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Protect
America's Environment.
For Our Families,
For Our Future!
Serving Most of Burlington , Camden and Gloucester Counties
Planting the Seeds for Tomorrow's Environment
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SIERRA CLUB MEETINGS
GENERAL
MEETINGS will be held at 7:30 PM on the SECOND WEDNESDAY of each month, Sept thru May at the Friends Meeting House on
Friends Ave (two blocks off of Kings Hwy) in Haddonfield, NJ. Friends Ave is located one block east of the intersection
of Kings Hwy and Haddon Ave.
April 10: "The Story of Stuff". Come and watch
this short amusing video and be prepared to admit to your worse environmental sin.
May 8: Jackie Feinberg, National Grassroots Organizer for Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance will speak
about the campaign for a new national monument surrounding Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah. The West Jersey Group does not meet in June, July or August. Please join
us on one of our outings. Check out our Hikes and Paddling page.
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2013
EXECUTIVE
BOARD MEMBERS
Chair:
Gina Carola
Vice Chair: Frank Zinni
Secretary: Ellen Zinni
Treasurer: Trish Clements
Publicity Chair: Bud Kaliss
Political Chair: Nancy Rone
Conservation Chair: Stacey
Ayala
Membership Chair: Mike Brown
Fundraising Chair: Reiss Tiffany
Pinelands Rep: Lee Snyder
Delegate at large: Aida Ayala
Smart Growth: Open Position
Program
Chair: Open Position
Marine Issues: Open Position
Outings Chair: Open Position
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Speakers Wanted!!! Do
you have a topic that you can speak about that you believe would be of interest to the folks who care about the environment?
We'd love to hear from you. Lectures, slide presentations, lead a round table discussion. We are open to suggestions.
Contact Gina at ginaceee@verizon.net
Learn about the efforts of a committed group of Gloucester County residents to build Gloucester County’s
very first state park.
Learn how you can help!
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All Sierra Club meetings
and activities are free and open to the public!
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Recycling Made Easy
Click this link to learn how and where to recycle in your New Jersey town.
Sustainable Cherry
Hill
Read all about the great things that are going
on in Cherry Hill, NJ to make this town the cleanest and greenest in the state.
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Cool Cities News - Look Who Joined!
Beverly City
On July 26, 2011, at the Common Council Meeting of the City of Beverly, Mayor,
Dr. Gail G. Cook, joined the U.S. Conference of Mayors by signing the U.S. Conference
of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement making Beverly City the latest municipality in the West Jersey Group to join the Sierra
Club’s Cool Cities Campaign.
Currently a member of the New Jersey Clean Communities Program and Sustainable
New Jersey, Beverly is in the process of working toward Sustainable New Jersey State Certification "for municipalities in
New Jersey that want to go green, save money and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term".
And that’s
not all. Working with the school district and the City’s professionals,
Beverly has taken on lots of “green” initiatives. For example, every
road reconstruction or drainage improvement project is designed to improve water quality.
A new park project underway, in addition to providing passive recreation, will have a rain garden and provide habitat
and food for wildlife. City Engineering and Planning office professionals
are working to maximize access to public transportation with a project to address pedestrian safety to transportation opportunities
such as the light rail that stops in Beverly. Smart Growth initiatives are also
on the agenda.
The school district is also
active in helping to green the city. Interior lighting is being upgraded to use
LED technology and exterior lighting has been upgraded from mercury vapor to high pressure sodium or compact fluorescent lamps
where practical. The school district has updated its IPM Policies and Regulations
to severely limit the use of chemical agents wherever possible. District personnel
are being sent for training in IPM practices. Several years ago the school developed an aggressive recycling program and is
currently looking to expand the program to include milk/juice cartons with the possibility of the use of compostable materials.
Other initiatives undertaken
by the city include new ideas implemented by the Beverly Sewerage Authority. Accepting
wastewater from Beverly City and nearby Delanco Township, the Authority has implemented reed bed technology for the treatment
of sludge instead of the standard sludge drying beds. In use in Europe,
Asia and Australia, this technology helps to reduce sludge volumes by 85% to 95%. The
sludge is dewatered and transformed into mineral and humus-like components with chemical additives and the process requires
no energy. The Beverly Sewerage Authority was one of only two such systems in
the State of New Jersey when the technology was first employed and now is one of only nine permitted reed bed treatment facilities
in the State of New Jersey.
All this adds up to making
Beverly city a clean, green and cool place to live, work and play. Congratulations
to the savvy citizens of Beverly City for having elected such a progressive and forward thinking mayor and council.
Stratford
On Saturday October 2, 2010, the town
of Stratford, NJ held their 3rd Annual Fall festival. This time however,
the fair had a “Go Green” theme as the town signaled their intent to become a sustainable community. Besides the usual lineup of craft vendors and food vendors selling an assortment of delectable treats,
there were environmental organizations participating, including the West Jersey Sierra Club, solar installers and hybrid cars
on display. CFLs were distributed and there was an opportunity for residents
to join an electric cooperative that supplies energy produced from renewable sources.
At a ceremony celebrating the town’s commitment to becoming sustainable, Mayor John Gentless signed the US Mayors
Agreement on Climate Protection. Gina Carola presented him with the Sierra Club
Cool Cities award and congratulated the residents of Stratford for electing a progressive and forward thinking mayor and council.
The Stratford Business & Civic Association
(SBCA) recently met with Lori Braunstein, the champion behind making Cherry Hill a sustainable town. Lori has graciously offered to mentor the SBCA as they work toward becoming certified under Sustainable
Jersey. SBCA founder and Board of Director member Jerry Zekas is now in the process
of recruiting residents to be a part of the “green team”. Stratford
residents who are interested in being a part of this exciting initiative can attend a meeting on December 6th and help establish the vision, goals
and action plan to make sustainability for Stratford a reality. Already on board is the local Council of the Knights of Columbus who have pledged to help educate families
about green programs that they can take advantage of. The
town council is undertaking energy audits for some of the municipal buildings and they are hoping to initiate a sidewalk repair
project to make the town more walkable. These initiatives all add up to a Win-Win
for the community of Stratford and make it a shining example of what other towns can do to improve the quality of life for
residents and help make the future brighter for everyone.
Evesham Township
On September 16, 2008, Mayor
Randy Brown of Evesham Township declared
the township a “Green Community” and authorized development of a Clean Energy Policy for inclusion in the township’s
master plan. He also signed the township on to the U.S.
Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.
But that’s not all. Evesham Township’s
manager Tom Czerniecki spearheaded a “green initiatives summit” to help agencies within the township learn about
sustainability. As other towns heard about the summit and expressed interest,
they were invited to attend. Leaders from around the state and also school boards
attended to learn what they can do to green their communities. Topics such as
building facilities and homes to optimize natural heat and shade in order to reduce energy consumption, ride-sharing and implementation of solar, wind and other alternative energy were discussed.
For now, Evesham
Township plans to enroll in a state energy audit program so that the town can learn
how to improve its energy use. Mr. Czerniecki also said the township has applied
for money to fund solar panels on the municipal building.
Congratulations to the residents of Evesham
Township for electing such forward thinking leaders.
Below is a list of earlier signons in Gloucester County.
On December 19, 2006, Elk Township became the first municipality
in Gloucester County to sign on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Outgoing mayor Bill Rainey signed the
agreement at the last township working meeting and in doing so joined hundreds of other cities and towns across the country
that have committed to taking the fight against global warming to the local level. The township municipal building is
now sporting a 6KW solar system capable of supplying a large portion of the electricity used by the building.
On April 3rd, 2007, the Gloucester County Board of Chosen
Freeholders, led by Freeholder Director Stephen Sweeney, pledged to do everything they could to curb the amount of greenhouse
gases that the county produces. At a press conference at the county complex in Woodbury, NJ, Director Sweeney, along
with freeholders Helene Reed and Joseph Brigandi Jr., signed onto the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. In attendance
were Sierra Club Cool Cities activists Gina Carola and Bill Freund who worked to bring the county on board. Director
Sweeney promised that the county will begin work on efforts to conserve energy by modernizing buildings for energy efficiency.
The possibility of putting solar panels on the rooftops of county buildings is under review and the county is also looking
into buying hybrid vehicles as replacements are made to the county's fleet.
On
July 10, 2007, Mayor Tim Chell and the Mantua Township Council signed on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.
The thanks goes to Bill Freund, our Programs Chair, who spearheaded the effort. Mantua Township will be reviewing their
energy use as a first step in determining where they can update heating, cooling and lighting to more efficient equipment.
They have recently completed a walking and biking pathway from the town center to the athletic fields to encourage residents
to walk or bike when they want to watch their children play.
On April 19, 2008, Mayor Moriarty of Washington
Township signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement at the Earth Fair.
Who hasn't joined?
Woodbury, West Deptford Township, Deptford
Township and Monroe Township. If you live in one of these towns, call your mayor and ask why he or she doesn't
want to join the other progressive towns by making your town more energy efficient.
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Yikes, 3 Billion Fish are Slaughtered!!! Every day, the Salem Nuke
plant draws millions of gallons of water to cool the reactor. The result is that fish are sucked
into the intake valves and ground up. Up to 3 billion a year are killed impacting not only the balance of the river's ecology, but
also the sport and commericial fishing industry in New Jersey. You can help by signing the petition asking NJDEP to require
cooling towers. And building the towers will create jobs for local labor. It's a win-win for everyone.
Click here to sign the petition.
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