Green Up Ashland Invites All Residents to Take Pride in their Community, May 4

ASHLAND, Mass. - April 17, 2013 - PRLog -- Green Up Ashland will hold its 11th annual Earth Day event on Saturday, May 4, 9 am-noon. Registration and trash bags will be available at the Stone Park Pavilion, on the corner of Cherry and Summer streets, and at additional locations throughout town.

The three satellite locations around town where residents can register and pick up trash bags are Montenegro Square, across from the Ashland Library, on Front Street; Sears Hardware parking lot on Rt. 126; and Ashland Community Center on Rt. 135.

The event is organized by a citizens' committee Green Up Ashland in cooperation with town departments. This year’s event sponsors are Honey Dew Donuts on Rt. 135 and the Ashland Lions Club.

The entire Ashland community is invited to “adopt” a street or clean up litter in a public park or along a riverbank.  Residents can fill the bags with rubbish and roadside litter and leave them on the curbside for pickup by the Ashland Department of Public Works following the event. Residents should bring their own work gloves and water and wear sturdy shoes and bright clothing for safety.

Organizers say this is a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors with family and friends while contributing to the community and your own neighborhood.

Volunteers registering at or visiting the Stone Park Pavilion will be treated to free coffee, donuts and t-shirts while they last and may view displays by local “green” community and town groups, which feature many exciting, new activities in town.

Visitors to the Stone Park Pavilion will learn about the new Ashland Bike Club, founded this winter, and opportunities to build bike paths throughout Ashland. Other groups exhibiting will be Ashland Community Gardens, Ashland Farmers Market, the Ashland Department of Public Works, Ashland’s Open Space Committee, Transition Ashland, and the Ashland High School Environmental Club.

Among the groups working on the day of the event will be the four Workmen’s Circle condo associations – Village of a Thousand Pines, Starlight Village, Village at Westerly and Half Moon Village – which will join together for their annual clean-up along the portions of Cedar and Pond streets that abut their properties.  The group has been picking up trash on these streets for the past several years, and they anticipate filling up many yellow bags again this year.

Green Up Ashland works to promote a litter-free environment and encourages stewardship of our lands and waterways and pride in the community.

To volunteer with registration the day of the event, contact 508-881-0100, ext. 681, for the Board of Health, or ext. 82 for Mark Oram, Health Agent, or e-mail info@GreenUpAshland.org.  Look for Green Up Ashland on Facebook and visit the group’s new web site, http://www.GreenUpAshland.org.