Come Clean — One Village at a Time — Wurtsboro, NY

The BKAA is proud to announce an exciting and innovative project which aims to eliminate plastic shopping bags from the Village of Wurtsboro. The project is called Come Clean — One Village at a Time — Wurtsboro, NY.

Patricia Diness, already very active in the BKAA Nature Watch, is the originator of this project, having seen a similar effort in the village of Modbury, England. In Wurtsboro, she envisioned an effort that would purchase and then provide one recycled shopping bag, free-of-charge to each household in Wurtsboro, as well as selling additional bags in Village shops. The project, as she saw it, would be multi-faceted - besides getting rid of those unsightly bags from village streets, trees, streams and wetlands, it would provide an opportunity to create media attention for the shopkeepers in Wurtsboro. Finally, she also realized that this might be a particularly good fit for a school-based educational component.

Patricia enlisted the support of acquaintances who might be interested in working on this project. In Cathy Dawkins, another BKAA Nature Watch volunteer, Patricia found someone who shared a love of the environment, combined with an energy level and enthusiasm that matched her own. Cathy immediately became a full partner with Patricia in the initiative. On March 9th the BKAA Board of Directors approved a proposal to spearhead the project and donated $1,000 of seed money towards it.

A key part of the vision for the project is its zero cost to Wurtsboro shopkeepers. Come Clean was designed to be a win-win for both environmentalists and our community business interests. It would focus on our similarities rather than our differences. In this spirit, the Wurtsboro Board of Trade (WBOT), the Sullivan Renaissance, and the Wurtsboro Renaissance all agreed to join the BKAA in hosting Come Clean.

Early on, Patricia and Cathy met with Dr. Linda Tintle, who together with her husband Dr. Dean Tintle, owns the Wurtsboro Veterinary Clinic and the Red Eft art gallery, both in Wurtsboro. They approached Dr. Tintle about using her Gallery space for an initial kick-off event. She agreed and also offered all kinds of hints and assistance. Dr.Tintle's advice, enthusiasm, and connections to the local business and community network have been essential to making the project viable. Since she also serves as the Secretary of the Wurtsboro Board of Trade, Dr. Tintle offered to present the idea to Mr. Jim Arnott, President of the WBOT. Mr. Arnott also responded eagerly. He presented the idea to the WBOT which quickly and enthusiastically offered its support.

At the same time, Patricia and Cathy worked to obtain funding for the project. Hoping to buy 10,000 reusable shopping bags that could be sold for a dollar per bag, they met with politicians and representatives of corporations and of non-profit organizations, ultimately seeking grants from these organizations. In the process, our effort was wholeheartedly endorsed, first by the Sullivan Renaissance, represented by Denise Frangipane. Ms. Frangipane provided advice and guidance from the start and continues to do so regularly. Sullivan Renaissance, the umbrella organization for the Renaissance projects throughout Sullivan County, demonstrated its clear commitment to the project and its efforts to serve as a model for other villages in the County by approving a $2,500 Environmental Demonstration Grant for Come Clean.

Next, Orange and Rockland Utilities approved a very generous $5,000 grant for the project. This momentous news, was followed quickly with an announcement that the Wurtsboro Renaissance would add $1,000 to the effort. Finally, another $1,000 was received from an anonymous donor. We had achieved our initial funding goal in only two months!

On April 16, Come Clean held a kick-off event at the Red Eft Gallery in Wurtsboro. We had approximately 65 attendees, including shopkeepers from the Village, the BKAA Board of Directors, members of the WBOT, as well as representatives from the Emma Chase Elementary School and the Sullivan and Wurtsboro Renaissance organizations.

Based on input from a variety of sources, we designed a logo for the project which combines the tag line - "Come Clean - One Village at a Time" with the WBOT logo, and incorporates the Wurtsboro Renaissance's burgundy color theme.

We are thrilled to be receiving positive local media attention. In March, we received a brief note in the local section of the Times Herald Record and an article and radio spot in the Mid-Hudson News. In April, the project was covered in a page 3 article and photo, as well as a favorable editorial in the Times Herald Record. Channel 6 News made Come Clean its lead story on April 18. Then a page 1 article appeared in the Sullivan Democrat (covering both the project and the BKAA annual clean-up). We plan to continue strategic press releases so look for continued coverage.

As we go to press, the bags are on order. Our kick-off will be July 5. We plan a celebratory event in collaboration with the Wurtsboro Founders Day Fair. Beginning on July 5th and then throughout the summer, shoppers will be able to purchase bags in village stores! We encourage each and every BKAA member to join this effort. Here's what you can do to be a part of Come Clean:

• Patronize Wurtsboro's shops, making a special effort to buy from businesses that are supporting Come Clean.
• Patronize shops that offer reusable bags, even if they are not ours. Our goal is to eliminate the trash, not make money!
• Talk up Come Clean! Let your neighbors, friends, politicians, and the business owners know that you support the project! Your energy and enthusiasm are contagious and will make our village more attractive to outsiders.
• Buy and use Come Clean bags!
• Voice your support for organizations that have sponsored this effort, especially ORANGE AND ROCKLAND UTILITIES AND THE RENAISSANCE ORGANIZATIONS.

Think twice every time you make a purchase, and opt to decline a disposable shopping bag, just say:

"Oh! I don't need a Bag with that, THANK YOU!!"

by Patricia Diness and Cathy Dawkins