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09/20/2022 04:00 PMAs Mad For Trees, Madison’s tree planting non-profit, closes in on its goal of planting 200 trees in time for Madison’s 200th birthday in 2026, they are announcing a multi-presentation event with beach clean-up, expo, and climate symposium served up with a bit of free ice cream.
On Saturday, Oct. 8, Mad For Trees will hold a beach clean-up at the Surf Club in conjunction with Save the Sound (STS). An expo with area vendors and organizations, music from the School of Rock, and a lecture on climate change and how individuals can help solve the issues from their own backyard will follow.
Mad For Trees co-founder Fran Brady said the event is an important one for Madison residents and a great way to close out the summer season of beach fun.
“This was a great way to partner with Save The Sound and join forces on this,” said Brady. “Folks can preregister with Save The Sound for the cleanup and help out by removing the trash and especially cigarette butts along Madison’s shores.”
The beach clean-up is sponsored by STS and is being held in conjunction with the International Coastal Cleanup project, which takes place each fall, according to Brady. STS is asking participants to preregister for this event via their website.
According to Brady, more than a dozen local groups will be presenting ways for residents to engage in preserving our shoreline.
“The band will be playing right after the cleanup,” Brady said. “There will be a lot of information and advice residents can access. Lawn and gardening tips and a host of other info will be available.”
The finale of the event will be a presentation by C-Change on climate related issues. According to Brady, a former colleague, Dallas Hetherington, will be speak on the non-profits compelling program that engages attendees using charts and data to provide an accessible non-partisan overview of the science on climate.
“These folks are extremely professional. They initially gave this presentation to garden clubs along the East Coast and have expanded to more groups,” Brady said. “The most important reason we want folks to hear this presentation is that these folks’ fundamental belief that this is a non-partisan, human, and economic situation that needs attention and action. Sea level rise is an important factor for a town like Madison. I think that folks are not necessarily denying but delaying when it comes to climate. We want people to have the opportunity to hear the facts in an unbiased and nonpartisan way.”
According to Brady, the presentation will be important for residents of any age.
“The primer presents clear, unbiased information that helps people understand how climate change will affect them personally, with an emphasis on how our changing environment is affecting our health, national security, and the global economy. It has been widely hailed as an intelligent, dispassionate introduction to and illumination of the topic,” Brady said.
First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons hailed Mad For Trees’ effort in bringing these important issues into a public forum.
“It’s exciting. This will be a great event for people and very timely. We really have to start thinking about these environmental issues much more than we have in the past. This is why the town is trying to implement an electric vehicle program, and why we set up a Coastal Resiliency Fund last year, and we are starting to develop an update of our Coastal resiliency Plan. So, this is a great opportunity for folks to learn how climate is affecting us locally,” Lyons said. “This event will be about how policy can help on these issues, and also how the infrastructure side of these issues will come into play. So, I think Fran and the organization are really doing a great service with this event.”
The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Madison Surf Club from 4 to 8:15 p.m.
The day will kick off with a beach clean-up from 4 to 6 p.m. that is open to all. The table top expo is from 6 to 7 p.m., and vendors and organizations will be on hand to provide information and answer questions. The organizations expected to participate in the expo include Mad for Trees, Pollinator Pathways Project, Daniel Hand High Eco Club, Friends of Hammonasset, Madison Land and Conservation Trust, Women’s Club of Madison, The Conservation Commission, UConn Master Gardeners, Rockland Preserve Committee, Save the Sound, and the Sierra Club. The climate presentation is scheduled from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m.
In addition to music by School of Rock, Ashley’s Ice Cream will also be offering free ice cream during the event. Food trucks are also expected to set up as well.
For more information, visit mad4trees.org or search Mad For Trees on Facebook. To register for the beach cleanup, visit savethesound.org.