A surge in corporate donations has pulled Green Up Day from the brink of financial ruin.
Dwindling support from Vermont companies had threatened to end the 44-year tradition. But a slew of contributions in recent months has helped right the ship. Meredith Vieux, executive director of the nonprofit group that puts on the event, celebrated the rejuvenation of her organization at a press conference Tuesday on the steps of the Statehouse.
“We met our budget this year,” Vieux said. “We are in the black, which was not in the looks before we started this raising of awareness.”
Vieux says that volunteer participation in the event has fallen off in recent years. But Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, Gov. Peter Shumlin and others were on hand Tuesday to encourage residents to come out and support the effort.
“We’re all here to tell you that Green Up Day is alive and well,” Scott said. “And we are not going to let this iconic part of our social fabric … to slip through.”
Green Up Day falls on the first Saturday in May, when volunteers across the state are asked to help remove roadside garbage that has accumulated over the winter. Vieux says a $20,000 donation from Green Mountain Power was especially pivotal in reversing Green Up Day’s financial fortunes.
