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Community Corner

Easy Going Green

Residents turn out in force for the first Go Green Festival.

Kermit the Frog was wrong: it is easy being green, as long as people do it one step at a time.

Wilton held its first Go Green Festival on Sunday. The town-wide energy fair featured more than 60 exhibits, lectures and family activities from talks at the Wilton Library to fishing and wading in the Norwalk River.

"We wanted to help educate the community about energy," said Dona Pratt, chair of the Wilton Energy Commission. "It grew from one of those 'Gee wouldn't it be nice to have a fair' to this. It's just a phenomenal day."

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The energy commission wanted to expand the Earth Day observance into an event that reflected its mission: to advise Wilton on ways to reduce energy usage while promoting the use of alternative and sustainable forms of energy.

The festival started with First Selectman Bill Brennan, clad in green, pledging to go green. As soon as he did, an icon of his home literally turned green on a Google map of Wilton.

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"We've made a lot of improvements to the way we think. It takes everybody to do this," Brennan said. "A journey begins with a small step and we're on our way."

Keynote speaker Alex MacLean showed his aerial photos and images from his recent book, "Over: The American Landscape at the Tipping Point," at the library.  He spoke about how climate change has affected the American landscape.

Changing Wilton's landscape has included eliminating fees at the transfer station, cleaning up sidewalks and planting more trees around town. In fact, Wilton officially became a Tree City, USA during the Go Green Festival, which coincided with Arbor Day.

"This is really a wonderful day for all our tree huggers," said Jessica Kaplan, chair of the Wilton Tree Committee. "We leave a legacy when we plant these trees in Wilton Center. They're going to outlive most of us."

Many of the exhibits around town featured environmental tips and products, from the fun to the functional.

People learned that while raking might provide kids with piles to jump into, it's better to leave them as natural lawn fertilizer. People learned that each year about 25 percent of U.S. beaches close because of water pollution.

Children got a chance to hand mill grain at Wave Hill Bread's booth. And other stalls sold necklaces and bracelets made from recycled magazines and grasses.

Event co-chairs Becky Bunnell and Jana Bertkau supervised more than 80 volunteers. Several local organizations sponsored the event including the Wilton Energy Commission, the Wilton Library Association, Ambler Farm, Cannon Grange, Wilton Conservation Commission, Wilton Clergy Association, Wilton Family Y, Wilton Garden Club, Wilton Public Schools, Woodcock Nature Center and the Wilton Rotary Club.

"Wilton has a reputation for working together," Brennan said. "Just look at this day."

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