Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

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Thurs, Mar 17th | 7 – 9 pm | ESCC, Community Room

Block parties, clean ups, neighborhood watches and  yard sales are just a few examples of things that can happen when you join together and speak with one voice.  These are just the tip of the iceberg of what a Neighborhood Association can do for you.

In the community visioning meetings held in 2014 by the Green Team, Ewing was described as a community of neighborhoods. People proudly shared information about what was unique in each of their neighborhoods. As people learned about the various activities and issues going on around them it became evident that the community of Ewing would benefit from a more organized way to share this sort of information. As the result of these meetings,  helping to grow, maintain, and create neighborhood organizations has become one of the initiatives of the Green Team.

We have scheduled a meeting to discuss and plan how to do this. Your input is crucial. Come join us and learn about how your neighborhood could benefit from having it’s own association.  In the immortal words of Mr. Rogers, we ask “Please won’t you be my neighbor?”

Save the Date for February Environmental Insights Program

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What It Means To Be an Environmentalist (or Everything You Wanted to Know About Sustainability But Were Afraid to Ask)

The Ewing Green Team announces the latest entry in its Environmental Insights Series, environmental presentations designed to engage area residents in a public conversation about critical environmental issues and to spark new ideas concerning sustainability.   Join us on Wednesday, February 24th at 6:30 pm for our program, What it means to be an Environmentalist (or Everything You Wanted to Know about Sustainability but Were Afraid to Ask) with a presentation and discussion led by Joseph-Mark Mirabella, Ewing Green Team and Ewing Environmental Commission member, former Environmental Science teacher and NJDEP enforcement supervisor.

Have you ever wondered what environmental protection and sustainability really means? Is there a difference between the two? Come explore and discuss these fascinating issues starting with a history of environmental activism going back to Teddy Roosevelt, the first Earth Day, to the present, and where we are going tomorrow.

So what does it mean to be an environmentalist? The Merriam Webster online dictionary defines an environmentalist as a person who works to protect the natural world from pollution and other threats.  If you recycle religiously, are you an environmentalist?  If you compost regularly, are you an environmentalist?  What if you have installed solar panels on your home but put your grass clippings out at the curb, are you an environmentalist? Do you consider yourself to be an environmentalist?  Come tell us what you think it means and what is important to you. We want to know.

About Mr. Mirabella

joemirabellaJoseph-Mark Mirabella is currently the Central Regional Supervisor for the NJDEP Hazardous Waste Enforcement program. He is a former Environmental Science Teacher and has taught and lectured on environmental issues at NJ Colleges and Universities for the last 35 years. Currently, he is a Commissioner on the Ewing Township Redevelopment Agency and is a member of Ewing’s Environmental Commission & Sustainable Green Team.

Date: Wednesday, February 24
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Ewing Senior and Community Center, 999 Lower Ferry Road, Ewing
Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Save the Date – Living Local Expo – March 19th

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The tenth annual Local Living Expo: Being Green Pays Off is set for 3/19/16. This year’ event will be bigger and better than ever. This is the first time this event will be at Rider University. It has expanded to include partners from nine local communities.

 This year’s Expo is organized by Mercer County Sustainability Coalition (MCSC), a partnership of green teams from Lawrence Twp., Ewing, Hopewell Valley, Princeton, West Windsor, East Windsor and Trenton and sustainability nonprofits, Sustainable Princeton and Sustainable Lawrence. Other partners include Mercer County Office of Economic Development and Sustainability and the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.

The Expo will run from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the Rider University gymnasium, which is located on the main campus, 2083 Lawrenceville Rd, Lawrenceville, NJ. The expo is free and open to the public. The popular event will feature sustainable local businesses, community groups, local farms, demonstrations and speakers throughout the day.

 In addition to more than 60 eco-friendly vendors at the expo, visitors can learn about a variety of sustainability issues and exciting community projects such as bike paths, food waste recycling, energy efficiency and wellness.

 A farmers market will feature local farms and local artisan food producers. A lunch celebrating locally sourced and seasonal ingredients will be available for purchase.

 Bring your whole family, meet your neighbors, enjoy the afternoon and learn how Mercer County area residents and businesses are building sustainable communities.  We hope to see you there.

Visit http://www.livinglocalexpo.net for more information about participating vendors and speakers as that information becomes available.

Losing the Dark: Addressing the Issues of Light Pollution

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“Starry skies are a vanishing treasure because light pollution is washing away our view of the cosmos. It not only threatens astronomy but also disrupts wildlife, and affects human health. The glows over cities and towns — seen so clearly from space — are testament to the billions of dollars spent in wasted energy by lighting up the sky.”(1)

Whether you are concerned about light pollution or have been adversely affected by it, or just want to learn more about the issue, check out this film produced by the International Dark Sky Association and Loch Ness Productions.   It does a masterful job of introducing you to the issue of light pollution and its effects upon human health, wildlife and ecosystems, and wasteful energy consumption.

  1. http://darksky.org/resources/losing-the-dark/