We recently celebrated the 20th Source to Sea Cleanup of the Connecticut River watershed and the 13th year for the Green River cleanup. One of the event leaders spoke about the day when all we have to celebrate at these annual gatherings is the great food and entertainment as trash becomes the endangered species.
Until then, we must continue to be active stewards of our most sensitive and limiting of environmental resources. Akin to a circulatory system, the watershed is where all things, good and bad, flow toward lakes and rivers, the vital organs of our environment responsible for the quality of our drinking water, food supply, local climate and the recreational and aesthetic treasures of Franklin County.
Two things came as a surprise — one good and one bad. I was fortunate to work with Cathy Wilkens’ environmental sciences group from Greenfield High School, 20 very willing stewards helping clean up the one-mile section of Hinsdale Brook along Brook Road on the way from Greenfield to Colrain. The students expressed frustration and distaste for the amount of trash discarded, which included approximately 30 gallon bags of trash, seven tires, 10 five-gallon paint cans, a propane tank, 100 pounds of asphalt shingles, a hubcap, wire, an LP record, diapers and numerous household trash bags.
The other unexpected thing was the predominance of beer and whiskey containers recovered (approximately 1,500), of which Budweiser accounted for 90 percent of the beer cans and bottles collected.
As an environmental professional, specializing in the cleanup of contaminated soil and groundwater, I know who to contact when containers of chemicals are found abandoned. As part of the cradle-to-grave policies imposed in the early 1970s to limit “midnight dumping,” the name and telephone number of the manufacturer are listed on the containers. The government quickly learned that making the manufacturer ultimately responsible for cleanup costs proved to be the most reliable way to reduce illegal dumping.
While some may say that a can of beer is not equivalent to a drum of chemicals, I counter this by asking how many people do you know have been injured or died as a result of the improper disposal of chemical containers compared to those injured or killed by a drunk driver?
I can only hope that the next time one of society’s cherished breweries decides to embark on an ad campaign, they consider reminding their target audience of what it means to be an American.
If not for the responsibility to serve as environmental stewards by not tossing trash out the window, to at least be mindful of the danger drunk driving poses on themselves, their family, and others.
If such a campaign is not considered to be inline with corporate marketing goals, perhaps the state or federal regulation of illegal dumping of alcohol containers will be more convincing. It worked and continues to work pretty well for manufactured chemicals. I would think that this would set a better example for our youth than what presently exists.
Bruce Tease is an Environ Steward of Greenfield.