'Go Green' Going Strong

This coming Sunday, May 1, the Wilton Go Green Commission will hold its second annual Go Green Festival, a day-long, interactive, town-wide event occurring mainly on the town green that aims to inspire energy conservation and environmental awareness in Wilton’s citizens.

“It's really a town-wide, fun day, but also one with a serious message. We have to learn how to better take care of this planet that we have been given, so we can pass it on in better shape,” said Jana Bertkau, the Vice President of the Go Green Commission.

Last year’s event was that the Go Green Commission, originally an informal organization, grew into official non-profit recognition, having just achieved 501(c)(3) status.

Aside from community spirit, one of the main incentives for going to the Go Green Festival is the attractions.

There will be a silent auction with prizes such as a free bike and summer membership to the, Bertkau said. Also on display will be a giant inflatable balloon, located in the , with the map of the world on the inside, allowing up to 25 people in at a time. Once inside, visitors will learn how carbon footprints affect the earth.

In total, there will be about 85 exhibitors at the event, including the Girl Scouts, the Wilton Clergy, and the Wilton Registrar of Voters, to name only a few.

“You name it, they’re there,” said Bertkau.  

One of the goals of the festival is to recruit 10 percent of, or about 600, Wilton households to reduce their individual carbon footprint through a variety of means that Bertkau said were meant to be kept simple—for example, switching out old light bulbs for new, efficient ones. The goal is to reduce the energy usage of those 600 homes by 20 percent over the next three years. This goal encompasses 13 other towns in Connecticut and is funded by a $4.7 million dollar federal grant. 

First Selectman William Brennan will kick off the event by becoming the first Wilton resident to formally agree to the energy challenge. That’s no surprise—at the board of selectman meeting, Brennan said that he wanted Wilton to be “a leader” in energy reduction efforts. 

Bertkau hinted that participating residences will have “incentives [to join] for [both] the households and the town.”

Come Sunday, we’ll learn just what those incentives, other than saving the environment, are.