EDITORIAL
Spring cleaning time to clear out the clutter and get a fresh start, right?
A number of communities are realizing that this does not only apply indoors, and they are taking this idea outside and to parks and public areas that have gathered many a plastic bag, cigarette butt and piece of crumpled junk mail over the winter months.
We think it’s safe to say the snow is gone for the season, and now that we can actually see what has been lurking under the gray lumps of ice, it’s not always a pretty sight.
Fortunately, many community groups and individuals have started cleanup days in their towns in recent years or are continuing a long tradition of taking their spring cleaning outside. In the month that celebrates our environment and planet with Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 29), this is a great time to remind ourselves that the outdoors are as much a part of our home as our living rooms and kitchens.
This past Sunday the first neighborhood cleanup of the season took place in Roebling, where residents donned work gloves to get Roebling Park spruced up for its impending centennial.
This Saturday, Springfield will celebrate Pride in Springfield Day with a cleanup aimed at public areas in the township that have accumulated debris. Volunteers are invited to gather at 8:30 a.m. at the municipal building with gloves, bags, and other implements of sanitation.
Tree plantings are never far behind once neighborhood spring cleanings start up, and this year is no exception. The Bordentown Shade Tree Committee will plant 20 new trees in the city on April 23 to observe Arbor Day, and we can expect to see many other tree plantings throughout the region this season, making it obvious why five of our local towns are recognized by Tree City USA.
If Earth Day has you thinking about ways to connect with your immediate environment and learn more about it, the Bordentown City Environmental Commission is planning a "ramble" along Thorntown Creek in Bordentown City this Saturday, weather permitting, to educate residents about our local ecology and history. A stream cleanup will take place later this month, on April 23.
And at the Rutgers EcoComplex on Florence-Columbus Road in Mansfield on April 17, EcoFest will be celebrated in honor of Earth Day, with tours of the greenhouse and landfill, family and kids’ events and displays of environmentally responsible products.
These are just a few of the events going on in the area this month that give us the opportunity to clean up or get to know our natural surroundings better. Take advantage of them, but we should be mindful every day of the importance of appreciating our environment and keeping it clean.

