Fearrington Village GREEN SCENE Blog: October 2026

Greetings, Event Volunteer Team Members and Interested Parties,

Perhaps I'm forgetting something, but - to the best of my recollection - in the more than a decade that I have been involved in this semi-annual event, last Saturday was the FIRST TIME that we had to do it in a consistent soaking rain.

Many Thanks to my "baker's dozen" of Volunteers: Pat Arnold, Stephen Boyd, Tony Daniels, Tom Jackson, Jim Kasprazak, Carol Kurtz, Marilyn Racine, Karin Ritter, Bill Rosenfeld, Wendy Snodgrass, Maarten Simon-Thomas, Sue Tisdale and Maggie Tunstall.

And I'm pleased and PROUD to say that EVERY ONE of you showed up, and performed your exemplary community service, with nary a word of complaint! And your dedication to the cause was both appreciated and very often acknowledged by the dozens of community residents who showed up to participate in the process.

I'm writing to both report the results of your efforts, and also to THANK YOU for your help, which was given to your fellow residents under challenging conditions, and with courtesy and a smile !

We had 138 vehicles participate in the event last Saturday. They dropped off 18.2 pounds of unneeded pharmaceuticals - which the Chatham County Sheriff's folks will properly dispose of to keep the medicines from ending up in our regional water sources. And they also brought 3,241 pounds ( 1.6 tons ) of paper to be shredded. Recycled paper is proven to save trees and other resources:

17 mature trees

Water: ~7,000 gallons

Energy: ~4,000 to 4,100 kilowatt-hours (kWh)

Oil: ~380 gallons (or about 2 barrels)

Landfill Space: ~3 cubic yards

As many of you know, that shredded paper has historically been sent to a Georgia Pacific toilet tissue manufacturing facility in Georgia. So - in a manner of speaking - some of it may just come back to pass through your hands again .

The cardboard boxes, that many folks brought their paper-to-be-shredded in, were broken down and delivered to a Chatham County Collection Center for cardboard recycling. About 100 paper bags, which folks similarly used to bring their shredding papers, were collected and folded to bring to the CORA Food Pantry.

THANK YOU ALL, AGAIN, for largely ignoring the weather, and working together so harmoniously, to get the job done !

Gratefully,

Jason Welsch,

Moderator, Fearrington Village Green Scene

Wildlife Adaptation to Our Changing Climate

A Special Program, Not To Be Missed!

Featuring wildlife photographer Amy Ames, who will be sharing a presentation that was made recently to a "packed" Chapin Auditorium at Galloway Ridge, and which concluded with a standing ovation by the audience. Based in Pittsboro, Amy has traveled from the Arctic to Antarctica, and many places in between, drawing on years of experience, photographing wildlife across diverse environments.

Wildlife around the world is adapting to changing environmental conditions, and photographers are in a unique position to witness these changes firsthand. Wildlife photographer Amy Ames shares observations from some of the planet's most remarkable ecosystems-from the Arctic and Antarctica to Yellowstone, Alaska, Africa, and beyond. Through powerful imagery and personal stories,

Amy explores how changing weather patterns, shifting seasons, habitat changes, and evolving food sources can influence the lives of the animals we love. Drawing on years of experience photographing wildlife across diverse environments, she highlights both the challenges and resilience of species as they navigate an ever-changing world.

Attendees gain insight into how wildlife responds to environmental change, the resilience many species demonstrate, and the importance of long- term stewardship of the natural places that support them. Along the way, Amy shares unforgettable encounters with polar bears, penguins, wolves, birds, and other species whose lives are closely tied to their surroundings.

Just 3 days later, on Saturday, October 17, we will have our semi-annual FHA - Green Scene, "3-in-1" event in the Gathering Place parking lot, 9:00 AM till Noon. Paper shredding, pharmaceutical disposal, and fire prevention info. More details on the Green Scene website. Click on the hot-link to see complete details.