One way Green Ossining is moving toward a greener community is by working with the farmer’s market community to go plastic free.
For clarification, Green Ossining’s Mission Statement reads:
Green Ossining Committee Mission Statement and Our Goals and ObjectivesTo promote environmental sustainability community-wide, and develop practical methods that protect our natural resources.
Goals & Objectives:Create a forum for those in the community that are concerned about the environment.
Explore and prioritize sensible “green” methods and practices.
Identify ways to promote “green” methods and practices.
Green Ossining leader Suzie Ross said that, “the community really came together to get the plastic the heck out of Ossining Farmers Market.” The next is the rest of the Village of Ossining! Yet, their work is an indication of greater things to come. Here is a detailed explanation of how they prepared and worked together in the community to make this program occur.
Preparation before the Green Launch
As Ross explained that with a 6 weeks timeline leading up to the launch, they put signs up around the market (as well as associated Facebook and e-newsletters). Then they started to talk up the idea to shoppers at the Ossining Farmer’s market to prepare them.
Then they launched for three weekends re-useable bag give-aways (donated by EcoBag Products, as well as the American Farmland Trust) so we had shoppers promise to not use another plastic bag at the market in exchange for the re-useable one Green Ossining gave the consumer. the market).
T-Shirts to ReUsable Bags
Lastly, they involved Ossining High School. They had two students run a DIY “T-Shirt-to-Tote” workshops on three separate days at the market . Green Ossining then promoted the DIY program to take T-shirts and make re-usable bags.
As Ross explains:
Shoppers got free re-useable bags and we showed them how it easy it was to make re-useable bags from t-shirts.
We knew that working together would provide us with the support needed in terms of the variety of resources/perspectives needed, as well as the shoppers perspective of what each of our organizations represents to our community.
Then each Saturday, we spoke to and listened to the shoppers, and tweaked our plan with better ideas of how to communicate/what to do better the following Saturday.
There were four primary stakeholders in the collaboration, and they came together.
As well, Mayoral Candidate for Ossining and Village Trustee Victoria Gearity said:
This effort is a wonderful example of Ossining community members, local businesses (two B-Corps), and nonprofits coming together to raise awareness and develop new norms. It has also prompted conversations about how municipalities can further this effort.
Not bad work Green Ossining!
