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Page 2 NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM May 2022 Community
Bristol's Sustainability Committee to Host Spring Fair
By BRittany amalfi
The Sustainability Committee of Bristol was formed in 2020, and they have made quite an im- pact in the town ever since. Since Earth Day was celebrated last month, people might be more in- clined to learn what they can do to help sustain our planet’s natu- ral resources, and the Sustainabil- ity Committee is here to help.
The original goal of the Sus- tainability Committee was to as- sist in looking into the possibility of recycling in Bristol again. In March of 2021, the town resi- dents passed a warrant article at the town meeting that sup- ported bringing back cardboard recycling. Cardboard recycling wouldn’t have come back to Bris- tol without the town agreeing on it. Thanks to this vote, the town was able to buy the equip- ment it needed to begin recy- cling cardboard again. I had the opportunity to sit down with the Vice-Chair, Janet Metcalf, who told me, “we exist to work with and educate the community on the topic of keeping Bristol sus- tainable and preserving the natu-
ral resources.”
The Sustainability Commit-
tee’s mission is “The purpose of the Town of Bristol’s Sustain- ability Committee is to educate, advocate and advise all peo-
as other places, and we inform people about different ways they can be sustainable in the town.” The Vice-Chair also informed me that the committee will also work
Hosted by Bristol Sustainability Committee
SATURDAY, MAY 21st
10am - 2pm at Kelley Park Rain Date: Sunday, MAY 22
The Sustainability Committee also works on rewilding. Metcalf told me that “rewilding is what you can do with the land in your garden, the woods, etc., trying to
reintroduce wild plants, try to support the bee popula- tion, and try to make sure we’re doing what we can to increase and preserve the resources we have here.” Sustainability is a joined ef- fort, and the Sustainability Committee loves working with the community and ed- ucating them on what they can do to help keep Bristol beautiful.
“We have had a positive reaction from the commu- nity,” Metcalf informed me. “People seem really interested and receptive to what we’ve done. People of the community are always asking good questions and what we’ll be doing next.” It
sounds like the people of Bristol are eager to assist with the com- mittee’s efforts. “We did ‘Clean up Bristol,” Metcalf continued. “Last Summer, people signed up for dif-
ferent areas of the town, and they went out cleaned up trash. It went so well, and we’re hoping to do it again this upcoming Fall.” The benefits of following through with keeping the town sustainable are tangible. Metcalf informed me that “the town saves money by recycling cardboard.”
The Sustainability Committee will be holding a spring fair on May 21st (rain date May 22nd) at Kelley Park in downtown Bristol from 10 AM to 2 PM. There will be information booths on clean energy, gardening tips, beekeep- ing, rethinking plastic, and much more. In addition, they have in- vited community members to demonstrate how to be a good land steward and to talk about rethinking plastic. Finally, they are planning lots of fun activities for kids, including a storytime, hands-on projects, and artwork from their elementary school classrooms.
For more information about the Sustainability Committee, please visit https://www.townof- bristolnh.org/
ple and town government on practices and policies that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. The committee will support our community through partnerships and open communication with our residents, businesses, and government to meet the needs of the present without compromising the resources of future generations. In ad- dition, the committee shall at times advise and assist Bris- tol’s Town government and departments with plans and policies relating to sustain- ability.”
• Fun Kids Activities • Beekeeping!
• Gardening tips!
We hope to see you there!
• Composting Info! • Rethinking Plastic! • AND MORE!
Metcalf went on to tell me about other endeavors the Sustainability Committee takes part in. “The other thing that has grown out of this program is that we do educational pro- grams through the library as well
with the schools and The Tapply Thompson Community Center to educate interested kids on what they can do to help maintain sus- tainability in Bristol.