Simple adjustments such as bringing a reusable coffee mug to work or bringing cloth bags to the grocery store are ways to lessen the impact on the environment, says Downtown Stratford GM Jamie Pritchard.
Earth Day is Monday and the local BIA has championed and highlighted its local business members’ efforts at sustainable practices both today and year-round.
Over the weekend, through a sponsorship partnership, JENN and Larry’s Ice Cream Shoppe offered a kid cone for anyone who brought in a bag of litter.
The local BIA is also holding a contest to promote Earth Day, asking for Earth-conscious activities downtown. Entries can be submitted up until 3 p.m. Monday via their Instagram page. A draw will choose a random winner, who will get $50 Downtown Dollars.
Local businesses think green always, by using sustainable packaging, reusing and repurposing and using biodegradable options when available, or using and encouraging public transit, according to a BIA social media page.
Pritchard told My Stratford Now that downtown businesses are often leaders in environmentally-friendly practices. Green thinking is important to the BIA, he noted.
“Earth Day should be important to everyone, it’s important to me, personally. I worry about my four-year-old granddaughter and what kind of world we are leaving for future generations.”
Pritchard said big cleanups that occur in the region and across the globe are important, but so are the daily decisions that people make to protect the environment.
“If everyone did one or two small things each day, 365 days-per-year, we can make a big, collective difference.”
