Green Up Day is coming! Green Up Day is always the first Saturday in May and falls on May 6 this year! Every year a group of Brandon volunteers of all ages, sizes, and dispositions "celebrates" Green Up Day by picking up along the roadsides in our community and cleaning away the accumulated debris from the past year. Those efforts greatly improve the appearance of our town and neighborhoods and contribute to the overall beauty of the state.

For those not familiar with this annual event, Green Up Day is organized by a state coordinator and local volunteers. Green Up Day is not funded by the State of Vermont but, rather, through private donations and contributions by individual towns. This truly is a local effort, supported by local people. Volunteers walk the routes (usually about an hour or two) and collect roadside debris into plastic bags that are provided. There is no charge for the disposal of the debris, and arrangements for pickup and delivery to the town dump are made when needed.

If you would like to help clean up our community, I will be available at the gazebo in Central Park (across from the Brandon Inn) on Saturday morning, May 6, from 8AM – 10AM to provide Green Up Day garbage bags and route assignments. Volunteers with pick-up trucks are helpful, as we typically need help getting the trash delivered from the roadsides to the "Green Up" dumpster. If you'd like to help with "truck duty" please plan to meet at 10AM at the gazebo in Central Park for route assignments. Please call me in advance of Green Up Day if you are aware of an illegal dump site or an especially hard-hit area that could use some special attention and resources.

Green Up Day bags and/or route assignments are available for those who would like to get an early start or who otherwise will not be available on Green Up Day. Please call me.

I recommend that volunteers wear sturdy work gloves as some items along our roadsides can be harmful and unhealthy (i.e., broken bottles, dirty diapers, etc.). We also recommend that you keep an eye on our younger Green Up Day volunteers to ensure that they don't pick up any items that may pose a hazard to them or others. Let's have a fun, safe and productive Green Up Day! I hope to see you on Saturday, May 6!

Thank you,

Jim Leary Brandon Green Up Day Coordinator jimleary54@gmail.com 247-9595