The 2015 NJ Sustainable State of the State Report is now available as a free download. The report is published by Sustainable Jersey, the statewide program helping municipalities become greener and more resilient. It was released on June 10 2015 at the Sustainable Jersey Summit.
Category Archives: Sustainable communities
Free Farmer’s Market: fresh veggies all summer long in Newark
PACTS brings America’s Grow-A-Row program back to Newark this season. It’s not too late to sign up for the free veggies Farmer’s Market! Just come to the first distribution event on Saturday July 11 at 10am.
Please note that the America’s Grow-A-Row program is completely free, but PACTS charges a $10 registration fee to cover the costs of administering the program. Participants are also required to put down a $5 “service” deposit. The entire $5 will be refunded if during the course of the summer, you volunteer 4 hours of service at either the market or farm.
Your free weekly Farmer’s Market goodies include:
- Free bags of produce every week mid-July through November
- Reusable grocery bags
- A summer bus ride to the farm to pick your own veggies
- At the June 14 orientation, master farmers gave presentations on growing your own crops in urban areas and how to eat healthy on a limited budget
PACTS Farmer’s Market Opening
Saturday 11 July 2015 @ 10am
Franklin-St John’s United Methodist Church
124 Maple Avenue (corner of Keer Ave)
Newark, NJ
Take action today to protest proposed NJ Transit fare hike
Transit fare hikes is the sort of democratic activity we really need to rally around, and New Jersey riders still have 12 hours left to do it. Green Drinks co-host Sally Gellert advises that public comments on the proposed NJ Transit fare hike can be made online. So, why not take a few minutes out of your day to post a comment sharing your opinion on the proposed fare hikes – and your feelings about how buses and trains function in New Jersey?
Add your comment until 11:59pm tonite 21 May 2015.
Further actions you can take as a public transit advocate:
- Join the Delayed on New Jersey Transit Facebook support group
- Pack the NJ Transit Board Room on July 8 when the board could vote on the proposed fare increase
You might also enjoy reading this Record editorial spotlighting Christie’s disregard for the needs of public transit travelers:
Commuters spoke of late trains, crowded conditions at New York Penn Station and proposed cuts in service. At a time when rail and bus ridership is increasing, reducing service is nonsensical. Fewer trains and buses will force more people to use cars, and that only will add to the congestion on the state’s equally poorly maintained roads and bridges. The governor, who has a penchant for private jets, remains clueless to the plight of low- and middle-income New Jersey residents who, one, have to show up at their day jobs five days a week — something he has not done in more than a year — and, two, do not have the financial means or friends to provide free first-class travel to their desired destinations.
Wei Family recognized for help with Fair Lawn Green Fair
The Fair Lawn High School’s Environmental Club took charge of getting our flyers posted all over town.
Should Bergen County’s Bike Path be useful for commuters? Comments now being accepted.
ESPAÑOL (English below)
Los municipios adyacentes a la Ciclovía de Bergen County están creando un plan para conectar la vía con los destinos y municipios locales y están recopilando información sobre las necesidades de los usuarios de la vía. ¡Esto es una gran idea! Pero, la ciclovía tradicionalmente se ha utilizado principalmente para la recreación. Si usted desee que el camino también sea de gran utilidad para los que viajan hacía y desde la escuela o el trabajo ¡alce la voz! Hay dos opciones para comunicar su opinión:
- Asistir al foro público y expresar su opinión:
Jueves 16 de abril 2015 4-7 pm
Elmwood Park Recreation Center
500 Boulevard (esquina Market Street)
Elmwood Park, NJ - Usted también puede compartir información electrónicamente en http://centralbergenbikewalk.com e inscribirse en la lista de correo electrónico para recibir actualizaciones sobre el proceso de planificación. Comentários sometidos a través del 31 de mayo se incluirán en el reporte final.
- Cuando estás dibujando su ruta cuidado de no cliquear en la casilla de “Snap to Route” – como no funciona.
- Tenga en cuenta que su viaje en la ciclovía puede incluir un viaje en autobús también. Muchos de los estudiantes de Bergen Community College, por ejemplo, viajan al Garden State Plaza Mall por bus y de allá podrían llegar al college utilizando a la ciclovía (algunos buses llevan portabicicletas por delante).
- Es posible comentar en otras rutas que fueron sometidas por demás personas.
ENGLISH
Municipalities around the Bergen County Bike + Walk Path are creating a plan to connect the path with adjacent local destinations and towns and they are collecting user input. This is a great idea! But, the path has traditionally been used mainly for recreation. If you believe the path should also be highly useful for commuters traveling to and from school or work, please make your voice heard. You can do this in two ways:
- Attend the Final Open House meeting and voice your opinion on:
Thursday 16 April 2015 4–7pm
Elmwood Park Recreation Center
500 Boulevard (corner of Market Street)
Elmwood Park, NJ - You can also give input electronically at http://centralbergenbikewalk.com and put your name on the mailing list to receive updates. Comments received through May 31 will be included in the final report.
- Please note that giving input requires registration (e-mail and username only). Also, make sure not to click the “snap to route” box because it doesn’t work right.
- Remember that you might want to ride the bus to Garden State Plaza Mall, for example, and bike from there to Bergen Community College, the Golf Course or Paramus Catholic High School. A growing number of buses have front-mounted bike racks.
- You can also comment on routes drawn by other people.
Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival is now!
The 39th Annual Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival will be highlighted by the planting of 1,000 new cherry blossom trees, solidifying Essex County’s position as having larger and more diverse collection than the national display in Washington, DC. The festival begins with the Cherry Blossom Challenge Bicycle Race on Saturday, April 11th and concludes with the bus tour’s final trip through the park on Wednesday, April 22.
“The colorful display of the cherry blossoms throughout Branch Brook Park will be greatly enhanced with the planting of an additional 1,000 trees. When we started our replanting program seven years ago, it was always our goal to have our collection reach 5,000 trees. This will make the transformation each spring more dramatic and ensure the Cherry Blossoms remain a feature of Branch Brook,” County Executive DiVincenzo said. The project is being funded through the Essex County Capital Budget.
The Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival includes the following events:
Cherry Blossom Challenge Annual Bike Race
Saturday 11 April 2015
7am – 1pm
Essex County Branch Brook Park
Heller Parkway, Newark NJ
Race through Branch Brook Park in the Cherry Blossom Challenge, a competitive New Jersey tradition, or cheer on the cyclists while enjoying a day in the fresh, spring air. Various races occur throughout the morning, with the first race at 7am and the last race at 12 Noon. Registration fees apply to racers. It’s free to enter the park and watch.
Cherry Blossom 10K Run
Sunday 12 April 2015
Registration: 8am
10K Race: 10am
Race for the Disabled: 10:10am
Essex County Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Center
Mill Street, Newark NJRun through the historic cherry tree groves in this race that is sanctioned by the USATF. A portion of the race proceeds benefit the Special Olympics. Online registration can be done at www.compuscore.com. Same day registration begins at 8am Advanced registration is recommended. Race starts at 10am Disabled Run starts at 10:10am It’s free to enter the park and watch.
1-Mile Fun Run and Walk
Saturday 18 April 2015
8am Registration
10am Race
Essex County Branch Brook Park Southern Division
Prudential Concert Grove, Newark NJ
Celebrate the arrival of spring and get fit with your family or friends. Children are encouraged to run individually or as a member of a school team. Schools and groups must register in advance by calling 973-268-3500. This is a free event. All participants will receive a commemorative T-shirt.
Essex County Family Day
Saturday 18 April 2015
11am – 3pm
Essex County Branch Brook Park
Southern Division, Prudential Concert Grove, Newark NJ
The public is encouraged to come out and enjoy an afternoon of family-fun with a variety of events including live performances, children’s activities, a fishing derby and more. Bring your own picnic lunch or purchase food from vendors who will be on site and enjoy the picturesque views overlooking the lake. Admission is free but food and other merchandise will be for sale.
Bloomfest
Sunday 19 April 2015
11am – 5pm
Essex County Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Center
Mill Street, Newark NJ
Enjoy a family day in the pink park! A packed schedule of events includes cultural demonstrations, children’s activities, live music, a crafter’s marketplace, food and more. Winners from the “Why My Essex County Park is Important to Me” essay contest for 4th graders and “Cherry Blossom Poster Contest” for 6th graders will be recognized on stage. Admission is free; food and merchandise will be for sale.
Cherry Blossom Guided Trolley Tours
15 through 22 of April on the hour
No tours will be given on Sunday, April 19
Depart from: Essex County Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Welcome Center
Mill Street, Newark NJ
Have knowledgeable guides take you on a 45-minute journey and point out 120 years of history hidden within Essex County Branch Brook Park’s structure and design. Tours leave from the Essex County Cherry Blossom Welcome Center on the hour. Tickets are $5 person and can be purchased at the Welcome Center on the tour dates. Space is limited – first come, first served. Call 973-268-3506 to inquire about group tour bookings.
Cellphone Tours – free and on demand with your own cellphone
Visitors to Essex County Branch Brook Park can enjoy a self-guided tour by dialing 973-433-9047 and following the prompts or by using their Smart Phone to scan the bar codes at each of the 72 locations to connect to a short history of the park and horticultural information.
More Information
History, driving directions, a complete list of activities and a web cam where the public can monitor the cherry trees for the peak of the bloom season can be accessed by visiting www.essexcountynj.org and clicking on the Cherry Blossom banner at the top of the home page or call 973-268-3500. General information about the park lives at the Branch Brook Park Alliance website.
The Essex County Park System is the first county park system in the country. It is the thought child of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted – who created Central Park in New York City – and was designed by his sons, the Olmsted Brothers.
EPA Administrator and Mayor Baraka Launch Newark’s New Community Air Pollution Project Today
On Friday, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy will join community members at Newark, New Jersey’s Ironbound Neighborhood Family Success Center (East) to launch a new community air monitor, a first of its kind citizen science project. Administrator McCarthy will discuss the agency’s work on air quality and how citizen science plays an important role in scientific analysis.
Fri 13 March 2015 @ 10:15 am
Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC)
Family Success Center – East
29 Cortland Street
Newark, NJ 07105
In 2010, A collaboration between Drew University and the ICC used GIS mapping technology to prove the need for air quality control in Newark. With support from an EPA CARE grant, student Zoe Crum mapped data the ICC helped gather to show, “industrial chemical emissions, Brownfield sites, and Superfund sites in conjunction with demographic analyses for the Ironbound.”
Twenty-five percent of Newark children suffer from asthma, three times the state average, and asthma accounts for the leading cause of absenteeism for Newark’s school age children. Accurate and timely information on air pollution is critical to protecting public health. With data in hand, residents have a better chance of taking effective action to keep themselves and their families safe and healthy.
Apply to FEMA’S Youth Preparedness Council
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced it is seeking applicants for its Youth Preparedness Council. The Council supports FEMA’s commitment to involving youth in preparedness-related activities and provides an opportunity for young people to offer their perspectives, feedback and insights on how to help make America more resilient.
“Young people play a key role in advancing emergency preparedness and informing our efforts,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “The Youth Preparedness Council offers FEMA the unique opportunity to benefit from the perspectives of young people, while also empowering them to engage with their communities to increase readiness.”
FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council was formed in 2012 to bring together youth leaders from across the country who are interested and engaged in advocating youth preparedness. Council members are selected based on their dedication to public service, their efforts in making a difference in their communities, and their potential to expand their impact as national advocates for youth preparedness.
The Council benefits from ethnic minority representation, as these communities experience uniqye challenges and difficulties preparing for, and recovering from, extreme weather events and disasters.
As advocates for preparedness, Council members will complete a self-selected youth preparedness project and have the opportunity to share their opinions, ideas, solutions and questions about youth disaster preparedness with FEMA leadership and national organizations working on preparedness initiatives. Members also have the opportunity to brief FEMA officials on strategies, initiatives and projects throughout their one-year term.
To apply, Youth Preparedness Council applicants must be 13 to 17 years old. They must also be engaged in individual and community preparedness or have experienced a disaster that motivated them to make a positive difference in their community. Individuals who applied for 2014 are encouraged to apply again. Current Council members have an option to extend for an additional year, upon FEMA request. Adults working with youth or on community preparedness are encouraged to share the application with young people who might be interested in applying for the Youth Preparedness Council.
To be eligible for consideration, applicants must submit a completed application form and two letters of recommendation. Completed applications and all supporting materials must be received no later than March 2, 2015, 11:59 p.m. EST. New Youth Preparedness Council members will be announced in May 2015.
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.
Anyone Can Start a Youth Preparedness Program!
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Red Cross, and the Department of Education are proud to announce the publication of the National Strategy for Youth Preparedness Education: Empowering, Educating and Building Resilience. This document outlines a vision for a nation of prepared youth and provides nine priority steps that partners at the local, state, and national levels can take to help make that vision a reality.
Follow FEMA online at FEMA’s blog site, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at @CraigatFema.
Did Christie & mystery legislator team up to destroy Liberty State Park?
Christie has been caught red-handed trying to set Liberty State Park up for privatization by giving it to the Meadowlands Regional Commission he created, of which 9 out of 13 seats are occupied by people the governor handpicked. The commission now oversees the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority.
After Gov. Christie made a similar move to take control of the Highlands Commission, the appointees he placed on that commission began systematically and intentionally sabotaging the guidelines that previous commissioners had put in place to protect the region and its pristine water sources, which provide water to half of New Jersey. Christie’s newly appointed commissioners have allowed development throughout the Highlands, endangering our water source as well as the health of residents who depend on it for drinking water.
It is feared that a similar travesty of justice will be inflicted on Liberty State Park and the residents who rely on it for recreational space and relief from the urban concrete jungles surrounding it. The Record in a Jan 15 article warns,
Three sentences, buried in the 80-page legislation that combines two Meadowlands agencies, allow a new commission to “evaluate, approve and implement any plan or plans for the further preservation, development, enhancement or improvement of Liberty State Park” in Jersey City.
It is unclear who added the paragraph. A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, the bill’s primary sponsor, would not say.
“It came out of nowhere, because no one knew this was happening until after it passed,” said Sam Pesin, president of the 800-member Friends of Liberty State Park, a volunteer group. “There’s no reason to put the park under a new commission unless you want to build on it.”
Since opening in 1976, LSP has hosted a free, green, open park space behind Lady Liberty and is considered by millions to be an important and vital public asset – one which New Jerseyans aren’t ready to give it up without a fight. The Ironbound Super Neighborhood Council, urges you to act on the following calls to action to save Liberty State Park:
- Please read the news coverage about this issue:
- The powerful Star Ledger editorial on Gov Christie’s move to confiscate Liberty State Park, handing it on a silver platter to an agency apparently set up to facilitate development without regard to NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) rules and without allowing state residents to exercise our right to full public input.
- Many other articles published by newspapers around the state.
- Please call the Gov at 609-292-6000 and urge him to veto the “Hackensack Meadowlands Consolidation Act” immediately.
- Organization Admins, please consider signing onto this letter protesting removal of Liberty State Park from public purview. Here’s the Sign-on form.
- Please ask your friends and family to visit the Friends of Liberty State Park (FOLSP) website. A high visitor count will help make the case that the public cares about this issue.
Ironbound Super Neighborhood Council will hold its regular meeting on Wednesday, February 4th at 7pm. Meetings are held at St James Church School at the corner of Madison and Elm Streets, Newark NJ
At TedX, Congwoman Pingree talks as a sustainable organic farmer
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is the type of modern Democrat we need to keep in Washington, representing the American People’s interests at the federal level. Like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Cong. Pingree is a thoughtful, well educated, hard working and egalitarian woman with a quirky (but fun) sense of humor. She too believes that the American people can triumph over corporate greed and interests and works very hard to make sure this becomes reality.
One of the businesses Cong. Pingree owns is an organic chicken processing operation. She says she never fails to remind her colleagues that she’s an “expert chicken eviscerater.” Pingree jokes, “that’s a useful skill to have in Congress.”
In this TEDX Talk, Pingree talks about her history as a Maine Farmer and her ongoing work reforming national food policy and the federal Farm Bill. She challenges us to support the production of sustainably grown organic food in any ways we can, and charges us with helping to protect the butterflies and bees we need to help our food get naturally pollinated and thrive.
Hat tip to Theresa Lam for the find!