BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP: Green Team is on a mission

By David Kilby, Special Writer
   BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP — The newly established Green Team is taking steps toward making the town more economically and environmentally sustainable.
   Its first step was its open house last month.
   Roger Plew, chairman of the Environmental Commission and head of the Green Team, said three people signed up for the Green Team, and about five or six showed up to the open house that first was announced in early July.
   ”It was kind of successful considering it was put together last minute,” Mr. Plew said.
   The Green Team will serve as a subcommittee of the Environmental Commission and will work toward acquiring Sustainable Jersey status for the township.
   The commission’s meetings are the third Monday of every month at 7:30 p.m. in Township Hall, 1 Municipal Dr. The next meeting is set for Aug. 20. Green Team meetings will take place within the commission’s meetings until the team acquires enough sustainability of its own, Mr. Plew said.
   And sustainability is really what it’s all about, he explained. The commission is a township-appointed and state-mandated committee, but the State of New Jersey also has a program called Sustainable Jersey for communities that want to go the extra mile.
   ”Our goal, through the ANJEC (Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions) Sustainable Jersey program is to save the taxpayer money; create a hospitable, clean environment for the residents, businesses and prospective entrepreneurs; instill respect for our natural resources; and keep property values from falling,” said Committeewoman Jill Popko, liaison to the commission.
   To receive Sustainable Jersey certification, a community has to acquire 150 points through a variety of approximately 105 projects that are sustainable in nature. A list of these projects can be found at www.sustainablejersey.com.
   One of the projects is to create a Green Team, or a group that will work on the other projects on the list.
   The Green Team members are Mr. Plew, Marilee Ryan, Sal Schiano, Sid Morginstin, Aleah Hosszu, Committeewoman Popko, Bill Popko, Sue Young, Tara Garofalo, Julie Petix, Donald McGarrity Jr., George Ondusko and Suzanne Wheelock.
   As a subcommittee of the Environmental Commission, the Green Team will be made up of volunteers working to make Bordentown Township sustainable environmentally and economically, Committeewoman Popko explained.
   ”As a community, we can all work together to have a positive impact for Bordentown Township today and for the township of the future,” she wrote in an email to the Register-News.
   She mentioned many endeavors the Green Team will work on.
   The Green Team will help make sure all public buildings are energy efficient.
   It also plans to increase recycling throughout the township, which not only will lower the township’s tonnage fee at the landfill, but also increase grant money received through state-funded programs, Ms. Popko said.
   The team also hopes to host community cleanups and paper shredding days, educate students on the importance of environmental awareness and encourage the use of water barrels, compost bins, porous pavement, tree planting and “green” roofing (white roofing).
   In January, the Township Committee passed a resolution to work toward Sustainable Jersey certification. Afterwards, it unanimously passed a resolution to create the Green Team and appointed Mr. Plew as head of the team.
   The team now is working toward finding more volunteers to help it complete projects, which, in turn, will help the township qualify for grants from the state.
   A community can reach three different levels of sustainability through the Sustainable Jersey program; bronze, silver and gold.
   Some of the sustainable projects include building community gardens, drawing a “green” master plan for the community and making an inventory of environmental resources.
   ”These aren’t quick projects,” Mr. Plew said. “It’s not an overnight thing. It’s going to take about a year and a half to get certification.”
   He mentioned that if a crew went and cleaned up a local park, that’s really not a sustainable project because it would have to be done again in a month. But the projects on the Sustainable Jersey list can last for generations.
   The township has an 8-year-old inventory of environmental resources, but it isn’t recent enough to qualify as a completed Sustainable Jersey project. The Green Team is looking to update the inventory, which would cost $7,000.
   ”Updating our Natural Resource Inventory will educate our citizens about the importance of respecting the township’s open space and recreational areas,” Ms. Popko said.
   At the Township Committee meeting Monday, Ms. Popko announced the Green Team recently acquired a $3,500 grant from ANJEC and one for $1,000 from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. The township is matching the ANJEC grant so the Green Team will have a total of $8,000 to put toward the inventory project.
   One does not have to be a resident of Bordentown Township or Bordentown City to become a member of the Green Team, and there are no fees required to join.
   ”As a forward-thinking community we have every expectation that obtaining Sustainable certification will enhance the lives of our residents and save them money as well,” Ms. Popko said. “I believe the Green Team will be a permanent fixture, growing and changing as new environmental concerns and remedies become apparent.”
Anyone interested in joining the Green Team can contact the Environmental Commission or the township at 609-298-2800.