2020 marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. It is also time to commemorate Rye’s decades-long legacy of conservation, sustainability, and resiliency, even virtually.
More than 20 Rye non-profits — including Jay Heritage Center, the Rye Historical Society, the Rye Nature Center, the Edith Read Sanctuary, and other climate change action groups and student environmental clubs — had planned to gather at the Rye Town Green with activities and table presentations about water conservation, wetlands protection, and more. That event has been cancelled. But nothing can stop the outpouring of good work that these organizations continue to do.
Rye has historically been one of the biggest leaders in sustainable thinking. That identity is due in large part to the legacy of conservationist, Edith Gwynne Read (1904 -2006). She was tenacious when it came to protecting our ecosystems and preventing flooding in our city. She was one of the many petition signers to save green spaces like the Jay Estate and her rallying cry helped create today’s Rye Nature Center and the Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary.
We can’t help but marvel at the accomplishments of Rye’s greatest enviro-citizen. Read more about Edith Read here at the Edith Gwynne Read Wikipedia page we created in her honor and in the March issue of The Rye Record : “What Would Edith Do?