Environmental sustainability fair coming to Milton

By NATHAN LAMB | Milton Independent Staff Writer
miltonreporter@yahoo.com

Sustainability, according to Webster’s, is “using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.”

That kind of thinking has the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) partnering with a handful of environmental groups to host a Community Sustainability Fair at Milton High School on Thursday, Nov. 15.

The idea is to provide ways for people to reduce their negative impact on the planet, and doing it in a fun and interesting way, said CSWD outreach coordinator Marge Keough.

“What we’re doing is promoting behaviors that will hopefully help avoid depletion of natural resources, “she said.

“Our goal is to make it very fun, inviting, and family friendly,” she added. “(people can) pick up some refreshments, pick up some information that catches their eyes, and be able to go home and change their behavior immediately.”

For example, representa- tives from CSWD will be on hand to provide recycling and composting bins, both of which are used to divert rubbish from the landfill.

While CSWD estimates recycling alone diverted 50,000 tons of material from landfills in 2006, concern about both climate change and depletion of resources led to the organization ratcheting up its outreach efforts earlier in the year, said Keough. The end result was working with organizations like the Alliance for Climate Action, Vermont Earth Institute, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, and local groups to host the fairs.

Having hosted three such events around Chittenden County already, Keough said presentations will include a guide to non-toxic household cleaners, tips on reducing construction waste, and simple ways to save energy. Demonstrating how those measures are economical—in addition to ecological—is a common thread throughout, said Keough.

“We know for a fact that if you save energy your energy bills are less,” she said “If you recycle, your trash bills are less, because you’re sending less to the trash to the landfill, those are simple economics.”

“It’s just plain old common sense, Yankee frugality, and using our resources wisely,” she added.

Though the phrase “global warming” has become somewhat politicized in recent years, Keough reiterated the event isn’t about politics or ideology.

Instead, the focus is reaching a wide spectrum of the population and getting them thinking about the environment, Keough said. Having been with CSWD for nine years, she was optimistic that that process is already underway.

“My sense is that momentum is building and that people are more and more excited about learning about what they can do,” she said. There’s just a lot more awareness and excitement about getting engaged and adopting more sustainable practices.”

“It really is an issue that crosses all boundaries,” she added.

The event will be held from 5:30- 7:30 p.m. in the Milton High School library.