Come Clean – Stay Clean
by Patricia Diness and Cathy Dawkins

In the Spring of 2008, the BKAA, in coordination with Wurtsboro Board of Trade (WBOT) and the Renaissance organizations (Sullivan and Wurtsboro) spearheaded an effort to reduce, and maybe even eliminate, plastic shopping bags from the Village of Wurtsboro. We raised over $10,000 to purchase and distribute custom designed reusable shopping bags, sporting our tag line Come Clean — One Village at a Time and the WBOT logo.

So, with this fantastic accomplishment, "what's next?" you might ask.

First, we'll continue to distribute the bags. We've focused on the Village first — getting them to the residents so that each household has something to use instead of the plastic. We have also provided them to a few selected groups outside the village — key politicians and media organizations, for example. We will also sell them at some local events such as The Bethel Woods Harvest Festival and the Ellenville Blueberry Festival, hoping to draw attention in nearby communities.

We are also continuing in our effort to persuade the few remaining businesses in Wurtsboro to abandon their use of plastic bags. To our knowledge, only two businesses still offer the plastic. So, we are seeking the assistance of our membership in vocalizing preferences for paper or reusable. We ask that you make your preference known as you shop — always cheerfully.

We are working with Sullivan Renaissance and other interested Villages to plan for a County-wide No Plastic Bag Day on October 15th. Look for more information this fall!

The educational component of our project will kick in this fall as our local children return to school. Jackie Broder and Tara Buckstad have been skillfully shepherding the Come Clean efforts that involve our youth. Some of the projects planned for the fall include:

• A Silent Art Auction — Jackie and Tara coordinated to get local children to create about seventy magnificent posters to support Come Clean. We originally planned to post them around the Village, but the work is just so wonderful that we've decided to hang them gallery-style, as befits them. Then, we will auction them off, individually, to the highest bidders! Look for this event at the Art Alliance in October (date to be scheduled shortly).

• Visiting Speakers at Emma Chase School to discuss the Sullivan Landfill and the Basha Kill.

• Integration of the Plastic Bag problem into classroom curriculum.

If you'd like to assist in any of our efforts, contact either Patricia Diness or Cathy Dawkins. They'd be happy to have your assistance. Meanwhile, we ask that you consider the following ways that you can support this effort:

• Make a special effort to patronize Wurtsboro's shops and buy from businesses that are supporting Come Clean.
• Make a special effort to 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
• Offer to trade bags with other reusable baggers when you are out in the marketplace! This makes it fun and gets our bags out to an expanded audience!
• Voice your support for organizations that stood with the BKAA to sponsor this effort, especially ORANGE AND ROCKLAND UTILITIES, WURTSBORO BOARD OF TRADE, 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!!"

Or "Oh, I'm from Wurtsboro, We don't do plastic there!"

by Patricia Diness and Cathy Dawkins