The Riverside Townhomes:  An Eco-Friendly Community in Ewing

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As the need to be more environmentally conscious becomes more and more apparent, Ewing’s Riverside Townhomes, a small development of townhomes off River Road, has taken conscious steps to lessen the impact that they have on the environment in their little corner of Ewing.  Their decision to “go green” has not only improved connections between neighbors in their community while making positive impacts on the local environment, but also helped them “save green” over the long term.  So how have they accomplished this? Here is an overview of their process and some green HOA practices that you can adopt in your HOA to become more eco-friendly.

It Starts with A Proposal

In March of 2021, Riverside Townhomes resident and HOA Board Member Priya Vimalassery (and Ewing Green Team member) created the attached Riverside Sustainability Proposal and presented it to the HOA Board at a meeting.  The Board was supportive and asked for volunteers to form a Green Committee.  Three community members at the meeting volunteered and, along with Priya (as the Board liaison), created the basis of the new committee.  The Riverside Green Committee has been meeting monthly ever since.  After they got started, the Board voted to formally establish the committee and its members.  Every Board meeting (every other month) the committee reports on their activities.

Their objective was thinking about and engaging in more sustainable practices in their townhouse community.  They are focused on meeting a number of the sustainability goals outlined in the Sustainability Proposal.  These included items that not only benefit the environment, but also would help the HOA save monies. 

Tree Plantings

One of the best ways to go green is to plant green – trees, that is.  Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, increase property values, and provide desired shade, the environmental benefits from trees are enormous.  They provide oxygen, remove carbon dioxide from the air, reduce storm water runoff, and support wildlife by providing food and shelter.  The Green Team also planned on replacing any lost trees with native trees and determining if there are any other areas where tree planting would be beneficial to the community aesthetic.

Native Plantings

They also have committed to incorporating native plants into common area garden beds.  This is another area where there are dual benefits.  Native plants are particularly well adapted to local environmental conditions and require far less water, saving time and money, and are more likely to thrive. They also provide vital food and habitat for various species of wildlife, including our precious pollinators that are essential for growing many crops in New Jersey.  As stated in the proposal, “if planned properly using perennial native plants, … garden beds could look beautiful with minimal maintenance while also decreasing costs.”

Sustainable Landscaping Vendor

The proposal also identified another potential money-health-environment saving strategy, committing to hire a landscaping vendor who employs sustainable practices when their current landscape contract ends, and they put the service out for bid.   These include using battery-powered equipment rather than gas-powered equipment to reduce air and noise pollution.  Someone who will forgo the application of harmful chemicals – the pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, which are harmful to both humans and the environment.  Who also ensures the use of nontoxic mulch, as the source of wood chips used in colored bark mulch can be contaminated with toxic substances. 

The proposal further addresses the removal of fall leaves as disposing of fall leaves harms the environment and destroys wildlife habitat.  Their current plan is to take the next year to encourage residents to leave the leaves in their own yards and then attempt a community-wide adoption of leaving the leaves.

Sustainability in Decision Making

The group aims to make sustainability a priority in HOA decision making. When engaging in any community-wide project, they plan on prioritizing sustainability when considering the viability of the project and determining vendors and materials.  To that end, they also pledged to go paperless.  By using electronic methods to issue notices, communications, voting, etc. they felt they could reduce the costs and resources associated with conducting HOA business. The proposal identified another area ripe for sustainability improvements – that of sharing information.  They agreed to create an online forum to share ideas and explore community and individual homeowner sustainability initiatives such as solar panel acquisition, composting, and gardening practices.

Results that Matter

Since the Green Team inception, they have held three community litter clean ups (April 10, August 7, and October 9).  They also held two Green Committee litter clean ups, the last one being on November 21 and covering River Road from Lower to Upper Ferry Road.  In addition, Green Committee and community members pick up litter on their daily walks.  

In another step critical to environmental sustainability, they have begun incorporating native trees and plants throughout the neighborhood and refreshed their first community bed with native plants on October 17.

The Riverside Green Committee credits the HOA Board and wider community with giving them the support they needed without which they could not have made the strides made so far.  They are looking forward to continuing their efforts in 2022.

We suggest that that the process followed by the members of this community would serve as a good model for other HOAs in town to follow.  All it requires are committed residents interested in playing a role in creating a cleaner and greener HOA community and contributing to a better Ewing.   Riverside Townhomes has identified areas in which they decided to prioritize a commitment to sustainability.  So, too, could yours.  Other suggestions to add to theirs, limiting paper usage, reducing water usage, utilizing eco-friendly landscaping, could include starting a community garden, investing in solar-powered lights, using green construction, and prioritizing recycling to name just a few.

Becoming a green HOA is not necessarily easy or quick.  However, the environmental challenges that we face today call for action from everyone.  Contact the Ewing Green Team at ewinggreenteam@gmail.com if you would like some help getting started.  We encourage you to decrease your community’s ecological footprint and improve the life and health of the residents (including wildlife) of Ewing. 

Ring in the New Year with Our Eco-friendly Resolutions

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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.

Create a Healthy Yard This Fall and Leave Your Leaves!

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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

The Scarecrows Are Coming This October

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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 3rd 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 11th) 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 1st and ends on Thursday, October 28th 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 30th 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!

The Scarecrows are Coming This October with the 3rd Annual All Around Town Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt

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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 3rd 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 11th) 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 in Ewing this fall is Ewing’s 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. Each week in October, on Sunday, check the ewinggreenteam.org 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 into ANOTHER RAFFLE and have additional prizes for keeping up with ‘Stan.’  

The All-Around Town Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt begins on Friday, October 1st and ends on Thursday, October 28th 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 30th during the Ewing Recreation Department’s Annual Trunk-or-Treat festivities. For further details please go to ewinggreenteam.org/scarecrow.