A steady rain fell all day during the daylong How Green Could Wilton Be symposium at the Wilton Library, hosted by Wilton Go Green, on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
The rain was welcome, because of the region’s drought, but at the same time, it served to point out the pollution problems built into the town’s infrastructure, said Jeff Yates, national director of volunteer operations of Trout Unlimited. He was one of the 60 participants in the symposium at the library’s Brubeck Room.
“The storm drains carry all the runoff water to the Norwalk River, and with that water comes silt and chemicals from people’s lawns,” Yates said. “It all goes to the river.”
That was one of the environmental challenges raised in study sessions held during the symposium to get ideas about how to improve recycling, materials management, land and water, energy, and food production.
There’s an enthusiasm there, a willingness that has made Wilton one of the greenest towns in the region, and it will continue, Wilton Go Green members said.
“The community is really behind it. We do have community support, and that is one of the strongest things about Wilton,” said Sara Curtis, a member of the organization.
The symposium had been planned for months, and in early 2017 Wilton Go Green will host a community-wide event and present a symposium recap, said Tina Duncan, chair of the symposium.
“We’ll share information and priority initiatives, request feedback from the audience, and announce dates for four follow-up workshops in the area of energy, land/water, food and materials management,” Duncan said. “The purpose of the workshops is to engage the community at large, develop action plans, and define milestones that will drive successful initiatives.”
Wilton Go Green is a non-profit organization incorporated in 2010 by citizens eager to engage the community in sustainable initiatives. The goal is to develop a wide range of sustainable initiatives in cooperation with the town and other area nonprofits.