Neighbor News
The Woman's Club of Danbury/New Fairfield, CT Commenorates Earth Day
Members of the Woman's Club of Danbury/New Fairfield (WCDNF) and members of the community gathered to clean up the Still River Greenway
In 1970, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin organized a national demonstration to educate the public about environmental problems. This initiative led to the first "Earth Day" and eventually to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. More than 20 million people participated in the first Earth Day. The date of April 22nd was chosen because the weather is usually warmer and also encourages students who are on Spring Break to participate in Earth Day activities.
On Saturday, April 19th, Julie Oakley, a member of the Woman's Club of Danbury/New Fairfield organized a cleanup of the Still River Greenway behind the AMC theater and Lowe's in Danbury. Julie coordinated the day's event with local officials Shaun Ratchford (Head of Danbury's Recreation Department), Larry Liebman (Danbury's Environmental Compliance Inspector) and Ed Siergiej (Chair of the Still River Alliance Commission for the City of Danbury). Seven volunteers from the Woman's Club of Danbury/New Fairfield participated along with members of Boy Scout Troop 54 of Bethel, Troop 9 of Danbury and Troop 870 of Newtown. In all, twenty-one members of the community volunteered and collected 25 garbage bags and debris from along that section of the Still River. The volunteers put into action the motto: "Save the Earth, Save the Planet".
