Singing Bridge Earth Day: Celebrating Progress and Building a Sustainable Future
Reflections on Our Local Community's Journey Since the Inception of Earth Day in 1970
Here in Singing Bridge Earth Day comes with a great deal of emotions. We live in a time of great challenges and opportunities, a time where the stakes are higher than ever before — a time of epic proportions. We are the ones who are here, and this is our moment in history to do something to change our trajectory. The catastrophes we face are of biblical proportions, so the way we stay sane is to dig in to our local community. And today we want to celebrate some of the incredible progress this community has made since Earth Day was founded back in 1970.
Dad, the health officer used to take us out in the canoe to collect water samples in the North Montpelier Pond. We were on a mission to test for harmful bacteria like E. coli and fecal coliform. He would make jokes and let my sister and I bring our fishing rods and ask if could catch any floaters — meaning, you guessed it human fecal matter — no joke. Nothing screams quality time with dad like bonding over poop in a pond!
If we found fecal matter it would then be a question of who could convince the neighbor to let us pour dye down their toilet to see, which were flushing right into the pond — please note this was the norm and some of the most famous architects including Charles Platt designed gravity septic systems, which in his case meant dumping the waste right into the CT River or the neighbor’s yard “down below”. Can you imagine the fun we had as kids to be included in this research? We were like environmental detectives, chasing down clues to keep our water clean.
Lisa Kreis used to regale us with stories about the old creamery turning the pond white when it dumped its excess milk into the bay behind the Masonic Hall. The summer months must have smelled like living in a Roquefort Limburger fondue pot! And don't get me started on dumping! The town dump was located on the edge of Route 214 where the town just tossed their trash over the side of the road into the river below. The same concept was used along Rivers such as the CT River where old junk would be piled out on the ice waiting to “thaw-in” and wash away down-stream. Why pay for garbage removal when you can just chuck it into the nearest body of water?!?! Oh humanity, what have we done?? Why does the earth even bother to forgive us for such traumas?
But enough scatalogical and depressing memories — we had some real environmental heroes in our midst. Laura Brown, our town water-keeper, adopted mom and resident recreation leader, Lisa Kreis in the Pond’s command center and Seward and Susan Weber down on Butterfield Road among others worked tirelessly to tackle sewage and animal waste contamination in our beloved pond. I remember taking samples of those pesky algae blooms caused by nitrogen and phosphorus. It was like a science experiment, but with a serious mission to protect our sacred watershed. The big topic around the dinner table was acid rain and how it was destroying our farm and forest lands, but as the pond detectives, we could also chart how it impacted the pH.
And in the 1970s we could visibly see the tides start to turn. The woolen mill, which had been a major source of pollution was cleaned-up and taken down. I remember looking at the corroded steel where the dyeing had been done and wondering why the building was still standing — there was literally a foot that had been eaten away at the bottom of one of the steel pillars by the corrosive chemicals that were used and then dumped into the River. Why the building did not fall down on itself is beyond me. To think fisherman would cast their lines downstream not to mention all the other horrors from this toxic waste. The town began actively taking steps to protect its watershed and preserve its natural beauty. We were finally starting to realize that we can't just treat the planet like a dumping ground.
Let's heed the call, to cherish and care,
For this planet, beyond compare,
To protect it, for generations to come,
And dance to Earth Day’s beat of the drum.
Another major improvement occurred when the old Hawkins Farm was conserved. Nathaniel Davis and Samuel Rich rerouted a “river” (actually a sizable stream) to flood the old field to build their first Saw Mill (think of the work it must have taken to reroute a river in the early 1800s!). This area now across from the Orchard Valley Waldorf School has been protected and designated as an important wildlife crossing. Vermont has a long tradition of conservation, and since 1970, we've seen the creation of new state parks, wildlife management areas, and national forests. These protected lands not only provide habitat for wildlife, but also opportunities for outdoor recreation, education and reconnecting with nature.
One of the yummiest improvements has been watching our area turn into a world renowned organic food-way and “Slow Food Vermont” Mecca. Since the 1970s, Vermont has seen a significant increase in the number of organic farms, with farmers transitioning away from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to more sustainable and regenerative practices. This has resulted in improved soil health, reduced water pollution, and increased biodiversity on farmlands. Today, Vermont is a leader in organic farming, with more organic land per capita than any other state. Every active VT farm helps take more diesel food deliveries off VT highways. This reality will become scarily apparent when diesel becomes limited and much more expensive and communities like Singing Bridge will be very glad they came together now to protect their local food supply.
So today as we join in this celebration of Earth Day let us not lose hope. Our breakthroughs often come as a result of breakdowns. When the old way of doing things breaks down, the opportunity for transformational leapfrogging and a chance to jack-up our thinking and live our more evolved selves.
Human energy has the power to unite and transform causes and communities and our combined networks have what it takes to transform systems. Earth Day is a time to acknowledge the deep spiritual connection that we have with the earth and each other, and to honor the sacredness of this relationship. The heart forward humans in their communities can envision the future and then we can get the architects, tech companies etc to help build the vision.
And remember Earth Day falls in the Spring for a reason. It is a time of renewal, regeneration and hope. So please feel the hug from us in Singing Bridge. Be Encouraged. Be Cohesive. And Never Give Up. Get to know your neighbors and understand our responsibility to each other and to life on this earth. Please humanity start to care and not just evolve into unfeeling machines. On this Earth Day 2023 we need to find the courage to open our hearts, compost what is not working and care for each other more than ever before.
[O Sweet Spontaneous]
By E.E. Cummings
O sweet spontaneous
earth how often have
the
doting
fingers of
prurient philosophers pinched
and
poked
thee
,has the naughty thumb
of science prodded
the
beauty how
often have religions taken
thee upon their scraggy knees
squeezing and
buffeting thee that thou mightest conceive
gods
(but
true
to the incomparable
couch of death thy
rhythmic
lover
thou answerest
them only with
spring)
You write beautifully and truthfully. I learned a lot. Keep it up!!! Susie
Thank you, dear Celina, for sharing the wonderful lessons you and Lize learned from your dad, the good country doctor, who taught you how to care, as he did, not only for people, but for the equally irreplaceable earth