Letter: Green Team Says Thank You

The Millburn Township Green Team would like to express a heartfelt THANK YOU to the volunteers, exhibitors, performers, Township employees, contributing businesses, attendees and Mayor Sandra Haimoff, whose combined participation in the Sunday, Acreated an event that was informative, memorable and joyful.

The following local and nearby "green" businesses made generous donations of items which were raffled off to Millburn Township residents who took a pledge and entered the Green Challenge: Oscar’s Sandwich Shop, Bagel Chateau, ShopRite of Millburn, Suki’s, Babyland, High Gear Cyclery, Staples, Gotham, Garden Path, Roxy, Sneaker Factory, LaStrada and Better Landscaping Inc.

When the weather forecast predicted wet conditions, Robert Hogan, Director of Recreation and Parks and Alex McDonald, Millburn Township Assistant Business Administrator, kindly arranged to move the event into the Bauer Community Center. John Bace, John Walker and Steve Moore of the Dept. of Public Works made the move possible and the event run smoothly.

With a dry location secured, our community came out to learn about the specifics of Millburn’s recycling program at the Department of Public Works Yard and through curbside Single Stream pick-up. At the Environmental Commission’s exhibit, the information dispensed included a primer on how the use of fossil fuels impacts our environment and what you can do about it.

The negative effects of automotive idling and awareness of New Jersey’s Anti-Idling Law were the focus of the Millburn High School Environmental Club’s exhibit. 

The Shade Tree Advisory Board distributed white pine seedlings and information about planting and caring for trees.

To encourage backyard composting practices at home, The Green Team sold composters, complemented by Cora Hartshorn Arboretum’s composting demonstrations.

Project Porchlight teamed up with the Green Team for a fundraiser, selling high efficiency CFL lighting kits. These kits, valued at $100, can still be purchased from the Green Team for $20. To place your order, send an email to millburntownshipgreenteam@gmail.com. Half of the proceeds will be used for future sustainable living programs to be held in the Township.

Plastic film, shrink wrap, clean dry cereal box liners and more were collected to be recycled into new plastic film. This collection will continue at the Millburn Farmers Market beginning June 8 through October. Please go to the Green Team’s pages on the Millburn Township website for the specifics on the plastics to be collected.

Information was available from the New Jersey Audubon Society and the Earth Day Network. Representatives of the New Jersey American Water Company and the AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program were on hand with valuable information about keeping our waterways and ground water clean, and responsible water use.

Those attendees stepping out in the rain were treated to an up-close look at two electric vehicles, a Tesla and a BMW. The Patch provided information regarding its online, paperless publication. Whole Foods and a number of green vendors were on hand to share information about healthy, sustainable food choices, sustainable landscaping tips, reusable lunch kits and wraps, natural body products and reusable ink cartridge programs. All the while, all in attendance were treated to the professional jazz and blue grass sounds of the Heptocratics (Millburn resident Brian Halpin’s band) and the Blue Plate Special. For more information about getting involved with the Green Team or to find out about future events, please contact us at millburntownshipgreenteam@gmail.com.

Thanks,

Ellen Ingber & René Paparian, Co-Chairs

Millburn Township Green Team