Community Corner

Medfield Girl Scouts Say 'Go Green'

Editor's note: The following was submitted by Lisa Predella Medfield Girl Scouts publicity coordinator.

“Don’t trash our future.”

This concept implored five Medfield Girl Scouts to act enroute to earning their Silver Award this year by raising money to buy recycle bins and signs as well as educating Medfield youth about the importance of recycling at several of the town’s public parks and playing fields. The Silver Award is the highest honor a Cadette Girl Scout can achieve.

The girls, Julia Adrian, Renee Clark, Hannah Frawley, Emily Piersiak and Olivia Tom, all from Troop 74900, began their Silver Award journey back in October 2010, after discovering that there were no recycle bins at Hinkley Pond & Park, McCarthy Park, Metacomet Park or the Pfaff Center. Knowing that more than 60 million plastic water bottles end up in landfills every day, the girls were determined to keep their town from contributing to the problem.

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Working steadily through 2011, they spent more than 50 hours doing research, raising more than $1,100 to buy recycle bins and signs and meeting with town officials including Ken Feeney, Superintendent of Public Works, Charles Kellner, Director of Finances for Schools and Jim Snyder, Director of Medfield Parks and Recreation to put their plan into action.

As a result, Medfield residents will now find four big blue recycle bins along with neon green signs with the slogan, “Don’t Trash Our Future: Recycle,” at Hinkley Park, McCarthy Park, Metacomet Park and The Pfaff Center.

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The girls also hung recycling signs at the Wheelock soccer fields, and met with the Medfield Youth Soccer Board to encourage them to place recycle bins at the field. What’s more, the girls have worked hard to instill a sense of urgency about recycling in both their sister troops and children at the Medfield After School Program.

“It was really eye-opening for the girls to learn that recycling takes a lot of commitment and participation – not just bins,” said Linda Frawley, Medfield Girl Scouts Service Unit Coordinator. “The girls were really instrumental in spurring the town to assemble the resources needed to empty the bins regularly and keep the recycling program going.”

To make sure their recycling efforts don’t get “trashed,” the Girl Scouts are asking town residents to use the new bins for recycling only, and refrain from using them for waste – especially dog droppings and diapers.


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