When I went to Kent Pond the other week to launch for the first time, I was all stoked to enjoy the beauty of nature right from the boat launch. But the joke was on me because right behind the treasured bench was a bag of unattended—you guessed it—dog poop. How nice of someone to bag it up so that someone else would have to pick it up. There was also an unwanted charcoal left right in front of the bench where people would want to rest their feet with some trash left sitting in it. Just Why?
As I was walking the dirt road the other day, I was amazed by how many beer cans were just thrown out of the window, like the beloved Earth was just their trash can. Don’t even get me started on all the Fireball Nips underneath the chairlift, especially during January College Week. You had room in your jacket to carry the nip up the lift—you couldn’t have waited for either the trash bin at the top of the lift or put it back in your pocket to take back to your car? Can you imagine what Vermont would look like if we just left all that trash on the roads? Eeeewww.
So who picks up this trash? In your home state, it might be the job of the highway department or part of the local prison work program, but here in Vermont, we take care of our own. That’s right. On the first Saturday in May, one day a year, the entire state of Vermont stops what it would normally be doing and fulfills our commitment to each other and this planet by picking up trash on the side of the road, at hiking trailheads, and at our resorts.
You will see us all out there, carrying that bright green bag with pride. This is our land, and we are responsible for maintaining it, keeping Vermont beautiful, and preserving it for generations of Vermonters to come. For most, it’s a lonely job. You will see one person, alone, taking responsibility for a section of highway that others have decided doesn’t matter to them. They won’t be back here ever again. Or worse, they don’t care to live on a planet resembling a dumpster yard.
But it’s not truly lonely. Because you will see Vermonters from all walks of life all over the roads on Saturday, May 3, walking with their bright green trash bags. Bags that are donated from local Vermont businesses that also believe in Green Up Day. That belief in a community working together to “keep Vermont Green.” Last year, over 30,000 volunteers participated in Green Up Day, which is roughly 4.65% of the population of Vermont. Those volunteers collected over 404 tons (808,000 pounds) of trash and nearly 16,000 tires from Vermont’s roads. Can you imagine what Vermont would look like if we just left all that trash on the roads?
This first Green Up Day was in 1970, and they closed the interstate for three hours so that local schoolchildren could pick up trash as part of their school day. It was not the best organizational choice, but it sent a message during the Keep American Beautiful campaign years. Vermont was serious about being Green, and it all started 55 years ago.
Today, towns around the state have Green Up Day BBQs, where you can go to drop off your trash and be rewarded with a yummy burger and surrounded by community. Vermonters are proud of this day, proud to take ownership of our communal lands rather than foist the honor on someone else. It is an honor to keep our state clean and to work together as a community for something greater than ourselves. Can you imagine what Vermont would look like if we just left all that trash on the roads?
Nobody wants to live in litter, especially when we spend so much time playing in these mountains, tending to our vegetable gardens, or just sitting on our front porches looking out at our beautiful little state. There are art contests, collection contests, and so much more for you to get involved in over the weekend. We are teaching our kids to respect the planet and nature and take responsibility for it. To care for the earth in deed and not just thought. To set an example for the country and the world on how to work together as a community to care for each other and the planet.
I freaking love Green Up Day. I even have some grabbers that I got so that I could be much more awesome at picking up trash. I hope that we’ll see you out there this Saturday, bright green bag in hand, doing your part to keep Vermont beautiful. If you don’t want to go by yourself, reach out. Because together, we can make a difference. See you on the roadside!
Merisa Sherman is a long-time Killington resident, global real estate advisor, and Coach PomPom. She can be found in the mountains or at [email protected].
