By Melissa Wagoner
Making the changes needed to live a more sustainable life can feel overwhelming, which is why the members of the group Sustainable Silverton have come up with an easy, fun way for community members to make five simple changes over the next six months.
“Beyond Bins is what we’re calling our project,” Elyce Hues said of
the group’s 2021 initiative, a city-wide Bingo game composed of 25 squares, each with a different environmentally friendly action.
“It’s a way of getting the community involved; giving everyone in Silverton a way to be a part of Sustainable Silverton in their daily lives.”
Available for home printing at sustainablesilverton.org or for pick-up at the Silverton Farmers Market to the end of August, the squares feature activities such as buying products in cardboard boxes instead of plastic bottles, shopping at the Silverton Farmers Market and making purchases from local Earthwise certified retailers.
“The spirit of this is to show people that they can make a difference,” Hues said. “Hopefully somebody finds that when they bought that alternative detergent in a cardboard box and not a plastic jug, it’s something they can do.”
“The other component to this is getting businesses involved,” fellow group
member Karen Garst, added. “We wrote to approximately 200 businesses off the list from the Chamber and asked them to participate.” And the response was phenomenal.
Many offered to place Beyond Bins stickers on qualifying products in their stores – items must be locally sourced or environmentally friendly to qualify
– or else they donated prizes for Bingo winners – those completing at least five squares in a row.
“If they get themselves a bingo, they can come down to the farmer’s market and get themselves in the raffle for a prize,” Hues confirmed. “The last Saturday of August will be our [prize] drawing.”
The prizes, which include tea and chocolate from Apples to Oranges, an emergency kit from Les Schwab Tires and a book from Books N Time, will hopefully encourage wide-spread community participation.
“I feel like people will want to be involved as it becomes more and more clear that we’re not living sustainably on this planet,” Hues said.
“All of us want to preserve what we’ve enjoyed through our lives for future generations.”
‘Beyond Bins’
A community-wide sustainability- themed Bingo game. Now through August.
Cards at the Silverton Farmers Market in the Silverton United Methodist parking lot or at www.sustainablesilverton.org or
Bingo winners (five squares in a row) are entered for drawing prizes on Aug. 28
