Rivers & Spires “goes green” in 2010

Rivers and Spires organizers have the ambitious goal to turn the festival “green” this year. A major recycling effort will be launched during this year’s event in downtown Clarksville. Rivers and Spires, which runs April 15-17.

“With the help of Bi-County, Waste Management and local Boy Scouts, our goal is to recycle as much plastic, glass, aluminum and cardboard as we can,” said Jessica Goldberg, Events and Marketing Manager for the Clarksville-Montgomery County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. The three organizations will help in the following ways:

1. Waste Management will be supplying cardboard bins, which will also be recyclable, and the manpower that will change out garbage bags throughout the event.
   
2. Bi-County will then take the items in, sort them and distribute them for recycling.
   
3. Finally, the different Boy Scout Troops will be picking up cardboard from every vendor to recycle as well.

Organizers are keenly aware that with over 35,000 people in attendance last year, they have a big job in front of them. “We are not expecting miracles the first year we implement a green mission,” said Goldberg. “We will look back at what worked and what didn’t and plan accordingly for the upcoming years.” Their hope is that this green mission will get out by word of mouth beforehand and encourage festival-goers to participate. Goldberg said that announcements have been sent out to every major company and corporation in the area.

Goldberg also acknowledges that the mindset to recycle is a lifestyle change and that it takes time for an entire community to want to go green. Bi-County and Waste Management assured her and the other festival organizers that every year there is an increase of recycling in Clarksville; although the green mission is a grassroots project for now, there are people that want to take the extra time to recycle.

People will not have to go out of their way to recycle during the festival because it will be as easy as throwing their trash away.  “For every one trash bin, there will be two recycling bins in the same area. The process will be simple so people will want to participate.” said Goldberg.

Although the green mission at the Rivers and Spires Festival seems ambitious, festival organizers have faith that people will want to help our community so the festival can continue. Goldberg’s suggested way of doing your part: “if you get a bottle of water, you make sure you put it in the right bin.”