: RESIDENTIAL PERMITS (yellow sticker on mirror) are available at the Town Clerk's Office at the Town Hall or the Elm Avenue Park Offices, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or Highway Department, Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Bring your vehicle registration.
Shovel & Containers
If you need more than 1 yard, you may purchase it for a small fee. You may also pay a fee to have it loaded via backhoe into the back of a truck. Read more.
The Town of Bethlehem (gov't) has initiated a monthly clean up day and they are actively seeking volunteers. Please help our community by lending a hand.
