Dispose of Unused Drugs Safely with Project Medicine Drop at Ewing Police Headquarters

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The Ewing Green Team is delighted to report that we just learned that Ewing Township has joined the New Jersey Attorney General’s “Project Medicine Drop” initiative, and has installed a Project Medicine Drop box at police headquarters.  So if your medicine cabinet is filled with unused medications that you no longer use, this is an easy and convenient way to dispose of them properly. The practice of flushing unused medications down the toilet is no longer recommended because of concerns about trace levels of drug residues found in surface water, such as rivers and lakes, and in some community drinking water supplies.  Dropping off unneeded drugs in a Project Medicine Drop box is also an important tool in fighting drug abuse and keeping medications from falling into the hands of anyone who might abuse them.

 “In an ongoing effort to continually expand the services offered to the community, we are happy to announce Ewing’s participation in Project Medicine Drop. The drop box provides a safe and convenient location for everyone in our community to drop off unused and expired medications. I encourage all Ewing residents to be aware of this resource and use it as a way to help prevent any potential for abuse,” said Mayor Bert Steinmann.

“Project Medicine Drop is a great addition to our commitment to public safety and the fight against opiate and prescription pill abuse.  The drop box will give residents a quick, easy and effective mechanism to safely dispose of unneeded medication without the fear of those medications ending up in the wrong hands,” Ewing Police Chief John Stemler said.

Project Medicine Drop is an important component of the New Jersey Attorney General’s effort to stop the diversion and abuse of prescription drugs, including highly addictive opiate painkillers.  This initiative also protects New Jersey’s environment by keeping these drugs of the landfills and out of the water supply.

Members of the public are invited to visit the Project Medicine Drop sites and drop off any unused prescription medications anonymously and with no questions asked.  Most Project Medicine Drop sites make this service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

 More information about Project Medicine Drop, including the full list of Project Medicine Drop locations, can be found at www.NJConsumerAffairs.gov/meddrop.

2016 Autumn Festival a Treat for Ewing Families

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by Lisa Feldman

A good time was had by all on Saturday, October 29, 2016, at the Ewing Community Fall Festival of Fun with the popular annual ‘Trunk-or-Treat’, the Ewing Green Team’s award-winning 3rd Annual Scarecrow Contest, pumpkin painting, build-your-own scarecrow crafting with refreshments and music.

The sun was shining, and it was unusually warm for a late October day but it didn’t stop the spirits of the hundreds of trick-or-treaters from getting in the festive mood. There were over 250 kids dressed up and ready for the collection of dentist-pleasing goodies. Once through the candy-collecting parade, it was on to the pumpkin-painting, hot-chocolate and apple cider and cookies and do-nuts.

With music playing and goodies in hand, it was time to check-out the Scarecrows being judged for cash prizes of $100, $50 and $25.00. These had to be made of 80% recycled materials in order to qualify. While the judging was going on, people could also make their own scarecrows with lots of recycled clothes and fun accessories on hand with the obligatory hay for stuffing which could also win a cash prize of $25.00.

An additional treat was the Ewing Township having a fire truck on hand for kids of all ages to check out with souvenir fire hats being given out.

Judging for the Scarecrow Contest was graciously done by local officials and artists. They were: Councilman Kevin Baxter, Members of the Ewing Arts Commission – Jennifer Winn and Lauren Weber, Artist and Local Art Teacher/Entrepreneur Bill Farruto of Art Has No Boundaries and local art student Clare Maloney.

Emceeing the event was Ewing’s Town Councilwoman Jennifer Keyes-Maloney who also participated in the ‘Trunk-or-Treat’, aka Mrs. Minion and her Minion dog.

  • 1st prize went to: Vicki Laurie and her daughter and their creation ‘Mr. Bones’
  • 2nd Prize went to: Girl Scout Troop#70137, ‘Frankenscout’
  • 3rd Prize went to: Samantha Dupee for ‘Scarlette, the Zombie Eradicator.’

The hours were from 2:00-4:00 but at 4:30 lots of people were still hanging out – a sign of a successful event!  For more photos from the day go to the EGT Facebook page.

All the Green Teams of Mercer County work together to host; March 18th 2017 Mercer Green Fest (formerly the Living Local Expo).

Sustained Applause!

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We are delighted to announce that Ewing has achieved Sustainable Jersey Silver Certification!  Of the 565 registered municipalities in New Jersey, Ewing is one of only 198 New Jersey towns that are Sustainable Jersey certified and, only 39 towns that have attained recognition at this level.  By becoming a Sustainable Jersey certified town, Ewing Township reinforces its commitment to saving resources, the environment and the planet.   Mayor Bert Steinmann, as well as participating Township staff and green team members will be accepting the award at the NJ League of Municipalities Conference in Atlantic City in November.

Sustainability Champion

In addition, we have just learned that Ewing has achieved the 2016 Sustainability Champion award in the medium municipality category (population between 5,000 – 39,999) .   The award is for receiving the highest number of points in this population category.  This award is one of five categories awarded each year: Sustainability Champion, Leadership, Creativity & Innovation, Collaboration, and Rookie of the Year. Award winners are selected from the municipalities that were certified or recertified in the designated award year.

Building a Sustainable Future in NJ

Across New Jersey, hundreds of towns are now working on sustainability programs to help the environment and their bottom lines. Efforts to curb carbon emissions, protect natural resources and reduce waste are happening at the local level.  Through the voluntary program, communities are implementing solar power and wind turbine projects, rain capture and reuse efforts, new walking and biking programs, building and operating community food gardens, launching community outreach programs on recycling and energy, and dozens of other initiatives.

To become Sustainable Jersey certified, Ewing had to complete a balance of the rigorous program sustainability actions. In addition, Ewing created a green team and did 4 priority actions by instituting a green business recognition program, taking a sustainable land use pledge, completing a natural resource inventory, and running a prescription drug safety and disposal initiative.  Please see Ewing’s Sustainable Jersey Profile to view the 2016 Silver Certification Report for details of the actions that were considered in becoming Silver Certified.

About Sustainable Jersey

Sustainable Jersey certification is a prestigious designation for municipal governments in New Jersey. Municipalities that achieve certification are considered by their peers, by state government and by the experts and civic organizations in New Jersey, to be among the leading environmental municipalities in the state. Certification is a rigorous process and once certified, Sustainable Jersey towns have access to incentives and grants; training and guidance towards the development of a sustainable community; and are promoted on the Sustainable Jersey website as a town that is doing its part for the environment.   For more information about Sustainable Jersey visit their website at http://www.sustainablejersey.com.

The Work Continues!

Despite this very gratifying recognition, much remains to be done and we invite all interested residents to participate.  A great place to start and learn about what we are doing is to attend our monthly meetings on the 4th Wednesday of each month.  If you are interested in joining the Green Team as an appointed member we encourage you to speak with a Green Team member or email ewinggreenteam@gmail.com.  New members are sworn in in January, so we’re looking for interested candidates now!

WWF’s Living Planet Report 2016 – Risk and Resilience in a New Era

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Please read the full report from the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), learn how human activities are putting nature and the planet’s wildlife at risk and join our efforts to create a more sustainable community.

The WWF is one of the world’s largest conservation organizations.  Since 1961 it has focused its work around the magnificent diversity of life on this planet the extraordinary places they live in, all the while trying to reduce humanity’s impact on this life and in these places.  For more about the incredible work that they do go to http://wwf.panda.org/

2016 NJ Drought Status Update

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In the heels of extremely dry spring and summer seasons and with drinking water reservoirs plummeting to approximately 50 percent capacity in North Jersey, the NJDEP updated the state’s drought status following a public hearing on October 21st with an executive order signed by Commissioner Bob Martin.  Drought warning were issues for 14 counties in northern, central and northern coastal New Jersey including: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren.  In addition, the following counties are under drought watch: Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem.  All but three counties — Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland — are under a formal drought designation.

The Administrative Order signed by Commissioner Martin establishes a formal process for the DEP to work with water suppliers in affected regions to ensure no single water supplier or region faces a significant shortfall should dry weather and high customer demand continue.

The goal of the drought warning is to preserve and balance available water supplies in an effort to avert more serious water shortages in the future. The warning also elevates the need for residents and businesses in impacted counties to reduce their water use.

The DEP offers the following tips to reduce water use:

  • At this time of year, it is appropriate to let your lawns go dormant.
  • Turn sprinkler systems off automatic timers.
  • Use a hose with a hand-held nozzle to water flowers and shrubs, or let them go dormant.
  • Use a broom to sweep the sidewalk, rather than a hose.
  • Wash vehicles with a bucket and do not run the hose more than necessary, or use a commercial car wash that recycles water.
  • To save water at home, fix leaky faucets and pipes. Consider replacing your toilet with a low-flow version; this can save around 11,000 gallons per year.
  • Upgrade your showerhead to low-flow versions, which can save some 7,700 gallons per year.
  • Upgrade your faucets or install faucet aerators; this can save some 16,000 gallons per year.

For more state water supply status information and to view the Administrative Order, visit: www.njdrought.org

For more detailed information on water conservation technologies and interesting facts, visit: www.nj.gov/dep/watersupply/conserve.htm