ewinggreenteam

Thanks, Sustainable Jersey!

October 4, 2013November 4, 2016Leave a comment

Many thanks to Sustainable Jersey for their recently announced approval of a $2,000 capacity-building grant to support our outreach and sustainability efforts. This award is part of $380,000 in grants that have just been awarded through the Sustainable Jersey Small Grants program which is funded in part by Walmart. The grants will be given to recipients at the Annual Sustainable Jersey Awards Luncheon on November 19, 2013 at the New Jersey State League of Municipalities conference in Atlantic City.

This is an important and exciting time for Ewing Township and its Green Team. The Township is in the process of redeveloping the former GM site on Parkway Avenue which will lead to the creation of a town center where none currently exists. It is a source of excitement and hope, for a vastly improved landscape, a place for living and working, community interaction and economic development. The project is an intersection of housing, retail, community space and transportation, which in itself is a plus for sustainability of the township in the coming decades.

At the same time, we feel that we are just beginning to hit our stride as a champion for Ewing’s sustainability. In the next 12-18 months, the Ewing Green Team intends to increase outreach to the community, hone the skills, credentials and commitment of our members, and most importantly, create a Community Sustainability Plan with internal and external stakeholders, including Township officials, community groups, and members of the public.

The coming months will see extensive board training, stakeholder analysis and strategic planning. Our blueprint for the future will also include expanded educational and outreach efforts via our website and social and print media. We also plan to explore ways to create small group discussion around film, books or speakers. The grant will provide the technology and equipment (projector, easel, flipcharts and much more) to help these events function optimally. Thank you, Sustainable Jersey, for your support for our vision for a more sustainable Ewing Township.

“It takes a Village” at the Ewing Community Gardens

September 28, 2013November 4, 2016Leave a comment

It was a great day last Saturday! With the help and energy of yet another contingent of TCNJ student volunteers under the direction of Professor Michael Nordquist and the Community Gardens Committee we accomplished what we have been trying to do all season – decimate a huge mulch pile and put its contents onto the paths of the Ewing Community Gardens on Whitehead Road Extension. This was a fabulous accomplishment and will make a tremendous difference to the gardeners who use the site. Gardeners have already commented on how much easier the site is to use this year since they didn’t have to do quite so much bushwhacking to get to their plots. The efforts of the students and gardeners Saturday have sustained and greatly improved upon our previous efforts. In addition, we were delighted to have the compost bins set up for the gardeners use. Now they won’t have to cart out the weedy debris but can be more environmentally friendly and compost it on site. The weeding and the planting efforts that they contributed were just the icing on the cake!

Ewing Township, the Green Team and most especially the community gardeners have been the recipients of a number of student volunteer community service days this year and are all deeply grateful for all of the hard work that the students put in. We believe that in addition to implementing more environmentally friendly practices at the gardens, the cleanup days, so wonderfully supported by the students, are helping to create the community in our community gardens.

For more photos from the day, check our Photos page.

TCNJ Community Service Fraternity Alpha Phi Omega to Host Feed Our Friends 5K and Fun Walk on Oct 13th

September 26, 2013November 4, 2016Leave a comment

TCNJ fraternity Alpha Phi Omega is hosting the 5th Annual Feed Our Friends 5K Run and Fun Walk to benefit the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen on Sunday, October 13th. Registration begins at 8:30, the Fun Walk begins at 9 and the 5K begins at 10 a.m. from The College of New Jersey Student Center.

Costs

$15 for the Fun Walk for non TCNJ students; $10 for students
$20 for the 5K for non TCNJ students; $15 for students.
$10 for the 5K for groups of 10 or more.
Checks should be made payable to Alpha Phi Omega – TCNJ

See the Flyer and Registration Form for more information.

Ewing Community Gardens Fall Clean Up This Saturday

September 20, 2013November 4, 2016Leave a comment

A Fall Workday Planned for Sept 21^stfrom 9 – 5. All hands are needed.

This is a heads up that a site clean up for the Community Gardens is planned for this Saturday, the 21st from 9 – 5. We are extremely fortunate in that we are going to have the volunteer services of a team of Bonner and other TCNJ students. We also hope that some of the gardeners will participate.

We ask for your help with our agenda for the day. All contributions of newspaper (no glossy pages) and cardboard would be most appreciated for weed suppression in the paths. We also desperately need wheelbarrows (and possibly shovels) to move the mulch. If you have tools that we could use for the day we would be very grateful. Any contributions of homemade goodies to sustain the workers would also be gratefully accepted. And finally, if you could donate an hour or two of your time weeding, moving mulch, etc., it would be incredibly helpful. We have a lot of work facing us and as they say, many hands make light work.

Thanks to all for their anticipated assistance and community spirit.

Ewing Community Gardens Meeting

September 16, 2013November 4, 2016Leave a comment

The September Meeting of the Ewing Community Gardens will be held this Wednesday from 6:30 – 8 p.m. at the Gardens on Whitehead Road Extension. An election will be held to determine the garden leadership for the next gardening season. All 2013 plotholders are eligble to vote. Please come and help determine the future of Ewing’s community of gardeners.

Rain Location: Ewing Senior and Community Center