The second annual Green Valley Rally, which took place in Waitsfield and the surrounding area was an unqualified success according to organizers.
This year, for the second year, the Mad River Valley towns’ Green Up committees collaborated to increase participation and results, according to Eric Friedman, executive director of the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the rally at its visitors’ center in Waitsfield.
“Vermont’s annual Green Up Day took place on Saturday, May 4, and the Green Valley Rally was the epicenter for all activities here in the Mad River Valley,” Friedman reported.
It took place at the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center (at the corner of Routes 100 and 17) with folks stopping by to pick up Green Up bags and take roadside assignments. Green Up Day volunteers also had the chance to learn more about other volunteer opportunities with the Friends of the Mad River, stewardMRV, the MRV Bear Initiative and the Valley knotweed eradication programs.
“This is really gathering momentum along with our efforts at stewardship. In a lot of ways, I think The Valley was really quite clean with less stuff to pick up and more flood work than garbage work,” Friedman said.
The volunteer BBQ capped off the day with over 100 volunteers served. Friedman thanked Andy Landry of Nor'Easter Catering for volunteering his exceptional cooking expertise and von Trapp Flowers for providing volunteers with an unexpected load of flowers. Representatives from Wasted* were on hand to display their amazing new environmental conscious human waste solution that is being incorporated into the stewardMRV offerings this summer.
“It’s clear that this collaboration works. It points to what is possible when we all collaborate,” Friedman added.
He thanked the Green Valley Rally committee: Andrea Henderson, Patty Pasley, Brie Skoldberg, Onome Ofoman along with Friends of the Mad River, Mad River Path, Waitsfield and Fayston Conservation Committees, Mad River Planning District, Green Up Vermont, and Stark Mountain Bike Works and all of the volunteers.
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