Uncategorized – Page 4 – Sustainable Ewing Green Team

Community Fest Bike Rodeo

September 15, 2022Leave a comment

For Kids ages 4 – 12

Kids, bring your bike (and helmet) to Community Fest!

Kids ages 4 -12 are invited to the Ewing Police Department’s and Ewing Green Team’s free 2022 Community Fest Bike Rodeo. Aimed at teaching the rules of the road, as well as some safety tips for both the rider and their cycle, the event will run from 11 am to 1 pm, Saturday, September 24^th at the parking lot next to Barnes & Noble in TCNJ’s Campus Town.

Officers, along with volunteers from the Ewing Green Team and TCNJ students, will teach hand signals to be used while riding, as well as provide additional safety tips. Participants will also test their skills on the obstacle course, which will feature educational stops along the way. They’ll also learn when to watch out for pedestrians at cross walks and to watch out for cars.

Our bike rodeo also stresses how important it is to wear a helmet while riding. Helmet fittings and replacements will be provided by Capital Health (while supplies last). Kids will learn how to properly put on a helmet and when it’s time to transition to another bike or helmet.

Bicycle Safety Checks

Staff from Hart’s Cyclery Bike Shop and Ewing Police will be on hand to perform basic safety checks for those whose bikes need some attention.

Registration

Pre – registration is recommended to make your experience at the Rodeo go more smoothly, but not required. For more information, contact our Community Relations officers Detective Irving Bruno at 609-882-1313 ext. 7013 or Detective Danielle Bethea at 609-882-1313 ext. 7781.

Recycle Your Bicycle

Our Bike Rodeo is also an excellent opportunity to help make a child happy with a new bike while decluttering your garage and storage areas! Bring your old and dilapidated bikes to the rodeo during our hours of 11 am – 1 pm. They will be refurbished by the volunteers of the Boys and Girls Club Bike Exchange at Capitol Plaza in Ewing and put to good use.

(All proceeds benefit the Mercer County Boys & Girls Club. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County Bike Exchange is a volunteer-led enterprise that repairs donated bicycles and sells them at modest prices at its Ewing location at Capitol Plaza, raising funds for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County and promoting biking for transportation and pleasure among low-income families.)

Sponsors of the 2022 Bike Rodeo include Ewing Township, Ewing Police Department, the Ewing Green Team, The College of New Jersey, Campus Town, and Capital Health.

With the support of our event sponsors, everyone can bike safely in the community. This event will be held rain or shine. Cancellation of event in case of truly inclement weather will be uploaded on Ewing Township’s social media outlets.

Event Details

Date: Saturday September 24th
Time: 11 am – 1 pm
Location: Parking lot next to Barnes & Noble in TCNJ’s Campus Town
Cost: FREE
Ages: Kids, age 4 – 12
Bike Checks| Bike Skills Course | Bicycle Safety Education |
Free Helmet Fittings | Replacements provided by Capital Health (while supplies last)

Requirements

Bring your bike and helmet
All participants must be accompanied by an adult.
Registration and waiver required (please register in advance to help things run more smoothly at the event)

Come Ride with the Ewing Green Team at the 7th Annual Community Fall Spin Bike Tour Set for September 24th

August 30, 2022Leave a comment

Mayor Bert Steinmann, the Ewing Green Team and the Ewing Recreation Department invite you to ride with the Ewing Green Team at the 7th Annual Community Fall Spin Bike Tour on Saturday, September 24, 2022 from 8:15 a.m. to 11 a.m.. Pedal your way through town with your fellow Ewingites, with a guided Police escort, and enjoy a morning of exercise, fun and camaraderie.

The Fall Spin will kick off Ewing’s Community Fest celebration at TCNJ, starting and ending at Campus Town. Each year event proceeds are donated to a different charity. This year’s charity is Mercer Street Friends, a local non-profit dedicated to providing services that build community, nurture self-worth and independence, and offer resources for children, families, and communities to overcome poverty and its lasting effects.

Individuals or teams, ages 18 years and older are encouraged to register early as there is a maximum number of 50 riders allowed. “We would love participants to sign up as individuals or come as a team of friends, family members or co-workers,” says EGT Member and Bike Tour Chairperson, Garry Keel. The Fall Spin registration fee is $25 prior to September 17^th and $30 thereafter. We will attempt to provide tee-shirts for late registrants, but they may not be received in time for the ride. All persons registering by September 17^th will receive a T-shirt. Day-of-event registration will begin at 7:45am.

Participants will enjoy a leisurely paced, 11-mile ride through Ewing Township neighborhoods. The tour will be escorted by Ewing Police, and rest stops and free bike inspections will be available.

So, plan to join us at our Annual Bike Tour of Ewing, as we promote healthy lifestyles, raise awareness of bicycle safety and promote a more bikeable Ewing.

For more information on the Ewing Fall Spin, please visit https://ewinggreenteam.org/ewingfallspin, email ewinggreenteam@gmail.com or call Garry M. Keel at 609-902-8722.

Ride Details

Date: September 24th (Rain or shine). In case of really inclement weather and the event has to be cancelled, we will try to contact you by phone and/or email. (So please fill out the form with your computer or sign up using CommunityPass)
Meet Up: 7:45 a.m. at Campus Town
Ride Start: 8:15 a.m.
Cost: $25 per person (includes a free tee shirt if your registration is received by September 17th.) $30 per person if received after Sept 17th.
Police Escort: The Ewing police will once again escort us through intersections.
Registration:

Online:
You must create a user account (a one-time requirement for all Ewing programs) and fill out all required information. This will populate our registration form and waiver. There is an additional $3 fee to cover processing costs. Do not use this system if you are being comped for the ride.
In Person:
Register and pay at the ESCC Recreation Department Office, 999 Lower Ferry Road.
Phone in registration by Credit Card
Call 609-883-1776 Ext. 2
By mail
Fill out the registration form and mail it along with your check made out to the Ewing Twp. Recreation Departmentto:

Ted Forst (Director)
Ewing Recreation Department
Ewing Senior and Community Center
999 Lower Ferry Road
Ewing, NJ 08628

Registrations and payment must be received by Saturday, September 17th to be eligible for the $25 rate.

Standard safety gear (helmets) and road compliant bicycles are REQUIRED. Specific rules are on our CUE SHEET (coming soon).

The EGT requests that you say NO to those single use plastic water bottles…

Riders are encouraged to bring their own re-usable water bottles and fill them at our rest stops.

Printable Event Flyer

GREEN BUSINESS RECOGNITION PROGRAM INDUCTS TWO NEW MEMBERS

June 16, 2022Leave a comment

Ewing Township and the Ewing Green Team inducted two local businesses into the Ewing Green Business Recognition Program on June 14th, bringing the total number of Program members to ten.

Abiding Presence Lutheran Church and Rock Paper Garden, LLC received proclamations from Mayor Bert Steinmann and the Ewing Council, and were lauded for their consistent efforts to improve sustainability and operate with an environmental focus.

“Abiding Presence and Rock Paper Garden have gone above and beyond when it comes to implementing sustainable practices,” Councilwoman Jennifer Keyes-Maloney remarked. “We are proud to honor their efforts and welcome them to the Ewing Green Business Recognition Program.”

Abiding Presence Lutheran Church is well-known around Ewing for the large solar panels that reside on its grounds, which serve as a symbol of the commitment to sustainability shared by its congregation and leadership. With an internal Green Team leading the way, members of Abiding Presence have greatly reduced waste by eliminating one-time-use products with their “Sustainable Hospitality” program, involvement in recycling hard-to-recycle materials, and planting of native flora in their National Wildlife Federation-certified pollinator garden, among many other endeavors.

Pictured here receiving the award with Green Team (EGT) Vice-Chair Evan Crumiller (right) are (from left to right) Pastor Miles Hopgood, and APLC Green Team members Sharon Huber and Heidi Furman (EGT member also). APLC Office Manager Karen Lemorvan (not shown) was the driving force in working with Evan on the certification.

Rock Paper Garden Green Business Recognition Rock Paper Garden, LLC is a locally owned and operated landscape design and build firm that has incorporated sustainable practices into many different aspects of its work, including the utilization of energy-efficient double-pane windows, the addition of electric vehicles to its fleet, the installation of rain barrels to capture rainwater for reuse as supplemental irrigation, and finding creative ways to recycle used materials.

Receiving the award from Evan is Landscape Architect Dan Burke from Rock Paper Garden. In addition to his work in modeling sustainable business practices, Dan has also devoted many years to serving on Ewing Township Boards and Commissions such as the Planning Board and the Environmental Commission.

“Rock Paper Garden and Abiding Presence are terrific examples of the outstanding work so many of our local organizations have done to make Ewing Township a better place to live, both in the present and far into the future,” Green Team member and Program founder Evan Crumiller said. “They deserve to be recognized for their work, and so we are honored to include them as the newest members of the Ewing Green Business Recognition Program.”

For more information on the Green Business Recognition program, including contact details and applications, please visit ewinggreenteam.org/greenbusiness/.

Proclamations

Abiding Presence Lutheran Church

Rock Paper Garden

Ewing Stream Monitoring Workshop

April 26, 2022Leave a comment

Please join the Ewing Green Team and the AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program to determine the stream health of the Shabakunk

About this event

Stream monitoring is critical to understand what is happening in our waterways. Currently, there are gaps in water monitoring data in NJ and environmental non-profits can help to provide a more comprehensive statewide water quality assessment.

Are you interested in being a stream monitor?

The Ewing Green Team is partnering with the NJ Watershed Ambassadors Program and Watershed Ambassadors Amanda Weigand, to host two days of stream monitoring workshops!

Each free workshop will have two parts — one virtual to learn about the process and why assessments are important, and one held outdoors where volunteers will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in stream monitoring. In each session, volunteers will learn about the importance of water quality, how water health is impacting the watershed and how to monitor stream health.

Workshop options:

– Part 1 Virtual: Thursday May 12th at 7-8:30 PM

– Part 2 In Person: Saturday May 14th-

Time Slot 1: 9am-11pm

Time Slot 2: 12pm-2pm

The Virtual Workshop is to be attended by all volunteers. A Zoom link will be sent out after registration. Spaces are limited per time slot for the In-Person Workshop. Please sign up for the most convenient time.

For the in-person workshops: Equipment will be provided, but please wear waterproof shoes (or a pair you don’t mind getting wet) or waders/ tall rain boots. You should also bring water, snacks/ lunch, bug spray/ sunscreen, and clothing to suit the weather and being outside. More information on what to bring will be provided upon registration.

Register here .

Mercer County Sustainability Coalition to host Greening Together April 23-30, 2022

April 25, 2022Leave a comment

Please be sure to check our event website for most up to date details.

Green Teams from throughout Mercer County are organizing an Earth Week+ celebration in a way that has never been done before. Planned to run from April 23 – April 30, Greening Together is providing a line-up of virtual activities, Zoom presentations highlighting sustainable resources and topics, art education, and safe outdoor activities are the featured activities for all interested in celebrating Earth Week 2022.

Greening Together provides an opportunity for residents to learn from other local stewards, Green Teams, and experts about best practices for protecting our natural resources and living sustainably.

There will be many opportunities to learn with events ranging from stream clean-ups and park cleanups, to tree plantings, presentations on climate change, rewilding your backyards, energy tools for homeowners, as well as an energy forum for businesses. Events kick off outside on April 23^rd and 24th, with stream cleanups throughout the County conducted in partnership with The Watershed Institute, as well as local park cleanups. These clean-ups give the ultimate gift to our parks — our time, love, and care. If you can’t participate in a cleanup, residents are still encouraged to get out and enjoy Mercer County’s beautiful open spaces and pick up a piece or trash or two should you see it.

On Sunday afternoon, we start of the virtual part of our week-long program with a look a climate change by C-Change Conversations who collaborated with scientists and energy and policy experts to develop their C-Change Health Primer. It is widely hailed as an intelligent, dispassionate introduction to and illumination of climate change. It is followed up on Monday night with the Ewing Green Team’s featured speaker presentation on approaches for rewilding your landscape and welcoming nature back to your own backyard.

On Tuesday morning, the Mercer County Office of Economic Development and the Office of Planning will host a Business Clean Energy Forum at the Boathouse at Mercer Lake in West Windsor. Wednesday night we invite you to Join staff from The Watershed Institute as they use local Lawrenceville examples to discuss issues associated with stormwater runoff and flooding in Plant Power: Preventing and Fixing Stormwater Problems with Plants. Then learn how, when used correctly, plants can not only manage but also prevent water problems

Thursday night the Hopewell Valley Green Team & Lawrence Green Team join together to give you a virtual presentation on an overview of selected energy tools to enhance your home’s efficiency. On Friday we’re back to in-person gatherings as we celebrate Arbor Day around the County. Enjoy an Early morning Bird Walk at Fiddler’s Creek, learn what you can do to protect our trees from the Spotted Lantern Fly at the Lawrence Nature Center, and/or attend a Tree Planting and Meadow Walk also at the Lawrence Nature Center.

For our grand finale, on Saturday, we offer a combination of in-person events in communities around the county, as well as our Green Get Together at Lawrence High featuring a Bike Rodeo, an Electric Vehicle Meet-up, composting demo, a demonstration on how to make reusable bags from old t-shirts, and much more. All events are free.

Learn more at Greening Together 2022 | Mercer County Sustainability Coalition (mercersustainabilitycoalition.org). We think that there’s something for everyone, so come on out, enjoy the spring weather, while you learn how to live a greener, healthier life.