History

In January of 2024, a small group of Berks County residents began to gather in support of a common-sense idea: reducing the consumption of single use plastic (SUP) in our beautiful Berks County. The use of a SUP bag to transport groceries or other purchased items from the store to the home and then thrown away appeared wasteful to us. Why not use a bag that is reusable? We have all seen the trashed SUP bags along the roadways, stuck in tree branches, or ultimately winding up in landfills where they will not break down for thousands of years. According to the inspiring words of Article 1 Section 27 of the Pennslyvania state constitution, "The people of the Commonwealth have the right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and aesthetic values of the environment." That Environmental Rights Amendment to the state constitution continues, "Pennsylvania public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people."

 

We are committed to the preservation of these values of the environment, and dedicate ourselves to conserve and maintain the resources in Berks County for ourselves, our children, and grandchildren. We chose as a name for our group What'SUP Berks: SUP for our focus on reducing the single use plastic (SUP) that litters our roadways, contaminates our rivers and streams with microplastics, and plastic debris that blocks storm drains, and burdens local municipalities with litter and landfill trash. What'SUP Berks is a name that is at the same time a question and a challenge. What is "up" is that we cannot continue to afford to produce and consume single use plastics in Berks County and beyond in a way that we have for decades. We are a group of citizens meeting the challenge of reducing single use plastic in our beautiful Berks County. It is a challenge that we want to share with every Berks resident, every store, shop and restaurant owner, city and borough council member, and every township supervisor in Berks County. What kind of community do we want to leave behind for the lives and health of current and future generations? 

 

So, What'SUP Berks? Together we can choose our future and change the negative impact of plastic in our county!