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Quote of the Week
"Two basic versions of the future come to
mind. In one, we drift along a course of degradation, losing our unique
qualities, growing more like everyplace else as habitat is turned to
lawn and specialized native wildlife succumbs to invading generalists.
In the other, a critical mass of Islanders pushes back against
encroaching dullness, finding ways to preserve the natural diversity and
productivity on which past generations depended.”
Where is Martha heading? — New Year's essay for the MV Times by Matt Pelikan of The Nature Conservancy
B.Y.O. Spotlight
This space highlights programs and promotions that help encourage
and reward the B.Y.O. spirit. Let us know if you see something cool
while you're out, and you might see it featured here.
Check Out These Bags!
Literally, that is. Now when you borrow books at the Chilmark Library
you can also check out a nice, strong bag to carry them home. Just bring
the books back in the bag when you return — brilliant!
Conservation Calendar
Regenerative Backyard Gardening
Gardens of the Future
Saturday, Jan. 19, 10:30 — noon, Oak Bluffs.
Winter is the perfect time to dream about (and plan for) a garden that
nourishes people, wildlife, and the planet. Learn how to use
regenerative gardening practices to grow edible plants, conserve water,
eliminate your use of fossil fuels, and make compost in your own
backyard. This is the first of three workshop sessions, and will be held
at the O.B. Library. The others will be Feb. 16 at the West Tisbury
Library, and March 23 at the V.H. Library. No experience necessary, for
more info, contact Noli via email or at (508) 687-9062.
Presentation: Talkin' Trash with Sakiko
Saturday, Jan. 19, 3:30 — 4:30 pm, West Tisbury.
Local waste management researcher (and garbage enthusiast) Sakiko
Isomichi presents "Let's Talk About Garbage!" Her talk will recap recent
trips to the off-island destinations of our recycling and trash, and
offer other information she has gathered from studying the Island's
waste management system. A free talk at the West Tisbury Library, click here for poster and details.
Q&A: Plastic Bottle Ban Bylaw
Thursday, Jan. 24, 4:30 — 5:30 pm, West Tisbury.
A
group of 5th graders at the West Tisbury School is proposing a ban on
single-use plastic bottles, to be voted on at this year's Town Meetings
in West Tisbury and Chilmark. The students will host a Q&A session
to discuss how their proposed bylaw would work, and the broader issues
of plastic pollution on our Island and in the ocean. At the West Tisbury
Library, email Annemarie for more info.
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Next Winter Walk: Thimble Farm with Island Grown Initiative
The greenhouse remains, but much has
changed since our last Winter Walk at Thimble Farm eleven years ago,
with many exciting new developments at the Island Grown Initiative's
Farm Hub.
This Sunday (Jan. 13), our first Winter Walk of the New Year will be an
educational collaboration with Island Grown Initiative at their Farm Hub,
located at the historic Thimble Farm. Co-led by Farm Hub director
Matthew Dix and VCS's Brendan O'Neill, we will learn about current farm
operations and other initiatives at Thimble, as well as the conservation
and land use history of the farm and surrounding properties. The walk
begins at 10:00 am and is expected to last about 2 hours.
A History of Agriculture at Thimble Farm
Once part of a larger farm owned by the Elisha Smith family, the land
at Thimble Farm has been in active agricultural use for centuries. More
recently, it was home to the Whippoorwill Farm CSA for many years. A
series of actions led by farmer Andrew Woodruff and his CSA members
beginning in 2006 (including the purchase of a conservation restriction
by the Land Bank)
ultimately led to the permanent protection of the property and its
purchase by Island Grown Initiative in 2011. Read more about this
historical hub of Island farming at IGI's website.
Building a Better Bottle Bill
The bottle deposit system in Germany is
more complex than ours (many would say confusing), but also more
effective, with recycling rates approaching 100% for some materials. The
deposit amount (or pfand)
varies greatly, from approximately 8 cents to over 3 Euro for a full
crate of flip-top bottles. A key distinction is made between refillable
bottles and single-use bottles, the latter of which carry a higher pfand
of 25 cents Euro (30 cents US) to encourage the use of refillables.
(Photo via "Live Work Germany")
At VCS we are often asked about the possibility of expanding the current
5 cent deposit on bottles of soda and beer to include other beverages
(water, juice, wine, etc.) or other bottle sizes, most frequently the
much-maligned “nip” liquor bottle. The short answer is that we certainly
would support such a measure, because historical evidence from around
the world demonstrates bottle deposits increase recycling rates. The
longer answer is that since the original Massachusetts Bottle Bill was
passed in 1982, the proportion of bottled beverages to which the deposit
does not apply has increased dramatically – up to 30% of all bottles sold
by 2013, and likely higher today. This is due to the increased
popularity since 1982 (or outright invention) of bottled tea, coffee
drinks, new sports and “energy” drinks, and most important of all,
single-serving water.
However, that longer answer also includes a dose of political realism.
Industry opposition to bottle bills – expressed through lobbying and
campaign donations – is intense (and at least so far, highly effective).
Updates and expansions of the Mass Bottle Bill have come before the
state legislature multiple times since 2000 and been consistently
defeated. Furthermore, failure here is not so easily pinned on
weak-willed or venal politicians. In 2014, a Bottle Bill expansion was
brought directly to the voters: Ballot Question #2, which would have
applied the 5 cent deposit to most non-alcoholic beverages, was defeated
by a nearly 3:1 margin.
That is a very large margin for a ballot question. Consider that on the
very same ballot in 2014, Question #1, which by seeking to reduce gas
taxes placed in opposition the same values of environmental protection
vs. consumer prices, passed with just 53% of the vote.
Perhaps 2014's resounding defeat at the hands of the voters was also due to corporate power. While the Governor, other politicians, and the Boston Globe supported the measure, campaign spending by industry
bested that of the initiative's proponents by a 6:1 margin. Or,
perhaps, this defeat was just another example of the political truism
that voters never choose to raise their own taxes, which a bottle
deposit certainly does resemble.
Therefore, we are not terribly optimistic that a major expansion of the
Bottle Bill will occur in the near future without a major change in the
nature of the proposal, facts on the ground, or public opinion. But
there are reasons for cautious optimism on some or all of those fronts,
chiefly the view of the public regarding disposable plastics in general.
On this issue, public opinion in Massachusetts appears to be changing
very quickly. For example, in just a few years plastic bag bans have
moved from a fringe idea to an accepted way of life in many towns. It is
conceivable that a new bottle bill that 1) offers leaders and
policymakers some technical and/or economic solutions to the currently
perilous state of recycling in America (e.g., would reverse vending
machines that sort and crush recyclables yield a more marketable product
than single-stream bins?), and 2) heavily focuses its public advocacy
efforts on the impacts of ocean pollution on wildlife, could today
garner enough support to pass.
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