Vermont Life covered the introduction of the “Bottle Bill” in the VL Reports section in Spring 1975. The article supports the new beverage container law because of how important it is for Vermont to remedy any unsightliness especially in high visibility areas. Anything to prevent spoiling unspoiled Vermont is to be celebrated. Or at least anything to be celebrated is to be done through the lens of preserving unspoiled Vermont. This is really what I would call aesthetic environmentalism. Which in a lot of ways is what Vermont is all about. If it looks unspoiled then it must be in good shape. In a similar way, Vermont is proud of the wilderness there being unspoiled and grand. However it is vastly different from what it was like before colonization. That isn’t to say it’s categorically worse, but many of the changes had unintended consequences that one could argue should not have been made. Only the pollution that affects humans is paid attention to.

We see the photos in this article focusing on the unsightly nature of roadside litter and trash. This is focusing on the shock and awe approach not seen in other parts of the decade. It is the one environmental issue addressed that highlights a shortfall of current Vermont. Most of the articles are about things that happened in the past and what to do now. Or places Vermont has right now that need to be kept that way. The “Bottle Bill” article attempts to address an ongoing issue that people can and should take individual action to address.