Greenup Day 2022 Report
Green Up Day at the Barge Canal began as an idea to clean up the land. After decades of neglect, we were going to begin taking care of it by cleaning up years of homeless encampments and clearing away all the trash that blanketed the land. No humans are living there now, but their remnants were layered with season upon season of leaves, tents, sleeping bags, bottles and rusting cans.
Hypodermic needles, some carefully gathered into plastic bags, others left among the nail polish and hairbrushes littered the debris. All decomposing into dirt along with stuffed teddy bears, half-written journals, a book of daily inspirations, purple high heels, a John Coltrane CD.
140 people showed up to help, most planning to work an hour or two but many staying all day. We worked together, carefully pulling apart the debris, bagging what we could, pulling out what was too big.
We worked hard, we got dirty, and we discovered this: not simply trash to be hauled away (a mountain of it) but a compassionate curiosity about the people who lived here, coupled with shock and sadness. People’s Kitchen served us lunch.
We need you. The Barge Canal needs you. But maybe more interestingly, we need the Barge Canal. We need to work together to care for each other and for our world. The Barge Canal offers us that opportunity.
Take five minutes to watch this brilliant video by John Schreiner about our work. We are finding that we can connect with the living landscape to take care of what has been neglected, and work together to restore the land’s vitality so that it can continue to take care of us – protecting the lake, providing a diversity and complexity that is key to life.
How can you get involved? What is the next step you can take?
Community Science. You can join us for a Community Science project to see what is alive on the land. Every 2nd and 4th Sunday from 3-5 until November, we are doing an all-species inventory. Meet at the Barge Canal gate, on Pine Street across from Dealer.com.
Cleanup. We will be finishing the cleanup work started on Green Up Day. Consider lending your energy to this basic work. June 12, 9:00am at the Barge Canal. Cover all your skin (poison ivy, mosquitoes). Bring water to drink, wear boots. We have work gloves if you don’t.
Donate. All these projects cost money. Though Friends of the Barge Canal is a volunteer group, we need to print flyers, buy tools and gloves and safety glasses. We hire scientists to heighten and hone our vision and other professionals to train us for the long term work to regenerate healthy ecosystems. 350VT has agreed to be our fiscal sponsor. You can donate here. Thank you to everyone who has already donated.
Sign the Petition. Get your friends to sign the PETITION, and post a blurb about The Barge Canal to your Front Porch Forum.