Peggy Wiltberger, a member of the Adirondack Tri-Lakes chapter of 350.org, suggests environmentally friendly initiatives to the Saranac Lake Village Board of Trustees Monday night. (Enterprise photo — Griffin Kelly)

SARANAC LAKE — The state Department of Environmental Conservation recognized this village as a Climate Smart Community in summer 2018, but it could get even greener.

The Adirondack Tri-Lakes chapter of 350, a non-profit dedicated to reducing the use of fossil fuels and promoting green technology and lifestyles around the world, presented ways Saranac Lake can be a more environmentally-friendly community at Monday’s Village Board of Trustees meeting. Nearly 20 members of the 350 organization attended the meeting.

“We’re hoping the village can take a more active role in reduce, reuse, recycle,” said 350 representative Peggy Wiltberger.

Wiltberger said the group’s three main goals for Saranac Lake focused on plastic — implementing reusable water bottle filling stations, enhancing village-wide recycling and promoting reusable bags for residents and businesses.

“Plastics are a part of everyday life. The problem is they’re with us for generations to come,” Wiltberger said. “They take 500 to 1,000 years to break down. Some never break down. So we’re unwittingly creating a toxic legacy for hundreds of years to come.”

She also referenced a 2017 study from Orb Media, a non-profit journalism organization, that found that 94% of the U.S. drinking water is contaminated by micro-plastics. Some samples in that study were taken from the U.S. Capitol Building, Trump Tower and the Environmental Protection Agency’s headquarters.

Wiltberger recommended installing refillable water bottle stations at public places such as Berkeley Green, Riverside Park, and the DEC Lake Flower Boat Launch. She also suggested promoting reusable water bottles at the Visitors Center and giving them away at promotional events.

“Not only are (Berkeley Green and Riverside Park) visible and well-traveled routes, the water infrastructure is already in place there,” Wiltberger said. “And we’ve already contacted the DEC about getting water stations at the boat launch.”

Second, 350 suggested setting up recycling bins next to every public trash can in the village. Wiltberger said the Saranac Lake SkatePark Committee is willing to pilot returnable bottle collection by purchasing two containers and partnering with the Saranac Lake Youth Center to collect and return bottles. She also recommended that when the village permits the use of public space for events, it require on-site recycling.

The third suggestion pertaining to reusable bags would be more promotional on the village’s part, Wiltberger said.

In March, single-use plastic bags will be banned statewide. However, a clear alternative hasn’t been widely accepted. Some businesses plan to switch to paper bags for single use.

“Just going to paper is not the best solution, and bringing your own bag is,” Wiltberger said. “There’s a lot of wasted energy in the process, a lot of tree cutting, a lot of expense, a lot of carbon footprint.”

Village Mayor Clyde Rabideau said he appreciated the 350 group voicing their suggestions and that the board will take them into consideration.

“I personally find a lot of merit in refillable stations in the parks. I think that’s very doable,” he said.

Rabideau asked village Manager John Sweeney to look into the finances for installing two water bottle filling stations.

He added that installing village recycle bins would be doable, too, but requiring recycling during events at a public space could be tricky.

“How do you enforce it? I don’t know,” Rabideau said. “You can make any law in the world, but if you can’t enforce it, it doesn’t matter.”