In New Jersey the largest energy use, costs and impacts are in the transportation sector. We consume 4.8 billion gallons of motor fuel at a cost of $12 billion emitting 40 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year. Let’s fix that. Visit the US Department of Energy website at https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drive.shtml for tips on lowering your personal fuel use.
In our daily lives we use energy to light our way, heat and cool our buildings and get us from place to place. To reduce your energy use and its impacts, start with knowing how much energy you use by doing an energy audit. There are lots of resources to help you do your audit.
Do-it-Yourself energy audit
See https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/home-energy-audits/do-it-yourself-home-energy-audits for assistance
Professional energy audit (could cost approximately $300)
See https://njcleanenergy.com/residential/programs/home-performance-energy-star/what-expect-home-energy-assessment for details on Home Performance with Energy Star.
PSE&G customers
See https://nj.pseg.com/saveenergyandmoney/energysavingpage/homeenergyanalyzer for a good start. This is an online energy audit which takes about 15 minutes to complete by answering questions about your home. You get a graph of your electric and natural gas usage and tips to reduce your home electric and natural gas energy use. You can save between 5% to 30% of your household energy costs by implementing the tips in the audit.
The Ewing Green Team joins its partner members of the Mercer County Sustainability Coalition in observing Energy Efficiency Month. This October we encourage you to rethink your energy use. Watch this space every day for a new Energy Efficiency Tip. Be creative. Be innovative. Start thinking about ways that you can reduce your energy use at home and at work.
The average household uses this much energy every year :
8,500 kWh of electricity (costing $1,400 and emitting 4,500 pounds of CO2)
1,000 therms of natural gas (costing $1,000 emitting 11,300 pounds of CO2)
1,000 gallons of gasoline (costing $2,300 and emitting 19,600 pounds of CO2)
Where are you going to do to reduce your energy usage?
Mayor Bert Steinmann, the Ewing Green Team, Ewing Arts Commission and Art Has No Boundaries are pleased to announce that our 2nd All Around Town Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt is now open. 49 Ewing local businesses, civic groups, organizations, schools and residents have signed up to create and display their very own scarecrows! We invite you to join the hunt and test your hometown knowledge for a chance to win cash prizes and bragging rights!
Look for our scarecrows all around town: in storefronts, in front yards and on the grounds of local businesses. Those of local businesses and organizations may be somewhat easier to find as we may reference information about them in their clues. Residential scarecrows may be somewhat more difficult. (Hint) Think general and Ewing history, neighborhoods, streets and more.
Also, many residents around town may also be getting in the Halloween spirit and putting out their own scarecrows in their yards. The Scarecrows in our Hunt will always have the Scarecrow Name and number.
First, and most importantly, you will want to know more about the prizes. This year we have the following:
Grand Prize Drawing – To be entered into the drawings for the $200 grand prize, $100 second prize, and $50 third prize, you must find and supply the scarecrow names as follows: All participants who find 41 or more scarecrows will earn three entries into our drawing. Participants who find between 31 and 40 scarecrows will earn two entries into the drawing. Participants who find between 25 and 30 scarecrows will earn one entry in our drawing. Anyone finding ALL 49 of the Scarecrows will receive an additional bonus of 2 entries into the drawing.
People’s Choice Awards There are two People’s choice awards: (1) Business | Organization | School and (2) Residential. Please vote for your favorite scarecrow(s) after you have completed the hunt. Look for the R (resident) next to a scarecrow’s number to help you determine in which category a scarecrow belongs in order to help you vote.
Three scarecrows have been created by members of the planning committee and are ineligible to be considered for the People’s Choice Awards. They are so noted on the ballot form.
Green Team Prize – As the Green Team, we are hoping for lots of recycling and ‘upcycling’ to be incorporated in our scarecrows. Green Team members will vote for the Scarecrow with the most creative use of recycled materials (must be 80%).
Scarecrows will be displayed from Oct 1st thru October 29th. Hunt ballots with our clues are available in electronic format or paper. Printable paper ballots are available here. Until Township buildings have reopened, there will be a plastic envelope next to the Tax Drop Box near the back door of the municipal building with copies. Once the buildings have reopened, the printed copies will be available in the upper lobby of the municipal building, at the office at the Ewing Senior and Community Center, and on a table in the downstairs lobby of the Hollowbrook Community Center.
The Scavenger Hunt will take place from Thursday, October 1st to 4:30 pm, Thursday, October 29th. To be eligible to be included in the drawings for the grand prize, you must find the scarecrows and their names and submit your ballot by 4:30 p.m., on the October 29th either electronically or using the paper ballot and depositing it in the Tax Drop Box. No submissions will be accepted after that time.
The drawing will take place and winners will be announced on Saturday, Oct 31st via Zoom. This event is open to Ewing residents and workers only. To get further details on how you can have a safe and great time while engaging in our Hunt see our Rules page on our website.
We encourage all our Ewing Scarecrow Hunters to stay safe by wearing masks and following social distancing guidelines while on the hunt. We are hopeful that this will be a great opportunity for Ewing residents to experience some much needed fun during the Halloween season. Have a great time!
The Mercer County Improvement Authority (MCIA) will hold a hazardous waste disposal day Friday and Saturday, September 18th and 19th at the John T. Dempster Fire School, Lawrence Station Rd in Lawrence Twp. Fridays hours will be from noon – 5 pm and Saturdays will be from 8 am – 3 pm.
Aerosol Cans | Used Motor Oil |Propane Gas Tanks | Pesticides & Herbicides | Car Batteries | Paint Thinner | Oil Based Paint | Stains & Varnishes | Gasoline | Anti-Freeze | Driveway Sealer | Insect Repellents | Mercury | Fluorescent & CFL Bulbs | Computers | Printers | Copiers | Fax Machines | Stereos | Televisions | Microwaves
NO LATEX PAINT | NO Heating Oil | NO Infectious Waste| NO Radioactive Materials NO Explosives or Munitions | NO Railroad Ties | NO Asbestos | NO Tires | NO Wood | NO Fencing | NO Air Conditioners | NO Helium or Oxygen Tanks | NO Unknowns
Computers | Printers | Copiers | Fax Machines | Stereos | Televisions | Microwaves
For more information call 609-278-8086 or visit http://www.mcianj.org
Sustainable Ewing Green Team 