WEBVTT METADATA Video-Count: 1 Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=WK1FsywP5_Y Part: 1 1 00:00:07.600 --> 00:00:22.000 So, hello everybody. Hi. >> So, I am so glad that you're all here. Um, I got to remember to talk into this or that I'm going to get yelled at. So, this is being televised so that for the people who couldn't make it here today, 2 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:39.360 they can watch it on channel 35. So, um, remind me when I start walking around to get back here. So, let me introduce some of the um important people. So, I'm Carolyn Erlic, not so important. I am the chief of staff here and I'm also the 3 00:00:39.360 --> 00:00:54.719 director of our division on sustainability and I have a great team working with me. Do you want to eat your Kush? Do you want to introduce yourself and talk a little bit about what you're working on? >> Yeah. So, my name's Kusha. I'm working 4 00:00:54.719 --> 00:01:13.720 on a few different projects. Hi, my name is Coach Shaw. I'm a sustainability coordinator. I've been working on a few different projects. You'll you'll see some of the stuff that we've been working on later in in the slideshow, but I'm really excited to work with you all and uh and uh you know, thank you all for coming. 5 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:31.720 >> Hey, good afternoon everyone. My name is Thomas Flynn. I'm an environmental specialist. I'm with the division of sustainability and I've had the pleasure to work with Carol now for over a decade and it's been uh it's been great and we're happy to have you all here. So, thank you. Michelle. 6 00:01:36.240 --> 00:01:52.799 >> Hi, I'm Michelle Coberbos. I work at the health department and I am the chairman of the environmental commission. I'm here to help or I can't wait to help or wait, hold on. This is why I don't talk. I can't wait to work with you guys um 7 00:01:52.799 --> 00:02:11.520 and do some volunteer projects on community gardens, rain gardens. Um, there's lots of things that we can do. So, I look forward to hanging out with you guys. >> Thank you. And Lucas, >> um, I'm Lucas and I'm a part-timer that's on the division of sustainability 8 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:29.120 and I kind of just help everybody out if they need any help with anything. and Sharon Sharon. So Sharon is our first board council woman and she has each council person 9 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:46.160 has a whole list of things on their agenda and Sharon has kind of adopted sustainability and she's my counterpart. That's right. Good afternoon everybody. My name is Sharon McAuliffe. I'm the first ward councilworming serving uh primarily Woodbridge proper and Seaworn 10 00:02:46.160 --> 00:03:03.760 and I do have uh environmental and green team on my agenda. So it's very important to me. I'm really into the whole entire uh everything trying to be you know greenable. It's really important to me. I have uh an electric car. I have solar panels at my house and I have a business in town that um it's 11 00:03:03.760 --> 00:03:19.280 pretty much a lot of it is green also. So it's really important to give back to the environment. So this is why I like working with these guys on everything. So enjoy the presentation. I'm sure it's going to be amazing. >> Okay. So what we did what we did was we 12 00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:35.680 divided um what we work on into different categories. And I'm just going to give you a little bit of a highlight on what we've done recently and what we're working on. This is really just a capsule because it's incredible all of 13 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:51.840 the things that we work on. We have an agenda when we sit and meet and it's what would you say about three pages long of of what we're actively working on. So we clearly need volunteers, we need helpers and um and we also need to 14 00:03:51.840 --> 00:04:08.159 hear about new ideas and your thoughts on everything. So I don't want I I'll talk but please interrupt me. Um say hey this is something I want to learn about. this is some uh here's an idea, something you should be working on. 15 00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:23.360 That's what this meeting is about. It's um I like to call it a visioning meeting because here's our vision and I want to hear what your vision is because sustainability, climate change, it is really one of the most important issues 16 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:41.520 facing us today and we all have to be together on a team to make it better. So this is Greenable Woodbridge. The first area we're looking at is transportation, energy and pedestrian safety. Some of the things that we have done um 17 00:04:41.520 --> 00:04:56.560 we are getting how many of you do you ride the bikes? So not many towns have free bikes. It's a bike share and I don't think there is another town actually that offers that and we are getting new bikes and they are going to 18 00:04:56.560 --> 00:05:12.960 and they are throughout the township. Colonia has a couple. And um Kush, do you want to talk come on up and talk about the sidewalk audit a little bit? >> Um I'll give you the microphone. >> So um we've been noticing that uh 19 00:05:12.960 --> 00:05:28.639 they're heavily traversed areas in our township that haven't necessarily got like a sidewalk. They're unpaid. And you can see they've got um it's like on a grassy area. You can see that little snake come by um just full of dirt and it it seems like you know people are walking up and down, up and down. So, 20 00:05:28.639 --> 00:05:44.960 we've done a a project where we've mapped all these areas and see if there's something that we could try to put in a sidewalk, making it more accessible for all of our residents to walk along. And uh you know, we're working towards uh making it so um at some point all these little snakes 21 00:05:44.960 --> 00:06:05.680 become uh wish paths and uh they're fully accessible by all members of our community. >> Thank you. So, we do try to lead by example and one of the things that we did was we did an audit of all of our energy needs in town 22 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:22.240 hall and all of the other municipal buildings and now we are starting to implement those upgrades that the audit said we should be doing. Um, there are clean energy programs out there that we as a municipality are taking advantage 23 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:40.000 of. We're getting rebates for up to 70% of some of the stuff that we're doing. And these same opportunities are available for our businesses and our home the residents. So we can all and now with the electricity being what it 24 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:55.360 is, it's it's both greens. It's green in your wallet and the green of the environment. Um, another example of leading by example is we do have EV um, senior buses and DPW has a couple of 25 00:06:55.360 --> 00:07:12.000 electric vehicles. They are about to roll out a brand new sanitation truck that is electric and that is really exciting. And of course, we've put in electric charging stations. One of the programs we're working on is 26 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:29.039 community solar. And with that is so like I can't put solar panels on my house because I'm facing in the wrong direction but and I also have a great big beautiful tree in my backyard that I don't want to touch. But for people like 27 00:07:29.039 --> 00:07:46.560 me um or people who can't afford to put solar panels on the roof, there's a program called Community Solar and the company actually puts the solar panels on warehouses and then they have people you can sign 28 00:07:46.560 --> 00:08:04.560 up for this and you can get savings of how much are the savings they're saying now? >> 30% on your electric bill. So, it's as if you have your own solar panels, but somebody is generating the electricity for you to use. There is a greater 29 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:20.319 savings if you're lower moderate income. So, that's a great program. If you're interested in it, the guys over here can tell you more about it. Um, and we've presented um we have a lot of, as I mentioned before, energy saving 30 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:35.839 programs. We're probably this summer going to be walking around to all of our downtowns to tell them about the direct installs, how they can save energy and save money. And we need volunteers to help us knock on doors if anybody is 31 00:08:35.839 --> 00:08:52.399 interested in that. And Kush talked about um doing a sidewalk audit. Well, I I'm one person who doesn't believe in doing audits and planning if you're not going to follow up on them. So, we will be putting in sidewalks where they're needed on public property, not anybody's 32 00:08:52.399 --> 00:09:08.399 private property. I promise. And one of one of the things that we do that um we have all kinds of green certificates that we give out um for our smaller businesses. We have a checklist of all 33 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:25.839 kinds of energy savings. And it's not only a certification, but it's also a form of education. like somebody might say, "Oh, I didn't even know I could do that." And it would save energy. So, um, when we have a a green, greener, and emerald green category, depending on 34 00:09:25.839 --> 00:09:44.160 what you do, and we do that for big bigger businesses, we have a business certification program. And if they do a certain amount of things, we give them a certificate and the they get something from the mayor and it's a good incentive. And then we have restaurant 35 00:09:44.160 --> 00:09:59.680 um certificates and same thing it's a checklist and I think that's another slide later. And um but it's just it's a way to get everybody involved and we're about to start a big one. It's an office building competition and one side of it 36 00:09:59.680 --> 00:10:16.560 is a management and one side of it is the tenants to see how they're greener and these are kind of things that we clearly need volunteers. if you're interested in this to help us with all of this outreach. And here's some pictures of the bike 37 00:10:16.560 --> 00:10:38.000 share, charging stations, and our electric vehicles. Next category, water management. Anybody have any comments or questions on that category? Yes. >> Come on up. 38 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:54.560 you got to talk into microphone. >> Um, so I have a little bit of like a few concerns and like suggestions. First of all, um, you talked about how um, we we h we're um, there's incentives for new solar and like with the community solar 39 00:10:54.560 --> 00:11:12.160 everything. Um, if I remember back in 2015 to around 2019 or 2020, there was um, there was a large solar farm near um, the um, near the um community center and across from the um shopping center 40 00:11:12.160 --> 00:11:29.760 which was replaced in 2021 by apartments, luxury apartments which are only accessible by car. And so I'm concerned like does like are we are we are we like actually like making more 41 00:11:29.760 --> 00:11:45.760 green energy or are we like getting like cuz like this seems like we got rid of solar energy for for like more for like more car friendly areas which would only help create more fossil like more fossil fuel emissions than actually like 42 00:11:45.760 --> 00:12:02.560 >> that's a great point. Let me try to respond to you in the best way that I can. Excellent in an excellent observation. And um so that solar farm was for um the office building. It used to be the Hess 43 00:12:02.560 --> 00:12:18.880 building >> and then the turnpike took it over and they were no longer going to no matter what they were not going to be using those panels to generate the power that they had. when they did it, it was one of the greenest buildings that we had in 44 00:12:18.880 --> 00:12:36.560 town. And but once they said that we don't need we don't we don't want to use this, then it became a a viable place for redevelopment. The thing about these the apartments there um and all of the apartments 45 00:12:36.560 --> 00:12:52.240 downtown is that they're all by transit stations. And we are finding that there are actually the people who move in that apartment building, they have a shuttle that comes down here all the time. So yeah, you're absolutely right. We went 46 00:12:52.240 --> 00:13:08.639 backwards, but we took we tried to take advantage of a a bad situation, getting rid of the solar panels with a better another not better necessarily, but another alternative where um they can 47 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:24.160 move in closer to transit. >> Okay, >> that makes sense. Um and I do have one other >> Come on, share the microphone. Um, so again, um, who here uses the bike share program? 48 00:13:24.160 --> 00:13:43.760 Okay. Two out of like 12. Um, can we go back to the bike slide? >> Yeah. >> Sorry. >> Okay. So, I know like you said like um it is really unique that our town has free bikes for anyone to use. The only 49 00:13:43.760 --> 00:14:02.320 problem is like I feel like like um like one problem is that like there's two parts of the problem which is that the um the um property like the bikes and also like the uma like the safety of riding a bike because um because like 50 00:14:02.320 --> 00:14:18.880 the thing is like like with the bike share program it it does solve the problem of of um people not being able to own bikes because it's free. However though, like there's a problem because like like um like the other side of the problem is that is that our roads still 51 00:14:18.880 --> 00:14:35.440 aren't built for like our roads still don't have any protections for bikes. We have a few that are like shared a road like but shared a road is does pretty much nothing because cars still go on on on roads that are meant to be shared like at the same speed as like they 52 00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:51.680 normally would on any other road. And so it's still not safe for bikes. And this is why we need protected bike lanes. >> Your your observations totally correct. >> And also another problem is um we um is like is also in order for people to like 53 00:14:51.680 --> 00:15:08.160 instead of like using cars to use bikes. We need to have like bike lanes or bike paths that like go to places where they could actually like where they could like a trip that they could have made by car would have actually been made by bicycle. Like for example, like those 54 00:15:08.160 --> 00:15:25.519 new apartments, they like maybe like this the town could like invest in like building a bike path from there to like maybe like the mall or the community center or like like things like that like could like make like the bike share program actually be more useful. So 55 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:43.600 >> I totally agree with you and that is the goal for all of us. Tom, you want to answer? >> Yeah. Yeah. So that's that's a great point and we we did a whole analysis right on where and how to um have connectivity in the town with regard to 56 00:15:43.600 --> 00:16:00.639 different um bike bike paths, bike networks, um bike trails, share the road signs, all these things, right? So dedicated bike lanes. The problem with that is the age of our town, the age of the infrastructure. A lot of the widths of the roadways can't be changed without 57 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:17.759 taking some private property. So, we decided to go with this the shadows instead. That's why you see shadows painted on the ground. So, absolutely. I I I think it's a great point. We should we should um you know, put some maps together and have some more connectivity to show people how to get around. Um but 58 00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:33.440 yeah, that's that's the reason why there's not dedicated bike lanes. How about at least like I'm sorry for hogging the microphone, but like at least like I know like there's a section of Inman Avenue and there's like a lot of other roads like this where like there where like the roads are like 59 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:48.720 built really wide, but like there's no parking and it's still a two-lane road so it's like one lane on each side and so and so could we possibly like install bike protected bike lanes on those kinds of roads? Yeah, I you know I that's exactly why we're having this meeting 60 00:16:48.720 --> 00:17:04.319 and I thank you so much for for for bringing that out. I I think it's something that we could take a look at. Um I think it's definitely something that we could take a look at. Um I avenue is is tough. It's a it's a it's a pretty busy travel travel thorough affair, but it's a great observation. 61 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:21.360 It's also a county road. So just just doing so um what what what Caroline had mentioned anytime that we do different projects. So if it's a if it's a stateowned road or a county owned road, they have jurisdiction over what can be done on that on that on that that that 62 00:17:21.360 --> 00:17:48.559 property. So not to say that we couldn't do anything, not to say we we don't work with the county on other projects, but um it's certainly something we could look at. So thank you for thank you for the observations. >> Sure. location. >> Yeah. So, we have a few different 63 00:17:48.559 --> 00:18:03.600 locations of uh for our bike shares right now. Um we're actually working on revamping our uh bike share program. So, we have uh three locations currently and we're looking to expand further. Uh we're just working on getting uh we have new bikes and a new interface coming in. 64 00:18:03.600 --> 00:18:20.480 Uh the locations will be uh East Williams, Kennedy Park, Ferry Street, and um those are where our three latest ones are are going to be launching. Uh they're going to have new bikes uh rider more rider friendly and 65 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:49.120 and it uh it's going to be different than the bikes you'll see here. Okay, so we're up to water management, trees in open space. Now, we all know how important trees are. And to that end, we have been a 66 00:18:49.120 --> 00:19:07.039 free tree program where we have been giving out um in each section of town 100 for the first 100 people who sign up for it. And so in total 500 trees have been given out to residents along with the few hundred that the town puts up in 67 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:23.039 all the parks throughout the year. Um, in a in a little while I'm going to call on Kush because we got a phenomenal grant to work with Montlair University to plant over 300 trees over the next 68 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:39.200 few years. Uh, we also another thing that we do, does anybody here know what a heat island is? >> What's a place where it's usually like a 69 00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:57.039 like that because there's less trees and less concrete. >> You're good. You you're definitely going to become involved with us. So, um it 70 00:19:57.039 --> 00:20:13.360 was he explained it perfectly. um because of the nature concrete and the asphalt, the the heat goes up and it's like you're in a heated tunnel and on a week like we have right now living on a 71 00:20:13.360 --> 00:20:29.200 heat island is really really unhealthy. So, um, Kush did a study of where all of our heat islands are and we've reached out to some of the neighborhoods and first goround and we've knocked on doors 72 00:20:29.200 --> 00:20:45.600 and we've spoken in different languages and everything to people where we identified um, you're in a heat island, you need more trees and we'll give you trees to plant and they didn't jump on it. But I that was a couple of years ago. I think now we've been doing some 73 00:20:45.600 --> 00:21:00.640 more education on trees and we'll go back out again and ask them another thing that Kush is planning to do is we know where we gave out all of these 500 trees where are they and we're going to 74 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:16.799 do do a study to see are some of them together in certain neighborhoods and what kind of impact that had on the neighborhood. So really this tree giveaway was almost like the first step and um and we're just going to continue 75 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:33.120 that. So Kush, you want to come in? We're jumping ahead of our slides, but talk about that absolute wonderful program that we have. >> Absolutely. >> Um so like Carol said, um there's going to be a slide there that depicts uh how we did our tree giveaway, but this tree 76 00:21:33.120 --> 00:21:48.240 giveaway was birthed from the heat island effect study that I did while I was an intern. And uh you know we we we tried or going through all the township seeing you know we we've got so many difficult areas that could really benefit freeze get the community engaged 77 00:21:48.240 --> 00:22:03.520 and uh outside and uh one of the issues with that is you know the the excess pavement and uh concrete and uh you know it made it really difficult in these summer months for them to you know truly 78 00:22:03.520 --> 00:22:20.159 go out and uh enjoy the area. So uh I highlighted these areas and you know we we like Carol said we we we knocked on doors and tried reaching out. Unfortunately, we didn't get too many takers, but uh from that we uh we decided, hey, you know, why don't we try to give out a 100 trees to everyone in a 79 00:22:20.159 --> 00:22:35.919 ward uh you know, that'll get the the idea of movement and get an uh sense of uh you know, having a tree, you know, getting enjoying that shade as the tree grows and uh actualizing the uh the effects of uh having a shade tree and uh 80 00:22:35.919 --> 00:22:50.640 being able to commute around your neighborhood. So, uh, you know, all because of the the mayor and Carol, we were able to give away >> Don't go away. While you're up here, why don't you talk about Paint the Drain? >> So, so Paint the Drain is another 81 00:22:50.640 --> 00:23:05.120 program we have right now. Um, uh, this was, uh, we started it, we launched it last year and we had about 20 or so drains painted all because of the residents that would like to get involved. And, um, first off, let me highlight what paint the drain is. Paint 82 00:23:05.120 --> 00:23:22.159 the drain is a program that uh is uh is meant to actualize and visualize what uh the the the litter and the microplastics getting in involved into our waterways. Uh it's meant to establish how we as 83 00:23:22.159 --> 00:23:38.559 residents can ensure that these waterways stay unpolluted and uh you know actually stay clear for clear storm water drains and Later on, you'll see pictures of residents getting involved. Um, all you 84 00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:57.360 can do is just email us and we'd love to have you all out as well just painting drinks and, you know, showing off your creativity. It's a great opportunity to show all your creativity and what what you all have to offer. >> Thanks. So, sticking with water, uh, any 85 00:23:57.360 --> 00:24:13.600 questions so far? Pretty good. Um, so sticking with water. So, Blue Acres, Blue Acres is um similar. Does anyone know does Greenacres sound familiar? Kind of. Okay. So, Blue Acres is a state-run program um through the New 86 00:24:13.600 --> 00:24:29.520 Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. It helps uh preserve uh lands that are either vulnerable to flooding or will be vulnerable to flooding in the future. Um the uh township has worked tireously since Sandy uh with our partners at Ruckers 87 00:24:29.520 --> 00:24:45.440 University um and the state to not only remove people from harm's way uh but then to do something about that land. Right. So you know it's not just about getting the people out of harm's way um it's also about understanding that once that happens um the township now has a 88 00:24:45.440 --> 00:25:00.960 responsibility to maintain that property. Um it's become state property but we have a maintenance agreement that it's it's our responsibility. So, we've actually been awarded um countless times um even nationally recognized uh for the work that we're doing. Uh a lot of 89 00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:18.400 people like to call it um managed retreat. We don't call it that here. Um our our mayor has an an awesome uh prerogative that this is not a retreat. This is an attack on a on a problem. Um, so essentially what this is is we're going to the lots where folks have moved 90 00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:34.720 out um away from away from flooding and we're restoring them with native native species. Um uh we're regrading them to a point to allow for better drainage uh allow for ecological uplift and to just you know better manage the area for the flood inundation that will come in the 91 00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:52.000 future. Um pollinator garden outreach. This is something that we just started this year which is really cool. Um it's so pollinators are really important for our food sources and we decided that we would like you know to see more pollinators as much as possible 92 00:25:52.000 --> 00:26:08.240 throughout the township. So not only on township property are we starting to to to plant these and promote these but we'd also like to see our residents do it as much as possible. So the first thing we did was we wanted to make sure that um it was okay to do so. So, we checked with our our housing department 93 00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:23.679 to make sure that the height of some of these these these native plants um was still conducive to our ordinances, which it is. Um so, now it's about education. So, we're doing education to our residents to let them know that, hey, unmanaged lawn and turf grass is 94 00:26:23.679 --> 00:26:40.320 completely different than growing a pollinator garden on your front lawn. Um so, we want to make sure that we really hammer hole in those those points. And we've done outreach to get people to send us pictures of what they're doing, which is really cool. So, we're trying to highlight them through the mayor's Facebook and social media pages. 95 00:26:40.320 --> 00:26:54.480 Um, >> tell me what I want to do with the tour >> and we want to Yeah. So, I So, ultimately, the idea is that, you know, people submit their their their photos, their images of of what they're doing, and then we do a little tour and we and we highlight them. So Caroline has an 96 00:26:54.480 --> 00:27:09.840 awesome show um a greenable show where um we we have guests we talk about the things we do in town and we would love to actually highlight our residents and show you know you showcase what what folks are doing and how they're doing it and what else you know even if it's a 97 00:27:09.840 --> 00:27:27.120 small patch the impact it has right um flood monitors in Ael so it might not sound greenable it is it's still part of sustainability resilience right the ability to bounce back after a storm event um we just put flood monitors in two of our underpasses. So, Leville 98 00:27:27.120 --> 00:27:44.320 Avenue and Aanel um and the Aanel uh train station underpass. So, if you guys aren't familiar, they're two areas that are uh very vulnerable to flooding. Um and now we have uh faster alert systems that come right directly to our to our PD to let them know if water levels are 99 00:27:44.320 --> 00:28:01.840 rising on streets so they can come out and close the roadways. >> Keep going. um living shoreline. >> Yeah. So um a living shoreline is what it sounds like. It is a shoreline that 100 00:28:01.840 --> 00:28:18.240 is alive and that the idea of it is uh to combat erosive forces, right? And to allow for ecological uplift of the of the land behind it. So, what you're really doing is we're we're we're attenuating wave energy just like you would if you had a bulkhead on a 101 00:28:18.240 --> 00:28:33.520 shoreline, but these these types of techniques are softer. They're nature-based. They're designed to mimic what natural habitats already look like. So, the idea here is along um Cliff Road in Seaw Warren where we have a a small 102 00:28:33.520 --> 00:28:49.279 little beach that you have to put a reservation. No, I'm just kidding. You don't have to put a reservation in. Um, but it is a small beach and um, it has a lot of great history there and we're trying to bring it back. So, we're working with the American Little Society uh, out of Sandy Hook and they are 103 00:28:49.279 --> 00:29:06.960 working with us on a grant for um, uh, nature-based resilience projects that work on uh, blue carbon. So, on on the idea that these types of projects ultimately sequester carbon, uh, they work to um, have a a beautiful shoreline. Um, and if you're like me and 104 00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:22.000 you like to fish, they're also great for fishing habitats. >> While you're up there, there are a couple of other things that are kind of in your area. >> Sure. >> Um, the trails, flood management. >> Sure. >> So, let me just 105 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:37.840 So, in case you haven't picked up on it yet, Tom's area of expertise is flood management, water management, and all of that. and he we're very very lucky in this town to have him. People from all 106 00:29:37.840 --> 00:29:54.720 over reach out to get Tom's expertise. He's actually um a certified flood manager. So, as you hear him speak, um he really is our expert and there are a couple of other things on on this slide that he can share with you that he's 107 00:29:54.720 --> 00:30:14.159 been working on. and I'm the lucky one to be here, so I don't know to work with Carol, the mayor. But, um, no. So, so yeah. So, listen, um, we're doing a whole bunch of great stuff for flood management and resilience. I I just kind of touched on it, but, um, the town is also in, um, a 108 00:30:14.159 --> 00:30:29.919 a national program. It's it's a it's a FEMA program. So, um, just really quick highle overview. towns don't have an uh they don't have a choice whether or not they want to participate in a national flood insurance program. If you well you do have a choice if you don't 109 00:30:29.919 --> 00:30:44.640 participate in a national flood insurance program. You don't get federal dollars after a strong storm event. Your residents can't have flood insurance. Things like that, right? So we go above and beyond the minimum standards of that program and we're in what's called a community rating system program. There's 110 00:30:44.640 --> 00:31:00.799 only about 1500 of those communities all over the nation. Um, and we by doing that, every little thing we do like the blue acres restoration, the outreach we do to our folks in flood planes, um, the important ecological uh, tours that we do within our flood planes, all these 111 00:31:00.799 --> 00:31:15.919 things add up to little points and the federal government then says, "Okay, good job. Here's a discount for all your residents that live in flood planes on your flood insurance." So over by doing that, we save our residents over $100,000 a year. So it's a it's a really 112 00:31:15.919 --> 00:31:33.440 cool program. Um, I could I could talk for days, guys, but trails on numerous parts of the township. I'll just I'll I'll go for that. Um, within the Blue Lakers Restoration Site, we have a beautiful walking trail. We're actually in the process of even um it it's it's already 113 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:49.760 5 years old, but we're restoring it. We're making sure that um any any uh vegetation that's encroaching onto the onto the path is going to be cut back. Um, and ultimately the idea is to connect downtown Woodbridge, our shopping districts, our commercial 114 00:31:49.760 --> 00:32:05.039 areas, our, you know, where people want to eat and and go and and go to places and and hang out with our natural areas, right? So, you wouldn't know it, but if if you walk only a couple blocks up uh on Raway Avenue, you could actually make it to one of our our trails that I'm 115 00:32:05.039 --> 00:32:31.200 talking about right now. So, as we start to, you know, think about redevelopment and all these cool ideas for businesses, um, just remember that, you know, nature's right in our backyard and and we can get there. You want to do rainart? >> Okay. 116 00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:46.720 >> Hey, so uh just to go off on some of the other things that were that's ongoing. Uh we're working in a combination with the grant to plant over 380 trees throughout six different locations in the township. Many of uh many locations are open open sources, open lands. It's 117 00:32:46.720 --> 00:33:02.559 a great way to uh you know mitigate our our our carbon rating and you know we can uh it has multiple other benefits as well as providing a a layer of uh noise pollution uh layer 118 00:33:02.559 --> 00:33:18.320 to protect from noise pollution as well as a enjoyable recreational area in some of our uh some of our uh some of our uh communities. and it's a it's a great way we can all get involved. Um the other thing that we're working on is uh rain gardens and we have about 11 or so rain 119 00:33:18.320 --> 00:33:35.519 gardens throughout the town. Uh most of them are adopted but we're always looking for help from people. Well, rain gardens are there they're there are these uh areas and locations that uh are filled with native species and uh what happens in during a rain event before it enters our storm drains and uh sand uh 120 00:33:35.519 --> 00:33:51.279 storm uh systems. Uh it it it uses that rain water and it it it um ensures that the water goes first to these native species and uh uh makes it so that it's a it's a viable, you know, green green 121 00:33:51.279 --> 00:34:21.399 area before we uh we the the water enters our storm systems. Okay. Um, now we have the picture part. So, here's a picture of some of our rain gardens, the the artwork on paint the drains, 122 00:34:21.760 --> 00:34:40.000 pollinator gardens. So, just in the middle one, Wegman's hits the trail. So, we have these little brochures. I think you can get them right here, right? that have all of the trails in and um walking paths even some 123 00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:57.920 of them are around the schools in town. And there's um when you get there when you go in there's like a rubbing that you can do and then you return that booklet after you've visited these trails and then there's a drawing for our certificate at Wegman's. Wegman's 124 00:34:57.920 --> 00:35:14.320 actually produced these booklets for us, worked with us to identify the trails. And so, um, if you like being outdoors, we can definitely get that. And how many of you have been to the, um, the greenway in Fords? 125 00:35:14.320 --> 00:35:33.359 That is, if you like to walk, it is unbelievable. You can go one entrance, the one I'm familiar with is on William Street. Um, you go down William Street and it's right there. you can get on it. Um you can go from Fords all the way to 126 00:35:33.359 --> 00:35:53.520 through Matuchen through Edison. It's really really a great walk. And and then of course the waterfront. This is our tree giveaway. This is the um area, the Blue Acres area that Tom was talking about. 127 00:35:53.520 --> 00:36:11.359 And now for one of my favorite areas, waste and food security. Um, food waste is one of the biggest problems in our landfills that just takes up so much space and and it it creates bad gases coming up from sky. 128 00:36:11.359 --> 00:36:42.800 And I just want to mention that. Um, take care. Thank you for coming. Okay. >> Take care. >> Thank you for coming. >> What was I just talking about? Oh, so I was going to talk about Sharon. So we do 129 00:36:42.800 --> 00:36:59.800 restaurants participate in this area waste and food security and Sharon in her restaurant is phenomenal not just bagels. So do you want to come up and talk about um giving away your bagels and 130 00:37:04.960 --> 00:37:21.520 so what we do is we do two parts. We um at the end of the day, we donate any bagels that we have left over to the local food pantries so that it helps people who aren't as fortunate as everybody else to be able to get fresh bagels every single day. And in addition 131 00:37:21.520 --> 00:37:38.000 to that, we also um take all of our um vegetables and eggshells and coffee grinds and all that kind of stuff and we use that through the town's uh program that takes all of that and recycles it and uses for a bunch of different things 132 00:37:38.000 --> 00:37:53.440 that Tom can explain all those things what it does to it. And then we also work with the um local uh community gardens that that we give them are some of our stuff also that they use. They grow the vegetables, they use our compost, they grow the vegetables, and 133 00:37:53.440 --> 00:38:09.839 then they give those vegetables to the food pantries also. So, it's just the same cycle. So, you get the fresh stuff, you use it, what you don't use, you go, it goes back into the ground, use that compost and regrows again, and somebody gets some fresh vegetables that way. So, it's really important so you're not 134 00:38:09.839 --> 00:38:28.240 wasting, and you're giving back to the community as well. So, thank you. >> Thank you. So that is a perfect example of what the restaurants, all the restaurants at town should be doing and Sharon is doing it. Um, another program we have with the 135 00:38:28.240 --> 00:38:43.200 restaurants is called a restaurant rescue, which in a way is what you do with the bagels, but um, with some of the bigger restaurants where they might have a banquet or catering thing and they've overcooked the food, um, they 136 00:38:43.200 --> 00:39:01.280 can we show them how you package it and it could go to the food pantry. We have a um an area in that was denote donated to us um with a freezer and refrigerators in the Woodbridge Nights 137 00:39:01.280 --> 00:39:17.440 and that's where we store a lot of the food. There are also pantries throughout the town. Um it it is surprising and sad how many people just don't have food the food security and it is something that 138 00:39:17.440 --> 00:39:33.760 we are working on all the time. If you go to the concerts um we ask you to bring some food as a donation. Um when you vote here we have um collect the food. So, it's all very very important 139 00:39:33.760 --> 00:39:49.119 and we have started to do some It used to be the only place you could take your food waste if you wanted to do it yourself and not put it compost in your yard was DPW. Well, it's very hard for people to go to DPW. The first time I 140 00:39:49.119 --> 00:40:06.000 went to DPW, I got so lost. I was on every highway in the state. So we have expanded that and now you can go to Acacia and we just opened up the site in Henry Inman and at Henry Inman they're 141 00:40:06.000 --> 00:40:23.839 also giving out jugs so that you can collect your cooking oil. So um we're really excited about that new program. Uh another thing that um we do um in this our schools for years now. Do you 142 00:40:23.839 --> 00:40:43.920 want to talk about that that Tom the the waste program in the schools or should I Okay, you got it. >> So all of our schools now accept food waste which is outstanding. um the food waste as uh councilwoman was saying. So um that goes to a facility in Lynen and 143 00:40:43.920 --> 00:41:00.319 essentially what it what happens is it gets broken down into a bio gas and then it gets turned into a form of energy uh that goes back out to the grid. So it's a it's a really great process, a really great cycle um to keep the food um in the system and not back out to our 144 00:41:00.319 --> 00:41:17.280 landfills. And all of our schools now, like I said, so they all separate. Um we've done monitoring. We've done um in school um sessions and seminars where we actually go in and we weigh out um what the recyclables are, what the solid 145 00:41:17.280 --> 00:41:32.800 waste is, um what the difference is. So if there's some mixture of the two, um if there's, you know, uh an area where kids are are not, you know, necessarily following the the the the protocols correctly, we we go in and we educate 146 00:41:32.800 --> 00:41:50.599 them. Um, so it's a really it's a it it has only increased in in years and now as as Caroline mentioned it's uh branching off into our restaurants which we're we're we're thrilled about. So all starts in the schools, all starts with kids. >> Absolutely. 147 00:41:50.800 --> 00:42:08.400 >> So other programs that we have that encourage um you um not just recycling but reuse and we started last year and was very successful. Um Michelle worked on that. I don't know if you wanna Michelle and Kush, but um what we did is 148 00:42:08.400 --> 00:42:23.200 we had people bring in their their Halloween costumes that they wore the year before and we hung them all up and was really great. And then people came and used them. So we'll be doing that again this year. And we're starting, 149 00:42:23.200 --> 00:42:38.319 it's not completed yet, we're starting a sports equipment reuse and they will be doing that at the community center. And that is a I think a very unique kind of savings. So next we have what we're 150 00:42:38.319 --> 00:42:53.760 doing now. A zero waste plan is something that we need. We have a plan, but it really I I admit I need volunteers to help us dig into it and work on it. So if anybody is interested 151 00:42:53.760 --> 00:43:11.119 in that, we can always use help. always, always, always, always we can use help with picking up litter. There's everybody is conscious of it. They don't want to see it, but it's there. And um the more litter campaigns we can have, the 152 00:43:11.119 --> 00:43:28.319 better. Um and we talked about restaurant rescue, summer food programs. This is something that we're doing for the first time this year. um children, you know, they get their free breakfast and their free lunch if they're in need during the school year, but now um 153 00:43:28.319 --> 00:43:43.839 during the summer they don't have the food. So, we are actually going to be taking food um not full meals, but maybe fruits and vegetables or whatever around to the areas where we know people are 154 00:43:43.839 --> 00:44:01.119 living with and may not have food. So, this is a brand new program for this summer. So um and then community gardens. This is some place where I know I get reached out people want to be more involved and we would love to hear from everybody who wants to work on one of 155 00:44:01.119 --> 00:44:17.839 them. Tomorrow we are starting a brand new community garden as part of our case summer camp and we have a um an expert um who is he's an expert at working with children and also with planting gardens. 156 00:44:17.839 --> 00:44:33.839 He works in Newark on these kinds of things. And we will be planting our garden tomorrow if anybody wants to come by and help at was it 10 o'clock? 10 o'clock at Clinton Park in Caseby. And um 157 00:44:33.839 --> 00:44:52.359 any take a break now. Any comments about all the things we just talked about? Questions? Okay, then we can look at all the pretty pictures. This is our food waste program. community gardens, 158 00:44:52.400 --> 00:45:08.800 litter pickups, and the next category, education, community, health, arts, and history. There's always a lot going on in all of these things. And we are only really giving you highlights. There's so much 159 00:45:08.800 --> 00:45:25.920 more. And if you want to know more, you could just reach out to us and we'll go deeper into things or talk about other things that we may not have mentioned. So the rec so public outreach is very important to 160 00:45:25.920 --> 00:45:40.480 talk about sustainability and you can do it in all kinds of ways. You can do it through history. You could do it through art. Um you could do it through a TV show and through the green business certifications that we talked about and 161 00:45:40.480 --> 00:45:57.839 some other um things that we do right um like two blocks away there's a new mural up. I don't know if you've seen it. It's at the bottom of Fulton and we had a um historic sadly um train wreck here was 162 00:45:57.839 --> 00:46:13.599 called the wreck of the broker and what this mural it is fascinating. You really should go take a look at it. What this mural does not highlight the wreck. It highlights the people of this town who 163 00:46:13.599 --> 00:46:31.920 came out to help all of the people in in that ca that were on that train. And it it a beautiful bure and you can actually some of the people who were here then recognized some of the people in there. It was it's really nice. So that's the 164 00:46:31.920 --> 00:46:49.800 kind we we do a lot of encouraging artwork. We have the gallery on Maine and um the paint the drain. It's all part of the art that we do. We have a wonderful health m Michelle. This is you talk about the health mobile. 165 00:46:53.760 --> 00:47:10.240 We have a mobile health unit uh that rides around town to different community events, two different community centers, senior centers. uh main stops along main streets uh in each diff in each town. Uh there's a full-time nurse, a part-time 166 00:47:10.240 --> 00:47:27.040 nurse, and then a assistant. Um they do BMI, blood pressure checks, height and weight, um cholesterol. Um so anything you need, if you ever see them out, you can always just stop by and they're more than willing to to help you out and take a look. But the staff is great and the 167 00:47:27.040 --> 00:47:46.560 services are great as well. So we already talked about the green business certification and another thing which I may then put on this slide that we're very proud of since sustainable Jersey started we have been the champions and the leaders what 168 00:47:46.560 --> 00:48:01.680 that means so sustainable Jersey is an organization that um over 455 municipalities in the state that's almost every town in the state is a part of and Just like I was talking about our 169 00:48:01.680 --> 00:48:18.160 business where we give them actions and then we rate them. Well, this is for municipalities and they give you a whole list of actions you can do. You get 10 to 50 points depending on how hard the action was. And no town in New Jersey 170 00:48:18.160 --> 00:48:33.760 since this started has gotten more points than Woodbridge. So even though it may feel like, oh my god, we can't be the most sustainable town in New Jersey, but we are. And there's always more that we can do and we are always looking for 171 00:48:33.760 --> 00:48:50.640 suggestions and help in all of these things. So um and I think is that it? Do we have more pictures coming? >> Yeah, we do. >> Okay, let's look at some more pictures. Okay. Um this is and this program is ongoing. Um, it's building a recycled 172 00:48:50.640 --> 00:49:06.319 birdhouse and um, you can use anything you want and then take a picture of it and send it to Greenable Woodbridge and we will recognize you. These are some of our green business certificates. 173 00:49:06.319 --> 00:49:19.520 Here we are. Sustainable Jersey. So that's the presentation. Any more discussion, questions? Thank you.