Patriot "Cleans Up"

A dedicated team helps to Save The Sound in Stamford

For More Information on Save The Sound, go to www.ctenvironment.org

On Saturday, October 15th, Patriot National Bank partnered with Save the Sound to remove over 100 POUNDS of debris from nearly a mile of shoreline along Cove Island Park in Stamford. Patriot employees, from the back office to the branches, teamed to walk the beach and park area, wearing protective gloves and carrying bags to fill with garbage and recyclables. Each team was given data cards and pencils to record their findings. In addition to the expected cans, bottles, food wrappers and cigarette butts, volunteers also found a child-size scooter. After the cleanup, Save the Sound staff analyzed the data to help support needed litter reduction legislation, like the Bottle Bill.

The mission of Connecticut Fund for the Environment and its program, Save the Sound, is to protect and improve the land, air and water of Connecticut and the Long Island Sound. "Coastal clean-ups," according to volunteer and community outreach associate Kierran Broatch, "have become a great way to keep Connecticut's waterways healthy. In 2009, Save the Sound held a record 68 beach and riverfront cleanups drawing over 2,771 volunteers, who collected more than 21,500 pounds of marine debris."

Save The Sound has also been instrumental in the prevention of the industrialization of the Long Island Sound by lobbying against building the liquefied natural gas terminal Broadwater in the middle of the Sound; educating the public about decreasing wastewater and storm water discharge which starve the Sound of oxygen to dead zones and toxic pollution and creating programs that restore and enhance our natural habitat. This year they will also publish a State of the Sound Report which looks at the health of the Sound and the adequacy of the government's efforts to conserve it.

Patriot volunteers included (pictured from left to right), Sarah Allen, Tyler Dickinson, Lisa Grant, Kasey Macedo, Wendy Macedo, Donna Franco, Jazmin Arrieta, Inga Talalaite, Jim Abbott and Mike Intrieri. Kasey, who is the daughter of Wilton Center's Branch Manager, Wendy Macedo, liked being able to "help with a project that helps the environment", as well as the fact that her mom didn't have to go to work that day! Wendy was grateful to spend time with her daughter and that she got to "experience the good feeling that comes from volunteering and working as part of a team."