Greener Bloomfield » Energy http://greenerbloomfield.org Greener living, working, and community in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:30:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.3 en hourly 1 All About Solar at Next Meeting 4/29 http://greenerbloomfield.org/2010/04/meeting-2010-04-29/ http://greenerbloomfield.org/2010/04/meeting-2010-04-29/#comments Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:48:04 +0000 John http://greenerbloomfield.org/?p=699 Find out about affordable solar electricity for your home or business as the President and Co-Founder of Geoscape Solar, Jeff Chavkin, visits our next Greener Bloomfield meeting April 29, 7:00 pm, Bloomfield Civic Center. Jeff will explain how solar power works, the ins and outs of buy vs. lease, and the financial and environmental payback for generating your own power from renewable sources. Please RSVP at www.Meetup.com/GreenerBloomfield.

Geoscape claims to be the only company in NJ offering leases for solar, where for no money down, you can get solar panels on your roof and pay at least 25% less than you pay now for electricity (claims from their website). It’s also a good time to buy solar panels, with a rebate from NJ, federal tax credits of 30%, and the Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) you earn by generating electricity.

If you’re interested in generating electricity from the sun at your house, or at your business or church, then this is a great place to get it. If you already have solar electricity, or even solar thermal, please come to share your experiences. We met Jeff at the Earth Day 2010 celebration at the Essex County Environmental Center on April 16. [Disclaimer: Greener Bloomfield does not in any way endorse or recommend Geoscape Solar; we are simply providing information from one of many possible solar providers in NJ.]

]]> http://greenerbloomfield.org/2010/04/meeting-2010-04-29/feed/ 0 GB at Essex County Earth Day 4/17 http://greenerbloomfield.org/2010/04/gb-at-essex-county-earth-day-417/ http://greenerbloomfield.org/2010/04/gb-at-essex-county-earth-day-417/#comments Wed, 14 Apr 2010 02:36:28 +0000 John http://greenerbloomfield.org/?p=679 Join Greener Bloomfield at the Essex County Environmental Center’s Annual Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 17, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. We will be providing information on cash rebates available to homeowners for energy audits, energy efficiency home improvements, and refrigerator recycling through the NJ Clean Energy Program. We’ll also have flyers on Bloomfield’s Grass Cut It and Leave It Grasscycling program, the new Water Conservation recommendations, and the Anti-Idling initiative. The event will also feature lots of activities for kids and adults, and over 40 environmentally-oriented organizations and vendors.

[We're also looking for volunteers to help at our table for an hour or two, starting with setup at 9:00. If you'd like to help, please sign up at www.meetup.com/GreenerBloomfield. Thank you!]

]]> http://greenerbloomfield.org/2010/04/gb-at-essex-county-earth-day-417/feed/ 0 Montclair Green Film Series Double Feature http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/10/montclair-green-film-series-double-feature/ http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/10/montclair-green-film-series-double-feature/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:46:32 +0000 John http://greenerbloomfield.org/?p=562 The Montclair Green Film Series presents its first double-feature, on Thursday, October 15th, 6:30 P.M., hosted at the Public Library’s Main Branch at 50 So. Fullerton Ave. All events at the Library are free of charge.

The first show is a new edition of the award-winning movie, Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America. The film is a solutions-oriented exploration of energy issues and opportunities in the USA, looking at the sources of our electricity and the problems caused by energy production, including mountain top removal, childhood asthma, and global warming. The second film – Unlimited: Renewable Energy in the 21st Century – features a group of passionate 6th graders calling on adults to take action by addressing global warming. In addition, energy experts discuss promising technologies being used right here in New Jersey, such as solar, wind, tidal power, green transportation, and food as it pertains to energy consumption.

In Kilowatt Ours, we will meet individuals, businesses, organizations, and communities who are leading the way by using energy conservation, efficiency and renewable, green power – all while saving money and the environment. This often amusing and always inspiring story shows how anyone can easily make a difference.

Unlimited was produced locally by young Bloomfield filmmaker Daniel Califf Glick, and features Montclair residents as well as a number of local children. Recently completed, the film-maker is happy to premier Unlimited in Montclair, and he will be on-hand to answer questions. Teachers are invited and encouraged to consider it for use in the classroom.

For more information about the Montclair Green Film Series, or any local environmental issues, contact the office of Environmental Affairs at (973) 509-5721. This film series is also sponsored by Community Green. Unlimited will also be shown at the October 29 Greener Bloomfield public meeting with a discussion with the filmmaker.

]]> http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/10/montclair-green-film-series-double-feature/feed/ 0 CHANGE A LIGHT! PROJECT PORCHLIGHT DAY! http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/08/change-a-light-project-porchlight-day/ http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/08/change-a-light-project-porchlight-day/#comments Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:59:57 +0000 John http://greenerbloomfield.org/?p=476 Today (Saturday, Aug. 15) is Project Porchlight Day in Bloomfield! Volunteers will be meeting met at 10:00 a.m. at Watchung Presbyterian Church (375 Watchung Ave.) to receive instructions, t-shirts, maps, and light bulbs. They‘ll then fanned out to neighborhoods in Bloomfield to do two things: (1) give each household one free energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulb, and (2) ask residents to sign a simple pledge to change a light to a more energy efficient one. (If you didn’t sign up but want to help, just show up at 10 a.m. at the church, and we’ll assign you a street.) All volunteers will returned by 2:00 p.m. to report back in.

For those of you at home, we won’t didn’t get to every neighborhood, but we‘ll did get to quite a few. Please welcome our volunteers warmly. You’ll recognize them from their Project Porchlight t-shirts and the green bags of light bulbs they’ll be carrying. If you have any questions about whether the person at your door is one of our volunteers, please call the Bloomfield Police Desk at 973-680-4100 and give them the volunteer’s name, which they can check against our list. Click for more information on Project Porchlight and the bulbs. And see the article in Bloomfield Life!

Project Porchlight’s Bloomfield Blitz will contribute 10 points toward Sustainable Jersey certification if we can get 1,200 pledges to change a light. You can also sign the pledge at our website!

]]> http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/08/change-a-light-project-porchlight-day/feed/ 0 Volunteer for Project Porchlight! http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/07/volunteer-for-project-porchlight/ http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/07/volunteer-for-project-porchlight/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:06:14 +0000 John http://greenerbloomfield.org/?p=454 YOU can help us get Bloomfield residents to change a light, save energy, and reduce our town’s carbon footprint! On Saturday, August 15, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, volunteers will be going door-to-door in as many streets and neighborhoods as possible to ask Bloomfield residents to pledge to change a light to a more energy efficient one, and then give them a free compact fluorescent (CFL) to fulfill their pledge courtesy of Project Porchlight! Will you help us in your neighborhood? Sign up to volunteer, and you’ll receive a free t-shirt and CFL!

]]> http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/07/volunteer-for-project-porchlight/feed/ 0 Sustainable Jersey Action at 7/27 Council Meeting http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/07/council-july27/ http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/07/council-july27/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:40:16 +0000 John http://greenerbloomfield.org/?p=457 At the July 27 Township Council Conference Meeting, Greener Bloomfield will be offering a number of resolutions and ordinances related to actions that will help Bloomfield earn Sustainable Jersey certification. You are invited to go to the meeting to express your support of these initiatives so they will be advanced to the public meeting on August 10. They are:

  • A resolution proclaiming August 15 “Project Porchlight Day” to encourage our volunteers and inform the public of our door-to-door distribution of compact fluorescent bulbs and asking residents to sign a change-a-light pledge. (You can still sign up to cover your street or neighborhood!)
  • An Anti-Idling Resolution encouraging everyone to shut off their cars if idling for more than 10 seconds, and certainly to follow the state law’s 3 minute idling restriction. It also declares September as “Anti-Idling Month” to target attention and enforcement.
  • An Anti-Idling Ordinance that mirrors the state laws and establishes local fines for idling longer than 3 minutes (with a few exceptions).
  • A Water Conservation Ordinance to help the Township save water and related fees by limiting outdoor watering to 2 days per week.
  • A Sustainable Land Use Pledge, stating the Township’s intention to follow smart growth principles, encourage green building, and update the master plan to encourage sustainable land use practices.

Check back this weekend to view drafts of these initiatives.

]]> http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/07/council-july27/feed/ 0 “Earth 2100″ on ABC, June 2, 9pm http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/06/earth-2100-on-abc-june-3-9pm/ http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/06/earth-2100-on-abc-june-3-9pm/#comments Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:31:05 +0000 John http://greenerbloomfield.org/?p=356 ABC News has a prime-time feature June 2 at 9pm: “‘Earth 2100′: the Final Century of Civilization?” Their tag line seems a little sensationalist, “Planet at Risk: Experts Warn Population Growth, Resource Depletion, Climate Change Could Bring Catastrophe in Next Century”. But at least one of the network is pointing out the stark challenges we’re facing. If you watch, please add your comments!

]]> http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/06/earth-2100-on-abc-june-3-9pm/feed/ 0 Volunteers Needed! http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/05/volunteers-needed/ http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/05/volunteers-needed/#comments Wed, 27 May 2009 04:32:25 +0000 John http://greenerbloomfield.org/?p=340 Do you want to do something good for Bloomfield? We’re looking for volunteers to help Bloomfield achieve Sustainable Jersey certification. We need people interested in short-term tasks and people that want to take on coordination of an entire action that will earn points toward certification. We’ll provide a description of what needs to be done and documented.  Here are some actions we’re targeting where we need help:

  • Anti-idling program
  • Community education and outreach activities
  • Project Porchlight (handing out CFLs and getting people to sign change-a-light pledges)
  • Community gardening
  • Buy Local program
  • Green business recognition program
  • Community asset mapping
  • A water conservation ordinance
  • Green building guidelines
  • …or something else of your choosing!

If you’re interested in helping with or coordinating any of these activities, please come to our meeting on May 28, or email us!

]]> http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/05/volunteers-needed/feed/ 0 The Sun Came Out… http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/05/the-sun-came-out/ http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/05/the-sun-came-out/#comments Mon, 04 May 2009 01:37:41 +0000 John http://greenerbloomfield.org/?p=313 …and so did about 200 people to the Bloomfield Green Fest on Saturday, May 2, at Brookside Park. After a slightly soggy beginning, the sun brought more good cheer and more people, and some didn’t want to leave! Those who attended enjoyed finding out about the organizations and green businesses there. The kids had a great time building birdhouses, stools, and other kits, courtesy of Home Depot. About100 people pledged to change a lightbulb to a more energy-efficient one. Several learned how to compost at home. And we signed up several new members!

What did YOU like best about the Bloomfield Green Fest?

]]> http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/05/the-sun-came-out/feed/ 0 Sustainable Living, Working, Community at Bloomfield Green Fest May 2 http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/04/greenfest-1/ http://greenerbloomfield.org/2009/04/greenfest-1/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:00:08 +0000 John http://greenerbloomfield.org/?p=279  

Celebrate and learn about sustainable living, working, and community at the Bloomfield Green Fest on Saturday, May 2, 2009, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Brookside Park.  This event continues Earth Day festivities locally and focuses on energy conservation and respect for the environment.
  • See exhibits from over 40 local businesses and organizations
  • Hear guest speakers talk about green living, working, and community 
  • Learn about recycling, composting, and home energy efficiency audits
  • Judge the Bloomfield Schools’ “Save the Earth” poster contest

Education and fun for all!  Admission to Green Fest is free.  Delicious food and drink will be available. The Bloomfield Green Fest is co-sponsored by Greener Bloomfield and the Bloomfield Recycling Committee.

Exhibitors:

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