[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!]

“The Disappearing Male” is about one of the most important – and least publicized – health issues facing the human species: the toxic threat to the male reproductive system. The last few decades have seen dramatic increases in the incidence of boys and young men suffering from a number of problems including low sperm count, testicular cancer, ADHD, autism, and dyslexia. The male birthrate is steadily decreasing.

“The Disappearing Male” takes a close and disturbing look at what many doctors and researchers now suspect are responsible for many of these problems: a class of common chemicals called “endocrine disrupters” that are found in everything from shampoo, sunglasses, meat and dairy products, to pesticides, carpets, cosmetics and baby bottles.

The second film, “Big River”, investigates the environmental impact one acre of corn causes for the people and places downstream. In a journey from the heartland to the Gulf of Mexico, two farmers trade their combine for a canoe––and set out to see the big world their little acre of corn has touched.

Their trip flashes back to the pesticides they sprayed, fertilizers they injected, and the soil they plowed, leading to new questions explored by new experts in new places. Topsoil is eroding, fertilizer has runoff, and the herbicides they used are blamed for a cancer cluster that reaches all too close to home.

Please join us for these free films and an open discussion following. For further information please contact the office of Environmental Affairs at (973) 509-5721. [From Montclair Township website.]

“This application is the culmination of months of work from many members of Greener Bloomfield, the Bloomfield Recycling Committee, the Mayor and Council, and the Administration,” Palomaki said. “It’s been a group effort, and now our town is one of the leaders in New Jersey in sustainability.” Registration in the program provides Bloomfield with some priority in grant applications, and certification could bring additional funds for sustainability projects in the Township.

Bloomfield submitted actions worth 140 points, with only 100 required for certification. Only five towns in Essex County have applied. Bloomfield submitted documentation for the following actions: Green Team, Community Education and Outreach, Green Fair, Green Design for Buildings, Anti-Idling, Sustainable Land Use Pledge, Natural Resource Protection, Water Conservation, Recycling, Waste Reduction, and an Innovative Demonstration Project for its Paperless Council system.

“New Jersey is the first state in the nation to have a sustainability program that links certification with strong state and private financial incentives, and a fully resourced program of technical support and training,” according to the press release. “The Sustainable Jersey program is now the accepted benchmark for evaluating a municipality’s progress.”

The Sustainable Jersey Awards Luncheon is open to the public for $35 per ticket. To attend, see www.njslom.org.

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).

With the amount of rainfall this regions gets, lawns can thrive with no more than 2 days of watering. Best practices are to water each section of lawn for 30 minutes, allowing water to infiltrate into the soil and encourage deep root growth. Watering for less than that results in short roots that are susceptible not only to drought but also disease. There are exemptions for establishing new lawns and for nurseries. Flowers, shrubs, and vegetable gardens may be watered as often as necessary and cars may be washed, as long as the hoses have automatic shut-off nozzles. The ordinance applies to both residences and businesses, and also urges use water-efficient plumbing fixtures. The water conservation ordinance also earns Bloomfield 10 priority points for Sustainable Jersey certification.

After a warning for a first offense, fines for subsequent offenses range from $25 to $2,000 and/or community service or imprisonment for the most extreme cases.

• Project Porchlight resolution – declares August 15 Project Porchlight Day, when volunteers will go door-to-door, and encourages residents to save money and electricity by changing a standard light bulb to a more energy efficient one. (More volunteers needed!)
• Anti-Idling resolution – declares September “Anti-Idling Month” to focus attention on the issue, warns of the dangers to health (especially asthma), wasted fuel, greenhouse gas emissions, engine wear, and NJ’s state law and $250 minimum fine for idling more than 3 minutes. It also encourages residents to idle no more than 10 seconds and supports anti-idling education, targeted enforcement of the law, and establishment of “idle-free zones”.
• Sustainable Land Use Pledge resolution – resolves to take a number of steps in land use decisions and include them in the next Master Plan resolution, such as facility siting, housing variety, open space, transportation choices, mixed use, green design, regional cooperation, and sustainable parking regulations.
• Grass “Cut It and Leave It” resolution – encourages residents to leave their short grass clippings on the lawn where it will help mulch and fertilize, rather than bagging it for fuel-hogging, polluting trucks to pick up.
• Anti-Idling Ordinance – copies the NJ state laws restricting vehicle idling to less than 3 minutes and sets penalties of $100-$2,500 (with a few exceptions for emergency vehicles, etc.).
• Water Conservation Ordinance (draft) – encourages protection and conservation of water, limits residents and businesses from watering more than 2 days per week (except for new plantings and other exclusions), and establishes procedures for water/drought emergencies.

• 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.