To the Editor:
Jun. 19, 2019: A heartfelt thank you to BHS science teacher Justine McClellan and her students in the Bronx River Research course, Kelly Weild, Luke Redman, Julia Curran, and Catherine Faville, for their study of littering in Bronxville and its pollution of the Bronx River and for their creative anti-littering campaign via the 2019 Storm Drain Art Contest, with kudos to the winner, BHS sophomore Olivia O’Keefe.
We are all suffering, and our planet and its future are under grave threat because of litter pollution, which is so easily preventable! According to the National Geographic magazine’s January 17, 2019, issue, “Each year, an estimated 18 billion pounds of plastic waste enters the world's ocean from coastal regions. That's about equivalent to five grocery bags of plastic trash piled up on every foot of coastline on the planet.”
Bronxville is fortunate to have many organizations committed to keeping it green and clean, including the Green Committee (which I recently joined), the Bronxville Beautification Council, and the Boulder Ledge Garden Club (apologies for any important omissions—I’ve lived in Bronxville less than two years), as well as Ms. McClellan and her student brigade. It’s time for all of us in the village to support these efforts by becoming Green Angels, picking up litter where it besmirches our sidewalks, streets, parks, and train station and putting it in the appropriate trash and recyclable receptacles. We are all busy people, but just a few minutes a week dedicated to this task would make a difference—if just 100 people each picked up and disposed of 10 pieces of litter a week, that would be 1,000 pieces of litter a week, 52,000 pieces of litter a year—and if 1,000 people were to become Green Angels, we could spare the environment a whopping 520,000 pieces of litter annually. Visitors to Bronxville might be inspired to become Green Angels in their own communities as well.
Our teenagers challenge us to join them in environmental stewardship—let us respond by becoming Green Angels.
Joan Marlow Golan
Bronxville resident
Editor's note: MyhometownBronxville does not fact-check statements in letters to the editor, and the opinions do not necessarily reflect the thinking of its staff. Its objective in publishing letters to the editor is to give air to diverse thoughts and opinions of residents in the community.
Bronxville is a quaint village (one square mile) located just 16 miles north of midtown Manhattan (roughly 30 minutes on the train) and has a population of approximately 6,500. It is known as a premier community with an excellent public school (K-12) and easy access to Manhattan. Bronxville offers many amenities including an attractive business district, a hospital (Lawrence Hospital), public paddle and tennis courts, fine dining at local restaurants, two private country clubs and a community library.
While the earliest settlers of Bronxville date back to the first half of the 18th century, the history of the modern suburb of Bronxville began in 1890 when William Van Duzer Lawrence purchased a farm and commissioned the architect, William A. Bates, to design a planned community of houses for well-known artists and professionals that became a thriving art colony. This community, now called Lawrence Park, is listed on the National register of Historic Places and many of the homes still have artists’ studios. A neighborhood association within Lawrence Park called “The Hilltop Association” keeps this heritage alive with art shows and other events for neighbors.
Bronxville offers many charming neighborhoods as well as a variety of living options for residents including single family homes, town houses, cooperatives and condominiums. One of the chief benefits of living in “the village” is that your children can attend the Bronxville School.
The Bronxville postal zone (10708, known as “Bronxville PO”) includes the village of Bronxville as well as the Chester Heights section of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe and the Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa and Longvale sections of Yonkers. Many of these areas have their own distinct character. For instance, the Armour Villa section has many historic homes and even has its own newsletter called “The Villa Voice” which reports on neighborhood news.
Village of Bronxville Administrative Offices
337-6500
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends
Bronxville Police Department
337-0500
Open 24 hours
Bronxville Parking Violations
337-2024
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Bronxville Fire Deparment
793-6400