Mindful vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard
Posted by Kerry on Apr 19, 2009
Oak Bluffs Harbor
Welcome to Martha’s Vineyard! What a relief to finally see those words as you exit the ferry and land on the Vineyard from lands near or far. Everyone has the same feeling of excitement and anticipation as their vacations are about to begin. Also of relief, that the steamship experience is behind you and you don’t have to worry about it for another week… If you are lucky it’s 2 weeks or a month until it’s time to leave. Who needs the stress? The looks of exasperation and the head shaking in disbelief because you don’t understand the arm flapping and apparent airplane directions coming at you? But that is a post for another day. So, whew, you made it, you are here! Woohoo!.
If you’ve arrived in Oak Bluffs, you may find yourself looking around for a recycling container to dispose of your soda can or water bottle. This is, after all, an island, so you know we have them. Well, believe it or not, we don’t. Due to circumstances beyond my comprehension, Martha’s Vineyard is critically under equipped to manage recycling. At the height of the summer traffic, you will find the trash cans in town full of things that should be recycled. Plastics, cans, cardboard and other products that would otherwise have second lives are going into the trash because people don’t know where to put them. Also noted, these people are on vacation and don’t want to have to look for the proper disposal methods. In a perfect world they would be readily available. Vacation and effort generally negate each other, but I am appealing to you here to make your Vineyard vacation a mindful one.
The only town on Martha’s Vineyard that has curbside pickup is Tisbury, so to get recyclables properly disposed of, they have to be brought to the dump and sorted by hand. For most of us who live here making that trip a part of our routine is not too much to ask. As a visitor, and presumably someone who loves the Vineyard and is vested in seeing it remain a beautiful island, does making that trip have value to you? How about for the earth and for your children? There are many ways to show respect for the environment and honor what mother nature has given us, recycling is the begining of the process. It is the simplest way to have the most impact in the short time that you are here. Recycling is a way to give back something to an island that gives so much of herself. Be mindful this year, take care of your island.
Please feel free to write to the www.mvtimes.com with suggestions on how Martha’s Vineyard can get it’s recycling system up to speed.
