HILLSBOROUGH: Sustainable ideas to be discussed

Four environmental representatives — including one from Sweden — will be in Hillsborough to talk about quality of life and sustainable development practices at the BoroGreen meeting from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, in the multipurpose room of the Hillsborough Municipal Building on South Branch Road.
Oscar Koohler is a graduate student in sustainable energy engineering who is visiting Lawrence for three weeks to study best practices in sustainable development on behalf of the U.S. embassy in Stockholm and Sustainable Sweden.
His objective is to look at how municipalities and other organizations in the area are working on sustainable development.
Tahirih Smith, the president of Sustainable Lawrence, will share best practices ideas with the audience.
Lauren Skowronski, program director for community engagement at Sustainable Jersey, has an expertise in community development and civic engagement. She will talk about initiatives at the county level and how individuals can play a role within their own towns.
Pam Mount is the president of Sustainable Jersey’s board, vice president of Sustainable Lawrence and a former mayor of Lawrence.
Lawrence Township (www.sustainablelawrence.com) has become a leader in sustainable practices through a program called The Natural Step. The idea was created by planners Torbjörn Lahti and Sarah James, authors of the award-winning book, "The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns Can Change to Sustainable Practices."
They have inspired thousands of citizens and scores of local governments to take action toward becoming a sustainable community.
Sustainable Lawrence has hosted the Sustainable Living Series with three major themes — energy, food and waste — to inform residents about the benefits of home insulation, energy conservation and incentives, composting, organic gardening and plant propagation, purchasing habits, recycling and reusing.
Both Sustainable Princeton and Sustainable Lawrence have a curbside organics program. They are exploring options for Mercer County to have an aggregate energy purchase agreement.
Towns have formed a Mercer County Alliance, beginning with a forum this spring, to discuss collaborations and increased efficiencies through partnerships. Somerset County is beginning to develop partnerships between towns so best practices can be more readily adopted in neighboring towns.
"This is an excellent opportunity for neighboring municipalities to find both environmental and economic opportunities that capitalize on their assets and establish a plan for controlled growth," said John Beggiato, president of Hillsborough BoroGreen.