Spring cleaning might not have sprung into everyone’s mind just yet. But this weekend will present the opportunity to not only clean out the closets, but start down a greener path altogether.
Five area groups worked together to create an educational event and recycling drop off, along with opportunities to donate a variety of items to local causes and organizations. Go Green Day 2013 will be held Saturday, April 27, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Farnsworth Middle School on State Farm Road in Guilderland. The event is a collaboration between The Capital Regional Recycling Partnership and Guilderland Central School District’s Green Task Force, with participation from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Albany County, Albany County Soil and Water Conservation District and Chef’s Consortium.
“If you are looking to clean out your house, today is your day to do it,” Karen Finnessey, Go Green Day organizer, said about the event. “There is so much people can recycle that they don’t realize they can recycle.”
There will be a collection site at the rear parking lot of the middle school accepting metals, plastic, paper, electronics, bottles and cans, ink jet cartridges and bicycles.
“We get a really wide and wild assortment,” said Renee Panetta, Guilderland Central School District recycling and conservation coordinator. “We take everything from metal fencing to street signs to swing sets.”
Panetta said getting so many people and groups involved in the event was important to help it grow and continue. The school district this year teamed up with Go Green Day efforts for its Recycling Extravaganza.
“We are trying to involve as many stakeholders in the community so that it really becomes a community owned effort,” Panetta said. “It is a sustainable event that I want to be sustaining, so that there is just not one stakeholder group invested in it.”
In addition to recycling, there will be several donation efforts.
Grassroot Caregivers will be accepting usable clothing, toiletry items, linens and kitchenware, which will help stock its Community Store. Individuals and families living in poverty or in a shelter have the opportunity through the Community Store to choose what items they need free of charge.
If you’ve had books piling up on your shelves, the Albany Book Project will be collecting books that are less than 10 years old in new or like new condition. The books get distributed to schools and classroom libraries, senior centers, social services offices, literacy programs, clinics, military bases and hospitals.
Other donation opportunities include working household appliances and kitchen cabinetry, to be collected by the Habitat for Humanity ReStore for resale at its warehouse. The Albany County Soil and Water Conservation District will collect empty beauty product containers, tubes and bottles.
If you’re looking to purchase something, Farnsworth students will be holding a garage sale to benefit the Butterfly House and Organic Garden at the school.
Finnessey, also Voorheesville Deputy Clerk Treasurer, said the donations, while not directly tied to recycling, helps keep items out of the waste stream.
This is the second time the Go Green Day event has been held (the first was two years ago) and Finnessey said its offerings have only grown.
“We have increased the number of presentations and we have a little more variety,” she said. “This is an educational event, so we also invited related types of vendors and exhibitors that offer products that would be of interest to be people who are coming.”
There will be around 40 exhibitors and vendors at the event to explain ways people can embrace green habits, such as using solar energy, eating local food, gardening and crafting. Some of the presentations and demonstrations scheduled include Backyard Composting Basics, Plastic Bag Recycling and Alternative Uses, Electronics Recycling, Hydroponics 101, Creating Bio-Diesel for Your Car, Gardeners Alert: A Pest Update and Worm Composting.
Susan Pezzolla, consumer horticulturist of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Albany County, said throughout April the organizations focuses on community outreach. Earth Day was Monday, April 22.
“We try to do these very earth friendly programs during the month just to raise people’s awareness that if you are doing something, perhaps you could do it a little greener,” Pezzolla said.
Pezzolla said in addition to teaching effective gardening and composting techniques, 4-H members will discuss the benefits of eating locally produced food through an interactive game.
“It teaches them that the food in the supermarket can come from all over the world and it is good to make local food choices if you can and possibly grow your own food,” Pezzolla said.
Cornell Cooperative Extension master gardeners will also offer soil testing for a $1 fee to determine the pH level, which could affect gardening conditions.
“We are available to answer their questions or research their questions further to help them garden better,” Pezzolla said.
Pezzolla said she feels the last Go Green Day had a lasting effect.
“The last time that we did do this, it was really exciting to talk to people that are just getting started to make the change in their own household to recycle things and separate things out,” she said. “For a lot of people this is a brand new territory … and it is a lot of fun to encourage them.”
The tastiest addition to this year’s Go Green Day is the Chef’s Consortium, which is a group of Upstate chefs promoting locally-grown, farm fresh food. There will be five chefs preparing food for attendees, with a $7 bracelet required for entrance into the food tent. The bracelet is good for the entire event, with different selections offering for breakfast and afternoon hours. Families of four or more will receive is a discount.
Finnessey said the event is also a way for children to show their parents what they’ve been learning.
“The kids these days are learning a lot of this stuff through school … so it is a way for the kids to actually bring their parents and say, ‘We learned about this in school,’” Finnessey said.
For more information on Go Green Day 2013, visit www.gogreendayny.org.
