FARMINGTON — Forty-five volunteers donned gloves, grabbed trash bags and set out to make the town a little greener for the 6th Annual Farmington Earth Day Volunteer Cleanup held Monday, April 22.
“Our volunteers covered a range of ages and a variety of backgrounds,” said organizer Jody Palmer.
Volunteers checked in on The Pierce House lawn and were supplied with gloves and trash bags. Individuals, families, business groups and students choose their own areas to pick up discarded plastic, paper and other trash.
University of Maine at Farmington students Tess Gioia and Alicia Hicks concentrated on the Broadway Municipal parking lot. As the women picked trash from the green spaces, walkways and curbing, they stumbled on a pile of cigarette butts.
University of Maine at Farmington students Tess Gioia, at left, and Alicia Hicks pick up trash in Farmington Monday, April 22. The two are part of the university Sustainable Campus Coalition. Franklin Journal photo by Dee Menear
“I think we found someone’s smoking area,” said Gioia as they cleaned the area.
Gioia and Hicks are members of the Sustainable Campus Coalition, a group which promotes environmental sustainability on the UMF campus and in the community.
Picking up rubbish was not the only order of business for the Earth Day celebrations. The event signaled the launch of edible landscaping public places.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Dave Fuller, assisted by 4-H member Bradley Smith of New Sharon, planted highbush blueberries on the Farmington Public Library lawn. Blueberries were also planted in Bjorn Park, said Palmer.
Librarian Erika Ouellet, at left, Bradley Smith of New Sharon and University of Maine Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Dave Fuller plant highbush blueberries on the lawn of the Farmington Public Library Monday, April 22. Franklin Journal photo by Dee Menear
“More edible landscaping, in the form of edible flowers will be added around Memorial Day,” she added. “The idea is for people to be able to walk through town and graze.”
The blueberry bushes were donated by Waste Management, she said. Reny’s donated flower and vegetable seed packets for those who volunteered.
“My guestimate is that 25 bags of trash were picked up,” Palmer said.
Public works employees were on hand to pick up bags of trash that were too heavy for volunteers to carry from their areas to the staging area.
Matilda Holt of Fred & Matilda’s Petting Zoo, at left, helps Harry Donoghue, 5, of Farmington hold a kid Monday, April 22 during the 6th Annual Farmington Earth Day Volunteer Cleanup. Franklin Journal photo by Dee Menear
Miniature goats from Fred & Matilda’s Petting Zoo greeted volunteers at check in. Matilda Holt helped the youngest volunteers handle the littlest kids.
Flora Donoghue, 3, of Farmington tentatively patted a snow-white kid while her brother, Harry Donoghue, 5, held one of the animals.
“It’s so cute,” Harry said to his mother, Samantha Donoghue.
“I couldn’t have been happier with today’s efforts,” Palmer said. “We have wonderful people in Farmington.”
dmenear@thefranklinjournal.com
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