Visit Greener Bloomfield

Joining us in the Quad will be the Bloomfield Recycling Committee (Saturday), the Bloomfield Open Space Committee, the Essex Green Party, and Composting demos on Sunday (Bloomfield residents can even order a compost bin for just $35).

Join our regular Greener Bloomfield meeting on Thursday, May 28, 7pm at the Bloomfield Civic Center, 84 Broad Street, where we’ll have a screening of “The Story of Stuff”, a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Agenda: 

• “The Story of Stuff” 
• Project Porchlight CFL distribution 
• Recap of the Bloomfield Green Fest 
• Work on Sustainable Jersey actions 

Everyone is welcome to join us. To RSVP, please go to www.meetup.com/GreenerBloomfield. Join Meetup.com if you haven’t already, and let us know if you’ll be able to attend. We hope to see you Thursday evening!

What did YOU like best about the Bloomfield Green Fest?

Please join us four our regular Greener Bloomfield meeting on Thursday, April 30, at 7:00 p.m., at the Bloomfield Civic Center at 84 Broad Street (downstairs). All are welcome. Please forward to others you know who may be interested. We meet on the last Thursday of each month. On the agenda for the meeting: 

• Bloomfield Green Fest: final preparation and volunteer sign-ups (Green Fest is Saturday, May 2)
• Sustainable Jersey: update and work on action plans, grant application
• Updates from attendees on green projects in Bloomfield

As always, you’ll have a chance to meet others who are interested in making Bloomfield greener. Plan to participate actively, and bring your thoughts and ideas. Refreshments will be provided. 

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:

• Acorn Home Improvements
• AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassadors
• Anderson Windows/Silver Line
• Backyard Wildlife Habitat
• Barb Conover Missouri Master Composter
• Bike Montclair
• Bloomfield Recycling Committee
• Bloomfield Vocational Tech Green Academy
• Boxed Organics
• Boy Scouts of America
• Brookdale Park Conservancy
• Cornicopia Network
• Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology
• Essex County Environmental Center
• Essex County Greens
• Farm to Bistro
• Fine Green Design
• Friends of Clark’s Pond and Third River
• Gaia Gardens Landscaping
• Go R.I.S.E. Up, Inc.
• Green Handyman
• Green Harmony Now
• Greener Bloomfield
• Guy Gsell/ Darren Gage/ Bob White
• Herbolution
• Home Depot
• Home Energy Diagnostics
• ICI Paint
• Music Together of Montclair
• Muti Oils
• New Jersey Clean Energy Program
• NJ Peace Action
• Pardise Pets
• Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners
• Photographic Coffee Mugs
• Project Porch Light
• Purple Dragon Co-op
• Shaklee
• Tony’s Hot dogs 
• Unlimited – renewable energy in NJ
• Waste Management Recycle America
• Women’s International for Peace & Freedom

We’ll be contacting everyone shortly to arrange a meeting to find out what people would like to see the group become, how they’d like to help, and what our next steps will be.

Sponsored by Greener Bloomfield and the Bloomfield Recycling Committee, Green Fest met its intent to bring people together to raise awareness of sustainability and give people practical ideas for how they can “go green”. A steady stream of visitors came to the “oasis” in front of the Bloomfield Public Library throughout both days. The “smart car” from Mercedes Benz positioned at the entrance to Green Fest helped draw people in on Sunday. Check back soon for a full list of exhibitors with contact information.

First-ever Green Fest will join weekend Harvest event

By Michael W. Curley Jr. Staff Writer

In addition to the annual Harvest Fest this weekend, Bloomfield residents can visit Green Fest to learn about what the town has to offer in environmental businesses and organizations.

Green Fest will be held by the Greener Bloomfield organization, and will run concurrently with Harvest Fest, on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sun­day from noon to 6 p.m.. It will be held in the plaza in front of the Bloomfield Public Library, across the street from the Green.

There are expected to be more than 20 exhibits at Green Fest, including local businesses that provide green goods and services, such as a company which does energy efficiency audits for homes, and remodel­ing with an emphasis on energy efficiency.

Local organizations featured at Green Fest will include the Greener Bloomfield organization, the Brookdale Park Conservancy, and the Friends of Clark’s Pond and Third River, which will be giving out information on their activities. In addition, the library will have a display show­casing its environmental literature.

“For people in our community who are thinking about energy efficiency and our environment, this is a great event to learn more, discover some simple steps they can take, and get involved in their community,” John Palomaki, a member of the Greener Bloomfield organization, said in a press release.

Palomaki said the organization was looking to get people to speak during the day, and that a representa­tive of the United States Green Building Council in New Jersey would be speaking on Saturday about sus­tainability. Also during Green Fest will be composting demonstrations to show residents how to convert their organic waste into fertilizer.

This is particularly important, Palomaki said, because food products make up the majority of garbage that’s thrown out, and if residents compost, they’ll find the rest of their garbage, if they separate recyclables, will be reduced dramatically. “If everyone composted, it would bring down the costs of waste disposal,” he said, adding that there is a limited amount of space for landfills. At the Green Fest, there will be a sample composting bin. The cov­ered bin allows heat to remain in and helps keep pests away and will be available for residents to order at Green Fest to be picked up at the Department of Pub­lic Works later.

On Sunday, Mercedes-Benz will be showcasing its Smart Car, and residents will be able to take the vehi­cle for a test drive in the library’s parking lot. The car is half the length of a normal car, Palomaki said, and it’s energy efficient. He added the company would soon be coming out with an electric version of the vehicle.

The organization began as a group of residents that wanted to ensure the Bloomfield Center redevelop­ment used as many energy efficient and environmen­tally sound methods as possible in its undertaking, and is co- sponsoring Green Fest with the Bloomfield Recycling Committee. The organization is looking to increase its membership, and bring more sustainability practices to the residents of Bloomfield, as well as the businesses and local government.

“Everyone can take simple steps such as recycling, making our homes and businesses more energy effi­cient, and protecting our parks and waterways,” Nick Joanow, a member of the Bloomfield Recycling Com­mittee, said in the press release, “It’s good for our environment, and it’s good for our budgets.”
This will be the first year that Green Fest will come to Bloomfield, Palomaki said, and it was inspired in part by similar exhibitions in nearby towns, such as Summit, Maplewood and Glen Ridge. Palomaki said Bloomfield’s Green Fest was directly modeled after the one held in Glen Ridge, with Elizabeth Baker, a councilwoman from Glen Ridge, helping to organize it.

“It seems a good time to do it now,” Palomaki said, noting the group’s success in getting green guidelines into the redevelopment plan. Palomaki and the Green­er Bloomfield organization also helped in implement­ing the paperless council meetings, eliminating the paper packets that used to be used in the meetings in favor of new laptops for the council members.

“With energy prices getting higher, and home-heat­ing bills expected to get higher, it’s a good indicator that it’s time to do something like this, and help Bloomfield residents to save money,” Palomaki said, adding he hopes Green Fest becomes an annual event.

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