EDITORIAL: Students want to clear the air

EDITORIAL: Our columnists commend Crossroads North Middle School student’s effort to ban smoking in township parks.

   A local 12-year-old wants South Brunswick to break new ground in the fight against public smoking.
   Brandon Wildemuth, a student at Crossroads North Middle School, has collected 148 signatures asking the Township Council to ban smoking at the township’s parks.
   And the council appears willing to listen.
   Brandon began collecting signatures on April 5, National Kick Butts Day, during an anti-smoking game that was part of the school’s Rebel 2 program. A month later, he was before the council with his proposal, which calls for at least one major park (such as Reichler, Sondek or Woodlot) to be smoke-free.
   He is concerned about the effects that second-hand smoke has on the people who use the parks, in particular, the youth engaged in sports and other healthy activities.
   Several towns, such as Manville, already include public parks in their smoking bans, with fines ranging from $100 to $500, so there is precedent for acting.
   Opponents will claim that banning smoking at outdoor facilities is unnecessary, that the open air allows the smoke to dissipate and limit the impact on nonsmokers. But anyone who has sat near a smoker at a ballgame knows how offensive the rising smoke can be.
   So kudos to Brandon and his friends in Rebel 2. Their efforts should keep the air around South Brunswick a little cleaner.