Spring is officially here, and we all must work together to keep our surrounding environment safe for people and Connecticut’s wildlife. Right now, my school and many others across Connecticut are getting ready for Green Week. Awareness posters about the environment are being made by students to post around our towns, and cleanup teams will be hitting the streets. There are several things that Nutmeggers can do locally to support green week:
- Keep garbage bins secure in the garage or shed to prevent bears and raccoons from dining on this week’s dinner scraps. This is also important since animals don’t pick up after themselves! It also prevents high winds from blowing the garbage around.
- Make a point to pick up any garbage at your bus stop and encourage your friends to do the same.
- Go for walks in your neighborhood looking for garbage. Remember to take a bag with you!
- Ask your town and school if the local transfer station has partnered with NexTrex to recycle plastic bags and fruit and veggie packaging into recycled outdoor seating, to be donated back to your town.
- Look, but don’t touch! In the spring, many animals have babies, but human interference can destroy their habitats, or make the parents abandon their young.
- Don’t clean out your garden beds until as late as possible. Fallen leaves and mulch give shelter to beneficial insects and animals.
I would love to hear about what you are doing to help endangered animals and the environment! You can email me at Dawson@CT.KidGovernor.org. To learn more about my fellow Cabinet Members and their platforms, head to CT.KidGovernor.org/cabinet2025!