Photo of girl supporting Living Lawns Campaign

OUR PURPOSE: To promote the adoption of sustainable practices throughout Lawrence Township, NJ.

Sustainable Living Series

THREE WORKSHOP AND LECTURE SESSIONS
covering sustainable living with practical know how and why

When – Saturday afternoons, 1:00 to 3:00 pm - Starting in May 2013
Venue - Rider University and other local venues in Lawrence Twp.
Cost - $90 for the series or $10 per class
Free CEU - One Continuing Education Credit is 10 hours (IACNET)

PLANTS AS PARTNERS
When: May 18, 25, & June 1.
Where: Lawrence Nature Center

Plants

SESSION 1 - Growing
Instructor Tahirih Smith
Rain Gardens, Gardening in your community, Green Lawn Campaign

SESSION 2 - Supporting
Instructors are Master Gardeners
Compost: Worms and Bins, Rain Barrels, Bees, Your carbon Footprint

SESSION 3 - Food
Instructor Judith Robinson
Plant-based diets, growing/preserving/exploring food

GARBAGE IN - GARBAGE OUT
When: June 8, 15, 22
Where: Terhune Orchards

Garbage

SESSION 1 - Making Waste
Instructor Joe Cemerle / ELSA
Invisible Waste, Sewer and water,
How landfills work

SESSION 2 - Garbarge Flows
Instructors from MCIA
Moving trash around, How recycling does and does not work
Surprising places to find garbage

SESSION 3 - Solutions
Instructors from Terracycle and
Hopewell Valley Green
Buying strategies to reduce your trash, Repurposing waste, freeganing

SIPPING, NOT GULPING ENERGY
When: July 13, 20, 27
Where: Lawrence Library

Energy

SESSION 1 - Energy Generate/Use
Instructor Rodney Richards
ICEs, Petroleum pathways, fossil fuels. How much do you use? Energy Audits

SESSION 2 - Renewables
Instructor Mike Winka
How they work, making your own, PSE&G/state incentive programs, ENERGY STAR

SESSION 3 - Energy Flows
Instructor Phil Duran
Efficiency with Appliances, Timers, Insulation, Transportation options

Coming Soon... Making Your Business Sustainable

Wednesday lunch series for local businesses. Dates TBA
• Your envelope: USGBC LEED processes, working environment (low VOC’s)
• Your waste: Purchasing options, making less and trash=money
• Your surroundings: Landscaping, Transportation for your employees
• Your energy: energy purchasing options, Energy Star appliances, making money with your
• Your community: Letting clients know about your commitment, walking the walk, public relations, greenwashing.
• Your state: Networking and moving forward with Sustainable Jersey

Save the Dates

This Sunday, October 7, 2012 - Village Park, Yeger Rd - 12:30pm to 4pm

Join us for Community Day in Lawrence Township
and learn firsthand what Sustainability is all about.

Saturday, October 27, 2012 - Lawrence Township High School

The Lawrence Township Community Foundation
      in cooperation with
The Lawrence Historical Society
      present
"Peoples, Periods, and Places"
      A Community Conversation
      12 pm to 4:00 pm

Info for Vendors Vendor Payment Plastic Bag Petition Schedule of Events

Saturday, March 23, 2013 - Lawrence High School

Our 6th Annual Living Local Expo Noon to 4pm Free and Open to the Public No registration Required Read Flyer SCHEDULE OF EVENTS		• Keynote Speaker - Albe Zacks, Terracycle • Cooking demonstration - Chef Christopher Albrecht of Eno Terra • Farmers Market - selection of currently available food from local farms and restaurants • 40+ Eco-Friendly Vendors - hybrid and high-efficiency car dealers and test drives, design & construction firms, non-profits, bike shops, food waste recycling • Speakers & Workshops - on a variety of sustainability topics (transportation, gardening, home efficiency, recycling, etc.) • Donate your old bike to The Trenton Bike Exchange, or donate gently used medical equipment to Resource
Upcoming Film Events Film Showing: SOURLANDS When: February 21, 2013, 6:30 p.m. Where: Mercer County Library, Darrah Lane, Lawrence Twp (Free) SOURLANDS weaves a provocative tale of ecology, energy and agriculture, told from a deep forest surrounded by sprawl. Viewing followed by discussion. Film Showing: PLANEAT When: February 25, 2013, 7:30 p.m. Where: The College of NJ in Ewing in the New Education Bldg, Rm 115 PLANEAT is the story of three men's life-long search for a diet, which is good for our health, good for the environment and good for the future of the planet. Film Showing: CRUDE IMPACT When: March 25, 2013, 7:30 p.m. Where: The College of NJ in Ewing in the New Education Bldg, Rm 115 Crude Impact explores the interconnection between human domination of the planet, and the discovery and use of oil..

SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES

Vote Yes on Plastic-Bag Bill S-812

Please support S-812, the "Carryout Bag Reduction and Recycling Act," and make the Garden State the leader in environmental responsibility by taking a stand to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags.

We need YOUR SIGNATURE!

Petition Background

New Jersey residents use an estimated 3 billion plastic bags a year. The immediate convenience of single-use plastic bags comes with significant long-term economic and environmental costs. Bill S-812 would require a 5-cent fee for each single-use plastic or paper bag, and would incentivize a 5-cent refund for each consumer-provided bag. Bill S-812 would create a uniform state-wide policy encouraging all citizens to switch to reusable bags. The effect of S-812 will be to significantly reduce plastic bag use and litter on our beautiful shore and in our communities while creating a fund to help with environmental cleanup.

FEATURED VIDEOS

More Videos:

Living Lawns NEW!
Interviews with citizens who are choosing to grow their lawns and gardens without pesticides.

Going Green
Learn about the sustainability movement happening in Lawrence Township.

Time Lapse Proof
James Balog shares images of glaciers receding at an alarming rate, some of the most vivid evidence yet of climate change.

Story of Stuff
Lean how stuff is really made and the hidden cost, especially cosmetics, bottled water, and electronics.

Our Home
Must see images of our planet with must hear soundtrack.

The Bulb
The Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb has come a long way in the last few years.

MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Just For Fun
Visit historicaerials.com
Our Future, Our Challenge
Saturday, April 16 at PDS, 9am-2:15pm
Hear from world-renowned speakers on energy policy, new energy technology, sustainable food, and green building. Cost: $12 includes a delicious lunch and admission to all speakers and events. Pre-registration required.
Project Porchlight
We were recognized by Project Porchlight as a Change Leader for our volunteer involvement in 2010. Over 100 volunteers distributed more than 1500 free CFL light bulbs throughout town in three community “blitzes”.
Lawrence Township has won the Sustainable Jersey Leadership Award for 2010. The Leadership award recognizes one municipality that contributes most to the Sustainable Jersey program through demonstrated regional or statewide leadership. The award honors sustainability efforts that make the most of local resources through execeptional dedication and leadership.
NJ DOT Has Adopted a Complete Streets Policy
A complete streets policy ensures that transportation planners and engineers consistently design and operate the entire roadway with all users in mind - including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.

LEARN MORE about complete streets below:
* National Complete Streets Coalition
* Complete Streets Fact Sheet
* New Jersey Complete Street Presentations
* NJ DOT Complete Street Policy
SWELL Neighbors
Tahirah Smith of Sustainable Lawrence can help you and your neighbors organize to save money, protect the environment, build your community, and add to the quality of your life.
Tracking Our Progress In Community Sustainability
We now have quantifiable indicators to measure actual progress toward sustainability in Lawrence Township. Learn more...
Take the 5-Pack Pledge!
Five Commitments to Live Sustainably and Save Money. For your children, your community, your neighborhood, and your pocketbook!
Hazardous Waste & Used Electronics Recycling
Mar 26, 2011 - Jun 11, 2011 - Oct 1, 2011
Time: 8 a.m. -- 2 p.m. - rain or shine
Place: John T. Dempster Fire School on Bakers Basin/Lawrence Station Road in Lawrence Township. For more information, call 609-278-8086 or go to www.mcia-nj.com.
Used Electronic Recycling Only
May 25, 2011 - Nov 1, 2011
Time: 9 a.m. -- 2 p.m.
Place: Sun National Bank Center in Lot #1. For more information, call 609-278-8086 or go to www.mcia-nj.com.
Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency
Updates as of Feb 10, 2010!
Learn more at energystar.gov

SL Headlines

Our Long Term Agenda (see summary)

Join Our Mailing List

Reading Our Region:
Essays from a Regional Writer

SUSAN CHARKES writes about nature in our region. Discover her poetic view of the outdoors and be inspired to visit the places she describes.

>> Read her latest writing

Trail Guide for Lawrence Township

This booklet features places in Lawrence for the public to hike. Most of the trails are off-road paths in our open space parks. They are open year-round from dawn to dusk.

Living Lawns Campaign

Check out the NEW VIDEO.

Join the Living Lawns Campaign today to help clean up your yard and neighborhood, protect your family and our local water resources, and save money.

Natural Steps for Lawrence

Natural Steps Podcasting
Podcasting

Natural Steps Blog
Blogging

Listen in to Colin Beaven, the No Impact Man whose family went off the grid and attempted to live in the middle of New York City with as little environmental impact as possible.

We will accept bicycle donations, recondition them, and then offer them for sale to area residents at modest prices. All proceeds will go toward supporting the after-school programming of the Boys & Girls Club of Trenton & Mercer County.

Have you seen our suggested reading?

Sustainable Book List
Visit our list of suggested reading. Check out a copy at the Library, buy a used copy locally, or order online. If you have a book to recommend, let us know.

MAKING RAIN BARRELS FOR THE SPRING GARDEN

Photo of Rain Barrel Photo of person with head in rain barrel Photo of rain barrels under construction

Action at one of Sustainable Lawrence's two rain barrel-outfitting events during our "Green Everything Days of Spring" (March 20-26). Here employees of the Delaware River Basin Commission in West Trenton prepare their own rain barrels on March 24. Sustainable Lawrence is tracking down further donations of rain barrels and can show you how to put one together and install it. You'll potentially save thousands of gallons of unnecessary runoff and assure a steady water source for your garden.

Following the principles of "The Natural Step" and working with the local community, Sustainable Lawrence aims to create an 'eco-municipality' in Lawrence Township, New Jersey.

CARRIAGE PARK CLEAN UP

Carriage Park Photo

These pictures were taken at Carriage Park. They show members of our partner organization, "The Community" spreading a load of mulch on a new garden for the seniors who live at the complex. Mulch came from the Township's Ecology Center on Princeton Pike. The event was jointly organized by Sustainable Lawrence, the SL satellite group at Carriage Park, and The Community.

Rider University Celebrates Sustainability

Rider University Students

Students from Dr. Laura Hyatt's course on The Biology of Climate Change at Rider lead staff and fellow students through "The Game of Life: The Carbon Edition", created by the class to educate people about the every day impact (e.g. driving to class, wasting food, and leaving dorm room lights turned on) of the school's and community's overall carbon footprint. The "R"-shaped game board taped to the floor might stand for "Rider", or it could call to mind our favorite four-word sustainability mantra: "Re-think, Reduce, Re-use, Recycle".