Vail celebrates Earth Day with seed giveaway and more

The Town of Vail recently issued the following press release on its celebration of Earth Day, including its giveaway of vegetable and native wildflower seeds:

Earth Day is Thursday, April 22. In celebration, the Town of Vail is providing complimentary native wildflower and vegetable seeds to community members in conjunction with the 10^th anniversary of the One Book One Valley initiative and the NEA Big Read grant. This year’s book, “Lab Girl,” by Hope Jahren, chronicles the life and experiences of a young woman in her pursuits as a lifelong plant researcher. Community members are encouraged to channel their inner botanist and plant native wildflower seeds to attract pollinators, as well as spinach, lettuce and beets as a source of healthy food this summer. The seeds and compostable planters will be available to pick up at the Vail Public Library starting April 19 on a first-come, first-served basis until supplies last. Community members are advised to plant the seeds indoors in complimentary compostable planters and transplant them outside when warmer weather arrives. Planting instructions can be found on www.lovevail.org.

On Earth Day, Town of Vail will host the Poo Patrol cleanup of parks containing excessive dog poop that was left behind this winter. The cleanup effort will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on April 22. Gloves, bags, buckets and tools will be available. Community members are encouraged to come out to one of the following parks and help assist in the effort: Stephens Park, Bighorn Park, Ellefson Park, Buffehr Creek Park, Red Sandstone Park and Davos Trailhead. Residents who attend will receive Town of Vail swag as a thank you. The town always asks residents and visitors to clean up after pets to keep the environment clean and prevent waste from impairing the health of Gore Creek.

The town is also encouraging residents to get outside and clean up their neighborhoods while practicing social distance. Residents can dispose of collected trash in dumpsters provided by the town for this alternative cleanup effort from May 13-20 or until they are full, whichever comes first. The dumpsters will be located at the North Trail Trailhead parking lot at the West end of the North Frontage Rd in West Vail, the Ford Park parking lot and the East Vail interchange parking area at I-70 exit 180. The hard to recycle day will be held Friday, May 14 at the Ford Park parking lot from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Electronic waste and household hazardous waste will be collected for recycling and yard waste will be collected for composting. Paper shredding services will be onsite, and all materials shredded will be recycled. The event will be free for community members who live and work in Vail.

As a preview of other sustainability initiatives to come this summer, Town of Vail is partnering with Vail Honeywagon to offer a residential curbside compost pilot program to full time residents of most West Vail neighborhoods. For the duration of the pilot program, the town will subsidize the cost to participants by 50%. Participating residents will pay $8 per month for weekly service for the year-long pilot program and receive a locking 5-gallon bucket to collect compostable materials. For details and instructions to enroll in the program, visit www.lovevail.org. Compost collection will begin the week of May 1.

Town of Vail will be kicking off the annual Sole Power Green Commuting Challenge on Monday, May 31. Celebrating its 11^th year, Sole Power is the free green commuting challenge for Eagle County residents that supports active transportation such as biking, walking and skating instead of motorized options to commute to work, run errands or attend social engagements. Participants get outside, get fit, reduce their carbon footprint, save money, win prizes, and have fun. In 2020, 280 participants logged nearly 51,000 miles and reduced over 46,600 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. To sign up, visit www.solepower.org.

For more information on Vail’s sustainability initiatives, contact Beth Markham, Town of Vail environmental sustainability coordinator, at 970-479-2333 or at bmarkham@vailgov.com.