The members of the Ewing’s Green Team want to thank you for all of your hard work in building a greener Ewing during the past year.   Whether at the Green Fest last March, municipal Shred Days, the Garden Tour, National Night Out, our annual Bike Ride and Scarecrow Contest, Community Fest, or one of our Environmental Insights programs, we had many opportunities to chat with you and learn what you are doing to better our community.   We thank you for making a difference!

As the old year ends and the new one begins, we frequently resolve to begin anew, to do something better and be better.  We asked our members and supporters to share their green resolutions for the coming year. We share them to give you some simple ideas on what you can do. What would you add to the list?

Best wishes for a Happy & GREEN 2019!

The Ewing Green Team

Eileen Antolino

I resolve to change all my bills to paperless to save trees, clutter and recycling…and to get my leaky outdoor faucet fixed to save water…  We would add that to better cut down on your junk mail, go to CatalogChoice.org to opt out of the mailed catalogs that are delivered to your mailbox.

Pete Boughton

I resolve to continue advocating with those who share similar views on biking and walking to each speak up to appointed and elected fellow citizens to advance striping of roads for bike safety and to improve and extend the pathways most suitable in town.

Dan Burke

I resolve to: (1) always take my canvas bags when I go shopping; (2) never ever take plastic straws when dining out; (3) carpool whenever possible: and (4) attend as many protests, demonstrations, and rallies as possible (carpooling, of course) to stand against this Administration for a clean environment.

Dorin Ciocostisan

We can all do our part to prevent further damage to our environment and our waterways from plastics! Therefore, I resolve to reduce the amount of plastic waste I produce by consuming less single-use consumer plastics. I will use cloth or reusable shopping bags instead of plastic bags at grocery stores. I will also avoid establishments that don’t offer non-plastic options or opt for “for here” options or regular mugs, dishes and cutlery.

Mary Corrigan

I resolve to continue to grow organically and to do as much for our environment as possible.  I further resolve to tackle the use of plastic and other single-use items and recycle to the best of my ability.

Evan Crumiller

I resolve to pick up litter that’s not my own.  When walking or even driving, I will bring a bag with me to collect litter.  I see litter at many of the places I frequently visit, and I can make an impact on my own by just picking it up and not leaving it for someone else.

Heidi Furman

I am resolved to transform my front lawn from grassy wasteland to flourishing pollinator garden. Green grass looks nice but adds nothing to the environment.  I resolve to increase habitat for all pollinators.

I further resolve to continue to have conversations with my neighbors about proper recycling. We’ve all seen plastic bags, pizza boxes, #3, #4, #5, and #6 plastics in neighborhood buckets because people either don’t know or have forgotten recycling rules in Mercer County.  Every little bit of education can go a long way.

John Hoegl

I resolve to make a list of errands to be completed every day. If they can be done by bicycle, this will be the best in terms of reducing my carbon footprint. If by automobile, the list should minimize the distance between stops, and make the total errands most efficient. The money saved on gasoline usage will be in addition to savings on maintenance and reduced insurance costs.

Kylie King (EHS student representative)

I resolve to continue to educate myself and my peers on how to live a more sustainable life.  We believe that this is critical to enjoying a better future!  We all need to be open to continuing to learn about critical sustainability issues and then taking action upon them.  Future generations depend up it!

Charlie Maack

I resolve to take my car to a car wash instead of washing it at home.  This will prevent soapy/dirty water from going down the driveway to a storm drain that flows into our water ways, or seeping into the ground and getting into our drinking water.  A car wash not only captures the soapy water but recycles the water thereby minimizing the amount of water used.

Jim McManimon

I resolve to continue to turn off lights in empty rooms and to encourage others to do the same.

Joe Mirabella

I resolve to maximize combining car trips to lower CO² emissions.  I also resolve to convert part of lawn to wildlife habitat for various insects, plants and animals and to see what happens.

Joanne Mullowney

Habitat loss and degradation with its resultant loss of biodiversity is one of the greatest threats to the natural world and is an underappreciated crisis.  I resolve to garden sustainably on my property and promote the same to others.  I will maintain my property as a National Wildlife Federation certified wildlife habitat providing food, cover, shelter, and water for wildlife on my property.  And, when I see holes in the leaves of my plants, I will see them not as imperfections in an unsustainable goal, but rather appreciate them for providing life sustaining support for many creatures in the food web.

Caroline Steward

I resolve to continue to educate myself and my family on proper recycling while at the same time working to reduce the amount of trash we create.

Mark Wetherbee

I resolve to mulch all the fall leaves into my lawn and garden beds to feed my property naturally and reduce the amount of township truck stops to pick them up.

Thank you to all our members for their wonderful suggestions!

We add one final suggestion.  We don’t know what the future holds for us beginning in 2019, but it appears that the roles of the states, local governments and environmental organizations will be more critical than ever in continuing efforts to protect and clean up our environment.  So, resolve to join with us in our work, especially as we strive towards our third Sustainable Jersey recertification.  Come to a meeting and help us influence others to make needed positive changes for a better tomorrow for our town, our state, our country and our world.