The Peru Gazette

PLATTSBURGH, NY – Last Saturday, April 25, Unitary America, alongside volunteers Garrett Monette, Colin Clancy, Elias Cross, Omar Fathi, Ethan Breen, and Dennis Ivanov, removed roughly 500 pounds of garbage from alongside Route 11 in Champlain, New York, with efforts concentrated at the Route 11-Interstate 87 intersection, and the surrounding areas. A significant part of the garbage was single-use plastics, food packaging, cardboard, alcohol containers, and a smaller quantity of environmentally-toxic chemicals, including antifreeze, motor oil, and hydraulic fluid. The group also removed a large, discarded electrical wire.

Certain chemicals, especially motor oil and antifreeze, are highly toxic if they are discarded  into the environment, and can pollute hundreds of thousands of gallons of groundwater alone. The plastics and food packaging can release countless microplastics, which have direct environmental and human health-related impacts. Said plastics can additionally release PFAS compounds, which have been linked to significant health risks. Some of the trash removed was embedded in layers of soil, or had degraded into smaller pieces of plastic. These efforts of “Cleaning up litter and dump sites like the one Garrett and his team found are incredibly important. In this case, the crew found numerous old, leaky jugs of hazardous materials like motor oil. Not only is it illegal to wrongfully dispose of those materials by dumping them on the ground, but even small volumes of automotive fluids can degrade water quality for downstream users,” cites Curt Gervich, a professor of environmental science at SUNY Plattsburgh. Garrett Monette, leader of Unitary America, states that “Unitary America is committed to helping improve the North Country’s environment, promote water quality, and help ensure that our communities are healthy. If we want to create a cleaner future, then we need to get involved in projects like this that have a real impact on our watershed, our towns, and our futures. Action, not words.”

Unitary America is holding another trash cleanup focusing again alongside the Saranac River, on Saturday, May 2nd, from 9:30 to 3:00, meeting by the footbridge at the end of George Angel Drive in Plattsburgh (at the junction with the Saranac River Trail). All community members and college students alike are welcome. The organization is also holding a mental health seminar Saturday, May 2nd, from 1:00-2:00, at Gem Goddess Emporium in Plattsburgh, held by a licensed therapist. The organization has surged to almost 160 registered supporters, with over 40 volunteers as of April 25th, allowing it to develop more programs and impact more communities. More information can be found at unitaryamerica.org.

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR LISTINGS
SATURDAY, MAY 2
TRASH CLEANUP – Unitary America is hosting its second trash cleanup at the Thelma I Douglas Footbridge, at the end of George Angell Drive in Plattsburgh, New York, between 9:30 am. and 3:00 pm. Those who want to make a real impact on their environment, care about their community’s health, and want to encourage environmental stewardship, are encouraged to attend. For those with questions, please visit unitaryamerica.org, or send an email to contact@unitaryamerica.org.

SATURDAY, MAY 2
MENTAL HEALTH SEMINAR – Unitary America is hosting its first mental health seminar as part of its Caring America program, designed to help raise awareness about mental health, promote knowledge of coping techniques, and provide ways for local community members to find the help they need. All those in need are welcome to come, free-of-charge, to the Gem Goddess Emporium, in Plattsburgh, NY, between 1:00-2:00 pm., on Saturday, May 2nd. For those with questions, please visit unitaryamerica.org, or send an email to contact@unitaryamerica.org.

SATURDAY, MAY 9
FOOD DRIVE – Unitary America is hosting another food drive, its first food drive outside of the immediate Plattsburgh area, on May 9th, at the Peru Free Library, between the hours of 11:00 am. and 1:00 pm., in Peru. All those who need food are welcome to come, while supplies last. Food at the drive has been sourced from local North Country businesses and supporters. For those with questions, please visit unitaryamerica.org, or send an email to contact@unitaryamerica.org.