Sustainable Ewing Green Team

2022 is now upon us and the Ewing Green Team remains deeply committed to its sustainability goals.   Our major task for 2022 is to resubmit for Sustainable Jersey certification and it’s all hands-on deck as team members are deeply immersed in finishing up activities and planning for the June submission date. 

To kick off 2022, we’re sharing some of the personal environmental New Year’s resolutions that our members and supporters have committed to for the coming year.  We gathered them up and wanted to share them with you as examples of simple and realistic environmentally friendly resolutions you can implement in your daily life.   What would you add to the list?

These green resolutions are part of our collective commitment to embodying the principles and actions necessary to help us face issues such as climate change, environmental pollution, the biodiversity crisis, and much more.  We want Ewing to be a part of the solution to these challenges.  We invite you to join us to help build a better world for future generations to come.    

Best wishes for a Happy & GREEN 2022!

The Ewing Green Team

Evan Crumiller

This New Year I’m resolving to eliminate “phantom energy” from my household.  “Phantom energy” is the electricity wasted by devices that are plugged in and drawing power even when they’re off and not in use.  The Department of Energy estimates that this wasted electricity can make up to 10% of a homeowner’s energy bill.  There are a few ways to reduce phantom energy, the most obvious being unplugging electronic devices that are not in use, but also using Advanced Power Strips that automatically turn off when the devices plugged into it are not in use, and chargers that stop drawing energy when a device’s battery is full.

Lisa K. Feldman

I will be more mindful when buying groceries to stop wasting food.

I have tended to be optimistic or overly ambitious when buying fresh vegetables and salad makings. I “anticipate” or “hope” to do some new healthier recipes in the coming week and end up throwing a lot of food out because I was never in the mood, and its gone bad. It seems when I get home from work, I’m rarely in the mood to take on a new recipe. I just want simple and fast.

Since I have finally recognized this bad habit (years to admit) and don’t want this wasted food to end up in the landfill, I have gone to the frozen vegetable aisle and now try to buy the frozen version of the vegetable. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the variety of frozen options. I can take on my ambitious new recipe when I have the energy for a new recipe – say on the weekend, or a vacation day.  And I just adapt the frozen version to work when I have the time and patience.

Heidi Furman

Not that I’m going out to eat much these days, but I resolve to ALWAYS remember to pack takeout containers for myself and friends/family to take home leftovers.

Jennifer Keyes-Maloney

Think consequence – From buying locally sourced and/or free trade produce and products, to eliminating at least 4 days of meat eating weekly, to reducing food waste by at least 1 bag of waste per week, to more fully implementing green cleaning and gardening practices at home, this year’s goals are focused on being mindful and deliberate about my consumption choices.

Donna Morgan

I resolve to continue walking and biking, rather than driving, as much as possible and will carry on picking up litter along the way. I also resolve to plant an oak tree in 2022. It’s been a joy to see all the beautiful fauna attracted by the native flora I’ve planted the last couple years.

Joanne Mullowney

I resolve to manage my landscape sustainably for a healthy yard.  This leads to a healthy population – for wildlife and humans alike.  I will:

• provide food, cover, and shelter for wildlife using native plants to do my part to help alleviate the biodiversity crisis.  This includes planting keystone native trees, as well as native shrubs and perennials.   
• maintain a TINY lawn sustainably. 
• remove any non-native invasive plants that I find and refrain from planting any nursery bought problem plants. 
• NOT use chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.
• build my soil thru composting, and leaving the leaves to promote healthy soil, retain soil moisture, and support wildlife. 
• keep as much storm water on my property as possible with my rain garden and rain barrels. 
• keep my lights turned off at night and encourage friends and neighbors to do the same. 
• encourage others to get rid of their gas-powered lawn equipment, finding the battery-operated to be light and easy. 

Lynn Robbins

(Lynn was kind enough to share a number of ways to make an impact.)

• I resolve to call my elected officials more frequently, urging them to promote legislation and policies that restore and protect our water, air, and forests. I resolve to thank our elected officials for their efforts.
• I resolve to promote, support, and work on new and existing walking trails in my town.
• I resolve to learn more about green infrastructures and how they can be used in my town.

Caroline Stewart

My New Years resolutions include:

• Continue learning from my friends on the Green Team.
• Continue to incorporate what I learn into everyday practice. For example: continue to leave my leaves on the ground where they decompose and replenish the soil.
• Continue to not cutback my flowers and other landscape plants to allow various insects have a place to winter as well as provide food for the birds.
•  Continue to drink from a glass without using a straw.
•  Replace paper plates and paper napkins with reusable plates and cloth napkins.
• Try to remember to bring in reusable bags into stores so that I don’t need plastic ones to carry home my merchandise. 
• Try to do a better job with my composting. 
• Hook up my rain barrel and start using to water my flowers.
• Continue to recycle as much plastic as I can.  Try to choose products with less packaging

Priya Vimalassery

I will buy less clothing and when I do buy clothing, I will buy it used.  If I can’t buy it used, I will buy from a sustainable brand that creates clothing in a way that minimizes their impact on the environment. Buying used is easier on the wallet and also extends the life cycle of clothing, which reduces the amount of waste heading to the landfill and saves resources.  Buying used also means saying no to fast fashion.  Fast fashion’s cycle of churning out new, low-cost clothing of low quality has a significant environmental cost.  The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world (the oil industry is the world’s top polluter).  Choosing used or sustainable clothing would force fast fashion brands to rethink how they make clothes.

Mark Wetherbee

I will be sure to replace any fluorescent lighting with LED lights as the fluorescent lamps have mercury in them and can be very hazardous is if broken in the house.  Also, they use much more power than LED lamps and burn out far more frequently causing waste and money then LED lamps.  The new LED lamps that replace the Fluorescent T-8 and T-12 lamps to not need to replace the ballast and last for over 20 years.  Also, they can be turned on and off as needed as the fluorescent lamps degraded each time they are turned off and on and need to be replaced very often.

Jack Wolfarth – EGT Student Ambassador from Ewing High

My New Year’s resolutions would have to be use less plastic, since most of the plastic produced doesn’t actually get recycled. Reducing my use of plastic would result in less plastic ending up in landfills, water ways, or just in nature itself. Another resolution would be to eat less meat. The raising of farm animals for meat products is a major reason as to why we use more water, more pesticides, and emit more carbon monoxide into the air. Because you need more water and pesticides to grow the plants, and as the animals grow, they need respiration which produces more emissions, not to mention the cattle producing a significant amount of methane.

We encourage you to take a break from the all consuming annual ritual of fall clean up and enjoy the ecological benefits of the Not So Perfect Yard when you Leave Your Leaves.

We love autumn. Not yet, but soon, the neighborhood trees will blanket the ground with their last gift of the growing season.  Their seasonal leaf drop can recharge your landscape and create habitat for wildlife if you let it.  We encourage you not to treat your leaf litter as trash, but rather as the gift that it truly is to the millions of tiny creatures that are a part of the life of our gardens.

The Benefits of Leaf Litter

Raking up and disposing of our leaves, chopping down dead flower stalks and grasses all contribute to a manicured appearance which we have been conditioned to think of as the norm.  However, in nature, trees don’t drop their bounty at the curb for pick up, but rather they blanket the earth while providing a host of ecological benefits.

Leaves provide an insulating winter cover in the garden for plants and those tiny creatures that sustain life in the garden.   We encourage you to mulch with fallen leaves.  Wherever possible, leave them to decompose where they fall in your garden beds.  Or settle the leaves under the branches of your shrubs. Give it a year or so and your leaf litter will have broken down while providing mulch and increasing the soil’s water retention abilities.

Keeping your leaves on site provides additional benefits that help to create a healthy yard. They help retain soil moisture, reducing the need for watering in dry spells and reducing runoff. They feed the soil, increasing the biological activity of fungus earthworms, microbes and beneficial soil organisms. They also lighten clay soils and give fluff to sandy soils. They return much-needed nutrients to lawn, landscape beds and/or wooded areas, allowing you to dispense with the application of chemical fertilizes.

While you might think that this leaves the yard looking a little less than perfect, you are nourishing the landscape and providing valuable resources and habitat for wildlife.

Additional Benefits

In order to comply with NJ DEP regulations regarding storm water management, in April, Ewing Township Council enacted Ordinance 21-08, which mandates that leaves and other yard debris (including grass) must be bagged in biodegradable paper bags for pickup by the Township. (As an alternative, containers may also be used.)

 Aside from the benefits of a healthier yard, there are numerous other benefits, including less hazardous roadways, because fewer leaf piles spill over onto neighborhood sidewalks and roads, and protection of the water quality of our streams, lakes, and rivers by keeping decomposing leaves out of storm sewers.

Recommended Options for Leaf Management

Option 1 – Leave your leaves. Blow them to the back of your beds where you can leave them to decompose over time providing habitat for the little critters that will become next year’s butterflies, moths… Or, leave them alone in a back corner of your yard or wooded areas to decompose naturally. Compost them in a pile or container.

Option 2 – Shred your leaves with a mulching mower and leave them in place on your lawn. Or, shred them with a mulching mower and use them as mulch in your borders and flowerbeds.

Want to Learn More?

Join the Ewing Green Team for a morning and afternoon Demo and Q&A session on Saturday, November 6th. Come mingle with your neighbors and get your questions answered about this easy, common sense practice. We will start each session indoors and move outside to the demo (weather permitting). (Masks are required for the indoor part of the sessions.)

Date: Saturday, Nov 6th
Time: Morning session 10 -11 am / Afternoon session 3 – 4 pm
Location: Nutrition Center at Hollowbrook Community Center, 320 Hollowbrook Dr., Ewing, NJ

Mayor Bert Steinmann, and the members of the Ewing Green Team, Ewing Arts Commission and Art Has No Boundaries are spreading the word to warn all Ewing residents to be on the lookout for some scary invaders coming to our town this October.

Yes, it’s almost that time again… this October 2021 will be the 3^rd All Around Town Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt. We believe it’s going to even be bigger and better than last year’s event which had 49 amazing Scarecrows scattered around town waiting to be found lurking, or creeping in bushes, hiding in corners, sneaking behind fences, or in front of one of Ewing’s very own local hotspots.

Again, this year we welcome Ewing businesses, civic groups, organizations, schools, and residents to join in the fun and host their very own cute or creepy, cuddly or scary scarecrow.  It’s up to you …there are no limitations on your wild imagination. We have been so impressed with the amazing creativity of our neighbors and friends. The only thing to remember is they just need to be family-friendly.

And just because you are hosting your own scarecrow doesn’t mean you can’t join in the hunt as well. To host a scarecrow, you must complete our registration form (deadline September 11^th) so go to ewinggreenteam.org/scarecrow and register to create and display your very own scarecrow!  You can complete your registration online or print and mail it in to the Ewing Township Municipal Building at 2 Jake Garzio Drive, Ewing Township, NJ 08628. Please make sure you get a confirmation email from the Green Team that confirms that you are registered!

And to make things more fun – you can win cash prizes!! We’re keeping many of the prizes from last year and adding some new surprises. You still get to vote for your 2 (two) favorite scarecrows – a favorite residential winner and a favorite business/organization will each get $ prizes. And the Green Team will still select the one scarecrow that best ‘upcycles’ and/or uses recycled materials. And we will still have a raffle winner from all the hunters’ entries. The more scarecrows you find, the more entries you get into the raffle. And the grand prize is $200!

New this year is Ewing’s very own scarecrow version of “Elf on the Shelf.’ Debuting this fall is our very own ‘Stan Bymee.’ Look around town for a scarecrow that looks like the one you see on our flyers. He is going to be at 4 different Ewing locations during the month. Each week in October, on Sunday, check the Ewing Green Team’s Facebook page for a new clue for “Where’s Stan?” Once you find him at his new location; take a selfie of someone in your ‘hunting party’ and email to ewinggreenteam@gmail.com. We’ll put all entries in ANOTHER RAFFLE and have 4 additional prizes for keeping up with ‘Stan.’

The All-Around Town Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt begins on Friday, October 1^st and ends on Thursday, October 28^th at 4:30 pm, giving you plenty of time to hunt them all down.  This year’s clues will be a combination of fun ‘Ewing-centric’ clues and riddles and will test how well you know your hometown. Contest rules and ballots with these fun and challenging clues can be found online at https://ewinggreenteam.org/scarecrow-scavenger-hunt-rules/.

Paper ballots can also be picked up at the Ewing Community and Senior Center (ESCC) at 999 Lower Ferry Road or Hollowbrook Community Center at 320 Hollowbrook Drive. The winner will be announced on October 30^th during the Ewing Recreation Department’s Annual Trunk-or-Treat festivities. For further details please go to ewinggreenteam.org/scarecrow.

Ewing Township is Silver Certified by the Sustainable Jersey Program. This event helps us advance Ewing Township’s on-going goals of Community Building, the Arts, Recycling while offering an activity that encourages active, healthy residents!

In an effort to help cleanup the Delaware River, a coalition of volunteer organizations and Clean Communities programs in Hunterdon and Mercer Counties, together with New Jersey and Pennsylvania State Parks, announced the 4^th Annual Delaware River Cleanup for the morning of Saturday, September 18^th from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM.  

The Delaware River gives so much to our community- drinking water, habitat for hundreds of different flora and fauna, and numerous recreational opportunities. Let’s give back to the Delaware by working together to clean its banks.

Donna Morgan, the Ewing Green Team Representative helping with the event.

The NJ State Park Service, Delaware Canal State Park (PA), Hunterdon County, Delaware River Greenway Partnership, many Clean Communities programs including Delaware Township, West Amwell Township, Lambertville, Kingwood, Stockton, Holland Township, Frenchtown Borough, Hamilton Township, as well as the Trenton Kiwanis, and Friends of the Marsh, are all co-sponsoring the event.

Last year the cleanup attracted over 100 volunteers. Collecting over 100 bags of trash and recycling along with 30 tires and large pieces of debris, this event was recognized as a 2021 National Scenic Byway Foundation Community Award Winner. “Sleepy communities saw thousands of more visitors than in years past, so the cleanup made a huge difference to maintain the Byways’ appearance,” according to the Foundation. The Delaware River Cleanup was one of only eight winners selected from across the country.

• 

• 

• 

This year with expanded locations in Mercer County, there are more opportunities for additional volunteers. There are currently 14 volunteers signed up and it would be wonderful to fill the event.  There are no COVID restrictions, but the organizers reserve the right to impose requirements if health conditions change.

Registered volunteers should bring a signed waiver, insect repellent, and water to the event. Comfortable clothing, long pants, closed-toe shoes, and masks are mandatory. Participants will be provided with trash bags and gloves. Volunteers will receive a t-shirt and light refreshments as a thank you for their time.

Advance registration is required by visiting www.delawarerivergreenwaypartnership.org. The cleanup will focus on river areas from Holland Township in Hunterdon County all the way south to the freshwater tidal area of the Delaware River in Hamilton Township. The Scudder Falls area in Ewing Township will be the focus of the Ewing Green Team’s efforts.  When registering for the cleanup, volunteers can select from 15 locations for the area most convenient for them including two boat-based cleanups, one in Upper Bucks County, PA. To see all the location options, volunteers can adjust the map on the registration site.

If you see someone dumping or involved in illegal activities at any State Park, call the NJDEP at 1-877-927-6337 (1-877-WARN DEP).