Ewing Launches Green Business Recognition Program

Leave a comment

Has your business implemented changes that embrace greener, more sustainable policies and practices?  Have you:

  •  Installed a high efficiency energy star rated heating and cooling system?
  • Installed energy efficient windows?   OR
  • Taken additional steps to reduce energy usage or conserve water?
  • Do you attempt to minimalize waste by reusing and recycling?
  • Do you buy locally?

If you answered YES to most of these questions, you may qualify for Ewing Township’s new Green Business Recognition Program.

Local businesses are invited to join the Ewing Green Business Recognition Program, a new Township project run in conjunction with the Ewing Green Team that will recognize businesses located in Ewing committed to environmental stewardship and sustainable business practices.

This new program gives us an opportunity to both promote the work our outstanding local businesses already do towards keeping Ewing sustainable, as well as encourage future environmentally friendly practices.

For local businesspeople interested, participation in the Ewing Green Business Recognition Program is easy.  Contact Ewing Green Business Recognition Program Coordinator Evan Crumiller at evancrumiller@gmail.com or (609) 468-0462 to receive information on the program as well as the Ewing Green Business Checklist, which can be used to mark off actions taken to green a business.

The checklist has actions that add up to 68 points in various areas of sustainability; including waste prevention, purchasing, energy conservation, water conservation, storm water management, landscaping and transportation/air quality. A business must have at least half to qualify as a green business.

A Ewing Green Team member will come by to pick up the completed checklist, and if you have completed the pre-determined number of actions, you will be officially named a Ewing Green Business and added to the list of Green Businesses on the Ewing Green Team website and given a sticker to proudly display in your store.

 “The business leaders of our community deserve recognition for the work they do, and this effort will not only provide that recognition, but also incentives for local businesses to turn towards sustainable practices for the benefit of future generations of customers,” said Ewing Green Business Coordinator Evan Crumiller.

If you have thought about making energy saving upgrades to your business but put it off because you thought it might be too expensive, we urge you to reconsider.  With the NJ Clean Energy program’s Direct Install program, small business are able to recoup 70% (Yes! You read it right. 70%) of approved upgrades to your building.  Check out our Direct Install page for more information and contact a member of our Energy Committee today to learn more.

If you have any questions or comments about our Green Business Recognition Program, please call Evan Crumiller, Ewing Green Team at (609) 468-0462.  Or you may email the Ewing Green Team directly at ewinggreenteam@gmail.com.

Dispose of Your Unused Medications Safely on National Take Back Day

Leave a comment

If your your medicine cabinet is filled with expired drugs or medications that you no longer use, and you are concerned about detrimental environmental effects from improper disposal, here is the information that you need to properly dispose of them.

The Ewing Police Department will be participating in the DEA’s twice yearly National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 30, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for those who missed the previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications.  Just go to the Ewing Police Department at 2 Jake Garzio Drive.  Enter the main door and make a left to go down the hallway to the Police Department.  Ewing Police will have an officer between 10 and 2 to take the items.

All medications are accepted, prescription and over-the-counter, as well as liquids.  Hypodermic needles are not accepted.  The disposal is handled completely securely; all accepted medications with any labels that you leave on the containers are placed in a large cardboard box, lined with plastic.  At the end of the day the contents are taken to the prosecutor’s office.  The DEA will pick up and incinerate.

Guidelines for Drug Disposal

If you are unable to participate on the day the FDA’s guidelines for proper drug disposal follow:

  • Follow any specific disposal instructions on the drug label or patient information that accompanies the medication. Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet unless this information specifically instructs you to do so.
  • If no instructions are given on the drug label and no take-back program is available in your area, take them out of their original containers and mix them with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter — to make the medication less appealing and unrecognizable — then put them in a sealable bag, empty can, or other container to prevent the medication from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.

You should also remove any identifying information on the label to protect your identity and privacy.

Despite the safety reasons for flushing drugs, some people are questioning the practice 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. However, the main way drug residues enter water systems is by people taking medications and then naturally passing them through their bodies.  That said, the FDA does not want to add drug residues into water systems unnecessarily. The agency reviewed its drug labels to identify products with disposal directions recommending flushing or disposal down the sink. This continuously revised listing can be found at FDA’s Web page on Disposal of Unused Medicines.

National Take Back Day Information

Date: April 30, 2016
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Ewing Police Department, 2 Jake Garzio Drive

"Shred 2" - July 2013 at the Municipal Building

Shred Day Today

Leave a comment

Dispose of your sensitive documents safely and securely at Ewing’s first Shred Day of the year, Saturday,  April 23rd from 9 – 1 at the municipal building. Document shredding will be done on site. This service is for Ewing residents only and proof of residency is required.

The Ewing Green Team will be on hand to assist.

Date: Saturday, April 23rd
Time: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Location: Municipal Building

It’s All About Trees…

3 Comments

Ewing Township Awarded $20,000 Sustainability Grant

The Ewing Green Team is delighted to report that we were just awarded a $20,000 Sustainable Jersey grant funded by the PSEG Foundation. Four $20,000 grants, eight $10,000 grants and twenty $2,000 grants were distributed to fund a variety of projects in communities around the state.  Our grant was for protecting the community tree cover.

Ewing’s existing natural resources, including our tree cover, and the need to preserve these resources were key priorities agreed to by Township residents during the Ewing Green Team’s 2014 Community Visioning Project. Residents agreed that preserving a community’s tree canopy, both forest stands and street trees, is extremely important in combating climate change, but also in creating a community that is aesthetically appealing and that provides opportunities for residents to be closer to nature.

emerald_ash_borerHowever, events of the past several years and upcoming threats to the tree canopy make protecting our tree canopy in Ewing a challenge. In 2012 Ewing suffered substantial losses to its tree canopy in its public parks as a result of a microburst in July, followed by Hurricane Sandy in October.  Since then, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), identified by a Rapid Ash Survey completed by the Rutgers Urban Forestry Program and NJ State Forestry Services in the summer of 2015, confirmed the presence of this destructive invasive insect in Ewing.  The Survey identified more than 890 infected ash trees on public property. To protect the integrity of the tree canopy, and to increase Ewing’s tree cover overall, the township must begin a management program to replace the trees with non-invasive and native trees.

Our grant, Partnering for the Restoration of the Community Forest: The 3P Plan, Partnerships-Plan-Planting,  will fund development of partnerships (the County, Rutgers, PSE&G, DEP, and however many others we can find) to manage the spread and removals of trees infected with the Emerald Ash Borer on Ewing municipal lands.  It also include partial replacement of Ash trees (100) lost to the EAB.   And, it will include community outreach and education.  We will be working with NJ State Certified Tree Expert, Bill Brash to manage the grant.

With the EAB infestations beginning to be detected in NJ, there is a need for a well thought out, researched, planned and implemented response to the threat.  Ewing will be demonstrating a leadership role in management of this issue as we intend our process to serve as a model for other communities to follow.

More News about our Tree Canopy

In addition, Ewing Twp. has also has negotiated with the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission for replacement of trees lost from the Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement project under the No Net Loss  Program(NNL).  The Twp. has been told that there will be funding for planting approximately 600 trees on municipal lands.  These will probably be planted in the fall.

We also hope to obtain grant funds to inventory Ewing parks for Ash tree locations and help the Twp. to determine locations for the 600+ NNL trees.

We are well on our way to accomplishing a number of the goals laid out by our Visioning, from tree plantings to restore our tree canopy, to sponsoring of educational workshops for the public, and more.
So, it’s a little good news for our tree canopy!  Thank you, Sustainable Jersey and PSE&G Foundation!

Calling All Artists in Ewing Township! The Ewing Green Team and Arts Commission Are Looking for You!

Leave a comment

Are you an artist … musician… singer… writer or involved in the Arts in Ewing? Would you like to get more exposure for your work? Would you like to contribute to making Ewing an Arts Destination? Please complete our survey and help us promote the arts in Ewing!

The Ewing Green Team & Arts Commission are partnering to compile an inventory of Ewing’s creative assets. Our goal is to create a directory of cultural, historic, natural, creative and human resources, including local artists, businesses, cultural activities and events, buildings/venues, and arts and community organizations in Ewing. Once we have gathered and organized all the information into one document; we will have a Ewing Creative Assets Community Resource Guide; a useful one-stop source for all artistic and inspiring people, places, or events.

Art is a source for community and civic pride; it engages people and transforms lives; it adds richness and dimension to our lives.  It is a powerful and dynamic economic force that supports key businesses and tourism.  It attracts and retains residents, consumers and other commercial interests and brings jobs and additional revenue. The Arts are essential to a quality education and help our children succeed as innovators and problem solvers in the 21st century workplace.

Promotion of a town’s creative assets not only makes communities more livable and prosperous, but also helps to better nurture them. They help communities explore their strengths and discover what makes each distinct. With the opening of the 1867 Sanctuary, the historic Scotch Road church transformed into a unique community arts center which is now featuring local talents on a regular basis, Ewing is experiencing a reawakening of pride in our local talent.

If you are one of the many Ewing artists or work in one of the arts’ fields we ask you to please complete our Arts Survey either online or by filling it out in PDF and mailing it to:

Ewing Green Team, 2 Jake Garzio Drive, Ewing, NJ 08628.

You may choose to include your information to be included in the Resource Guide, or just complete the survey anonymously. Once completed; we anticipate making the directory publicly available and posted on both the Ewing Green Team and Arts Commission websites.

There is so much going on in our own backyard that many of us don’t even know about. This will help spread the word; Ewing is a great place to live, close to a lot of wonderful things to do and see and now we’ll know where to go to find them!

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Ewing Green Team and Arts Commission member  Lisa Feldman,  at (609) 620-0722 or lkfeldman1975@gmail.com.  Or you may email the Ewing Green Team directly at ewinggreenteam@gmail.com.