Passaic County Blog

Happy New Year! I suspect I’m not the only one who has resolved this year to avoid being sucked into my email for hours a day. This is much easier said than done, of course, and as usual, after reading an email this morning, I found myself perusing the internet clicking here and clicking there,...

I spent quite a while talking with Dr. Emile DeVito, staff biologist and Manager of Science and Stewardship for the NJ Conservation Foundation (NJCF), who was happy to answer questions and provide additional information about the Apshawa Forest Restoration Fence Project. The project has been met...

Controversy has been brewing in the last few weeks over the newly erected fence at the Apshawa Preserve in West Milford, NJ. This morning some of those with conflicting opinions met up at the main parking area...

I recently read an article about the local non-profit environmental organization, Hackensack Riverkeeper, being inundated with volunteers. Wow, what a great problem to have! As with all things “eco,” this was not the case ten years ago. According to the article, more than 100 volunteers showe...

While many people have heard of organic and even fair trade coffee, the term shade grown might be a bit less familiar. Until the 1970s when modern commercialization changed the way many farmers do things, suppliers grew coffee in the shade. Full-sun hybrid plants that yield three times as many ...

Birthday gifts, holiday gifts, anniversary gifts, graduation gifts, baby showers, bridal showers, the list goes on and on. What kind of impact do all of these gifts have on the environment? According to Earth911, a big one. Wrapping gifts has ...

Preserving your own food is truly a venture that moves you and your family towards the sustainable lifestyle you long to create. Back in the day, households preserved the foods they grew in their own gardens to get them through the winter months. While this art was lost for a while as a result ...

It seems that everywhere you look these days, an “organic” dry cleaner is popping up. As with anything labeled organic without a certification system in place, buyer beware, this is one industry where greenwashing runs rampant. It’s important to choose a cleaning method that doesn’t harm the en...

Wow! Someone on Capitol Hill has finally realized that the lack of government regulation on personal care products is unacceptable and has decided to do something about it. Thank you to Rep. Jan Schakowsky along with Rep. Edward Markey and Rep. Tammy Baldwin who have introduced the Safe Cosmeti...

Is it necessary to use products labeled as having antibacterial and disinfectant properties on our bodies and in our homes? Is it safe to use them? Certainly, antibacterials and disinfectants have their place in a hospital setting, but should we attempt to eliminate every last living microorgan...

There are a number of issues to be concerned with when looking at cotton. Growing methods, the manufacturing and finishing processes can all entail the heavy use of hazardous chemicals that endanger the health of workers, the planet and your family. It is challenging to find concrete research p...

Believe it or not, despite our busy schedules, we spend about a third of our lives in beds, with our babies and children spending even more time there. Although we don’t always have control over the chemicals we are surrounded by outside of our homes, we can surely make every effort to control t...

I recently read a comment in our local paper from a township resident who attended the recent Highlands GreenFest and it really gave me pause. At the festival, there is a focus on local, healthy and organic fare to help educate attendees on the better options available to them. Paraphrasing, th...

At long last, the glorious season for farmers' markets has arrived! These markets are so important to reconnect us all with the source of our food. According to the CUESA, the average meal travels approximately 1,500 miles to get to our plates. This strikes me, and a lot of other folks, as rat...

Happy Earth Day! Welcome to the Passaic County Awarenest, much more than another green directory... We're so excited to launch on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. It's such an important day to all of us and makes our introduction to the world all the more egg-citing!

Our goal is to provid...