J.D. Shaw

The inaugural program and luncheon meeting of the Woman’s Club of Warren’s 2019-2020 season were held on September 23. The guest speaker was J.D. Shaw, who presented the “Green Initiative,” detailing the many environmentally conscious ways organizations, businesses and individuals can help care for our planet.

Shaw is an Eagle Scout from Troop 17 in Sugar Grove and a member of Sea Scout Ship 1 in Warren. He is working toward the William T. Hornaday Award, a Boy Scout award for environmental achievement.

Shaw informed Woman’s Club members that only 9% of plastics are recycled globally, and just .5% of plastic grocery bags are recycled. Of all the plastics polluting the world’s oceans, 80% are disposable consumer goods.

Some ways to mitigate this crisis are: using reusable shopping/grocery bags; storing food and leftovers in glass containers; buying reusable cups, water bottles, razors, and biodegradable paper sandwich bags. Plastic straws may be replaced with paper ones or reusable stainless steel or bamboo. Substitute reusable beeswax wrap for plastic wrap, and make cleaning products from ingredients available in most home pantries. Recipes are readily available online.

The Woman’s Club of Warren has begun “going green” by using biodegradable paper containers instead of Styrofoam, replacing plastic wrap with beeswax wrap, and switching to non-chemical based cleaning products dispensed from reusable plastic bottles.

The luncheon after the program was catered by Woman’s Club members Nan Cashman, Pat Carlson and Ruth Barnes-Shaw, who made three kinds of chili, salad, and dessert from mostly locally sourced ingredients. Judy Champlin and Susie Spangler, hostesses, decorated the table with dramatic vases filled with dried plants gathered locally.

Club President Ruth Barnes-Shaw presided at the post-luncheon business meeting. She informed members of the next event in the ongoing local celebration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. This will be an “Equality of Rights” high tea to be held at the Conewango Club on October 16.

Also upcoming at the Woman’s Club on October 26 is “Spook Rock,” sponsored by Cornplanter Council of the Boy Scouts of America. This event will be open to the public and include games, crafts, and a haunted house.

Woman’s Club members continue to contribute to The Salvation Army food pantry, to “Free the Girls” charity, and to the collection of crutches, canes, walkers and wheelchairs for the Smethport Lions Club to send to Africa.

Anyone with items to donate to these causes should contact Anne Higgins, club manager, at 723-5910.

The next luncheon meeting will be October 7. Charles Conaway will entertain with stories of growing up in Warren in the 1940s.