Ewing Green Team – Sustainable Ewing Green Team

It’s going to busy month in town this September for those who wish to join in with the EGT to green their lifestyles just a bit. Three events are running which will help you to do so, the 3^rd Annual Through the Garden Gate Tour, the Ewing Fall Spin (being run in collaboration with the Township’s Community Fest celebration), and a new offering from our Environmental Insights Series, our educational series that discuss the critical environmental issues of our time, “Principles of Ecology: What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know.”

Through the Garden Gate Tour

The Ewing Green Team looks forward to welcoming you to our Through the Garden Gate Tour of great gardens in Ewing and its environs. This year’s tour, will be held the weekend of September 16^th and 17^th and will give the gardeners a chance to show off their gardens in late summer – a completely different look and one that can be a bit more challenging! The Tour is a self-guided ticketed event and runs from 10am – 2pm. Some gardens will be open on Saturday only, while others will be open both days. Buy your ticket ($10) at the Ewing Historic Preservation Society, 27 Federal City Road, which features their kitchen garden.

Come early and celebrate with us as the winners of our first Annual Garden Contest are announced. Winners will be announced and receive their prizes beginning at 9:30am before the tour begins.

This third garden tour of Ewing is being run in partnership with the West Trenton Garden Club and Ewing Girl Scout Troop 70138 to promote our mutual causes of beautification, sustainability, and youth development. It is our belief that showcasing some of Ewing’s noteworthy gardens is a great way to help us engage more people in beautifying our town. A beautiful town elicits pride among its residents and helps to build community. We believe that it can all begin with one garden at a time.

Date: Sat and Sun, Sept 16^th and 17^thTime: 10am – 2pm
Start Up: Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society, 27 Federal City Road
Cost: $10

Ewing Fall Spin

The Ewing Fall Spin, Ewing’s third Bike Tour organized to promote a more bikeable Ewing, will start and end at Campus Town at the College of New Jersey at 8am on Saturday September 23^rd. Participants will ride out promptly at 8:30 to complete either an eight mile route for the casual rider or an 18 mile journey for the more experienced rider. Riders will have a police escort. The Ride registration fee is $20 until September 16th and $25 thereafter. All persons registering by September 16th will receive a T-shirt. Day-of-event registration will begin at 8:00am. Registration is limited to individuals or teams ages 18 or older.

The theme for this year’s ride is, “Bike Riding for a Healthier You.” September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and all proceeds from the event will be donated to the American Cancer Society’s Run for Dad event in support of prostate cancer awareness and research.

Date: Saturday, September 23^rd
Time: 8:30am – 11am
Location: Campus Town at TCNJ
Cost: $20 by Sept 16^th $25 thereafter

Environmental Insights

Everyone thinks that they have a feel for what ecology is but few actually exactly know. Our newest Environmental Insights presentation, Principles of Ecology: What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know, on Wed., September 27^th will give the non-scientists among us a basic, easy to digest explanation of the biology of ecology, what it is and what it is not. We will explore the fundamentals of ecosystems and the relationships of the organism that live in those ecosystems and the importance to mankind.

This is essential to a better understanding of the ecological damage that has been done to nature over the centuries and the continuing acceleration of this process. We will further explore this issue at our October Green Team meeting and learn how dedicated and heroic efforts are being made to reverse the damage and hopefully eventually learn to live in harmony with nature or suffer the consequences.

This series is being presented by Joseph-Mark Mirabella, retired Central Regional Supervisor for the NJDEP Hazardous Waste Enforcement program. He is a former Environmental Science Teacher and has taught and lectured on environmental issues at NJ Colleges for the last 35 years. He is currently Chair of the Ewing Environmental Commission.

Date: Wednesday, September 25^thTime: 6:30pm
Location: ESCC, Community Room, 999 Lower Ferry Road
Cost: Free and open to the public

We finish with a reminder not to forget that our 4th Annual Scarecrow Contest is once again scheduled for this October. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your recycling smarts and creativity and will ca$h while doing so. The judging and awarding of cash prizes of $100, $50 and $25 will be during Ewing’s Trunk or Treat Festival on Saturday, October 28^th. For more information and to register, go to https://ewinggreenteam.org/scarecrow-contest/.

Date: Saturday, October 28th
Time: judging at 4 p.m.
Location: Ewing Senior and Community Center [ESCC]
Cost: free and open to all Ewing individuals, school groups, families, youth groups, service clubs and business groups

So join us at one or all events – at our Garden Tour to marvel at the efforts of your fellow citizens to beautify our town, for a healthy outing on our Bike Tour while raising money to support prostate cancer awareness and research, and our Environmental Insights program on ecology for a primer on the science of ecology to obtain a better understanding of the ecological damage that has been done to nature over the centuries and why and what we must do to reverse the damage.

Sustainably yours,

The Ewing Green Team

Hot off the presses – the Ewing Green Team’s 2016 Annual Report has just been published! 2016 was a year of milestone accomplishments and recognition for Ewing Township, its Green Team and sustainability partners. Highlights include:

Sustainable Jersey SILVER certification,
a Sustainability Champion award for medium-sized municipalities,
a $20k grant for Emerald Ash Borer remediation efforts to make significant headway against a regional and national threat to one of the signature tree species of the region, and finally,
our Association of NJ Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) Environmental Achievement award.

These accomplishments reflect the efforts of the team to continue to build on previous years’ efforts and plans. The Ewing Green Team’s Strategic Plan, created during the 2014-2105 Community Visioning process, guided the team in completing those recommended actions for our Sustainable Jersey recertification effort in the first half of 2016. In 2013, Ewing amassed 185 points for Bronze level certification. In 2016, we completed 32 of the rigorous Sustainable Jersey program sustainability actions for a total of 460 points, for Silver level certification. Ewing’s actions are documented in Ewing’s Sustainable Jersey Profile and 2016 Silver Certification Report on Sustainable Jersey’s website.

The Ewing Green Team continues to actively participate in regional sustainability efforts thru the Mercer County Sustainability Coalition, a county-wide coalition that aims to address environmental concerns that span municipal borders. Ewing has been a central figure in the formation and institutionalization of the organization.

None of this would have been possible without the active support of Mayor Bert Steinmann and Township Business Administrator Jim McManimon who have been key partners in helping us attain our goals. Township Council has worked to help us reach our goals throughout this and previous years and our 2016 Green Team council member Sarah Steward was an invaluable part of the Green Team’s recertification efforts. Councilwoman Jennifer Keyes-Maloney also provided aid in completing a number of difficult actions. Township Planner Chuck Latini was responsible for documenting actions worth 75 points, including hard-to-get actions such as Brownfields and Transit Oriented Development Supportive Zoning. Recreation Department Director Ted Forst also worked with us to complete a number of important projects.

We also owe great thanks to numerous other boards, committees and organizations in town with whom we partnered to complete activities including, but not limited to, the Ewing Environmental Commission, the Arts Commission, the Planning Board, the Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society, the Girl Scouts, the TCNJ Bonner Community Scholars, and the West Trenton Garden Club. We look forward to continuing our work with our partners in the Township and regionally in the coming year and to including more individuals, businesses, and community-based organizations in our efforts and for the future.