Celebrate Green Up Day on May 6th at the Co-op! We’re going BAGLESS and giving away FREE Kitchen Compost Pails!
Green Up Day: A Vermont Experiment in Co-operation
Early on the morning of Saturday, May 6th, thousands of Vermonters will rise, slip into some well-worn apparel, cram some work gloves in their pockets and head off to their towns’ pick-up centers for maps and bright green trash bags (and let’s not forget the free donuts and coffee!). If you’ve lived here long enough, you might assume that this routine is being played out across the country. In fact, Green Up Day is a Vermont creation and has never been replicated in the same way in any other state.
So, how did this happen? Green Up Day was born on April 18, 1970, as a statewide effort by Governor Deane C. Davis to clean up roadside trash. Vermont happens to be the only state without an Adopt-A- Highway program (there we go again!). In Green Up Day, we have found a truly Vermont-style and co-operative alternative. Paid roadside crews are replaced with local volunteers of all ages, income levels, and affiliations, all working with the same goal in mind.
As an experienced Green Up day volunteer, I can attest to the sense of satisfaction that comes from driving by roadsides that you’ve tended and knowing that you’ve helped to make your community a better place to live.
In 1979, Green Up became a non-profit organization. Ten percent of Green Up Day is now funded through the state, while the vast majority is covered by the non-profit. While the main focus of the event is still to “green up” our roadsides, it has also become an opportunity to bring attention to other environmental issues.
If you’re new to Green Up Day and would like to find out how to get involved, you can find information about volunteering at greenupvermont.org
