Morris County Blog

In the peak of summer, we all are frantically trying to plan and hold on to the few remaining weeks of summer events. Or you are waiting (or dreading) for that glorious first day of school. From barbeques to days at the beach to lounging by a lake, these days are precious and steadily dwind...

I recently came across a fantastic documentary that was originally broadcasted on PBS over a year ago. Nourish focuses on making connections and fostering new ideas about from seed to table (AKA from farm to mouth). This award-winning documentary focuses on such important themes of food an...

For over 30 years in the heart of Morris County, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation is making strides helping “people, ideas, and institutions that transcend self-interest and contribute to a sustainable human society and the environment which shelters it.” Through the passion and generosi...

Are your old children’s books taking up too much space in your home or garage? No need to need to send these to a landfill – deserving kids need books now!

In honor of Children’s Book Week, St. Vincent’s 3rd Grade Girl Scout Brownie Troop #656 is teaming with the NJ Book Ladies to collect ge...

New Jersey is becoming a national leader is sustainable, green living. Sustainable Jersey is a certification program for municipalities in New Jersey that want to go green, save money, and take steps to sustain their quality of life for the future. The certification is broken down into cate...

I need you to do me a favor today, just this once. Are you ready? It’s going to be really easy, I promise. GO CELEBRATE EARTH DAY! Turn off your laptop, leave your phone at home, take a deep breath and go outside. Spend some time with friends and family. Take a walk through town or hike thr...

During this cold, snowy winter that has finally past, while we were all sitting inside reading and cozying up to the fire, the owner of the Randolph Indoor Sports Pavilion was planning and implementing a complete net-zero building using solar energy. A man of many talents Jeff Walder, owner...

What are your plans for this Saturday night? A romantic dinner by candlelight perhaps or a night dancing in NYC? Either one would be wonderful but keep in mind that a global event will be going down this Saturday night. This Saturday, March 26th is the annual global celebration of Earth Hou...

On Tuesday, March 22, 2011 the world will be coming together to celebrate World Water Day. The objective of World Water Day 2011 is to focus international attention on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialization, climate change, conflicts, and natural disasters on urban wat...

In January 2011, the Rockaway Township Library hosted a crayon recycling collection. The library partnered with Crazy Crayons, which collects used crayons and recycles them into fresh new crayons. Local residents were invited to bring unwanted and broken crayons to drop off bins at the libr...

Melissa Cooke was introduced to ‘treasure hunting’ early in life. Her mother always found treasures at consignment stores and introduced this to Melissa. Her treasure hunting led Melissa to the open Restyle Renew in Denville, New Jersey. Melissa explains, “When I left my corporate career, I had a...

Eastern Design Group recently introduced me to the green revolution in interior design. Located in the hub of Morris County, Eastern Design Group is an interior design firm, starting to offer green design techniques to their clients. This firm specializes in creating magnetic, stylish e...

As green pioneers, we all know to bring reusable bags and canvas bags to go grocery shopping. But how much do we use them? In the fall, I attended a TEDx conference and since then I have been watching these innovative, inspiring lectures online as much as possible. TEDx hosts international...

I want to challenge the eco citizens of Morris County. An organization called Green Maps is creating maps promoting participation in sustainable living around the world. This mapmaking website creates community portraits and a resource guide including green businesses, buying green locat...

In 2010, during a visit to the Arts Council of the Morris Area at 14 Maple Avenue in Morristown, I had the opportunity to find myself in one of the greenest buildings in Morris County. This 5 floor building houses amazing institutions including the Seeing Eye, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Mor...

Family, friends, parties, dinners, get-togethers celebrations, the holidays are filled with social interactions that happen indoors and focus around good company and food. Your house has to be cleaned and prepared for guests, food must be made served and then leftovers stored. It can be a ...

Green Cleaning for Turkey Day

There are many green things you can do for Thanksgiving with food, beverage choices and family entertainment, but what surprises many people is that there is even more you can do to clean your home before and after the big event cheaply, naturally and organically....

10/10/10. This doesn't happen often! Make the day special and get out to do something for your planet. Wanda Knapik and Marnie Vyff are joining forces to show you the first steps in making your garden sustainable.

You can join us in Mountain Lakes and learn how to make rain-barrels and compost...

I recently saw in one of the local papers a question posed to community members who were asked about whether or not they were aware that organic purchases are advised for some fruits and vegetables and not others. That’s a great question. It seems beneficial to share the “Dirty Dozen™” list so ...

There is a beauty in the world around me that has taken me nearly thirty three years to notice. Once I became aware, I was so thankful but wondered, what took so long? Sometimes I guess it’s just that you needed someone or something to kind of poke you and wake you up a little; to help change you...

In addition to composting, which saves an amazing amount of ultimately reusable trash from entering a landfill, there are a number of simple ways to cut down on waste in the kitchen. You’d be amazed at how quickly disposable paper and plastic items and product packaging really piles. Thankfully...

It’s maddening to drive through town on trash pickup day to often see items that are practically brand new sitting curbside, waiting to be crunched and ultimately thrown into a pile in a landfill to slowly disintegrate over the next 1,000 years or so. The disposable goods mindset, brought to us ...

There is a new Community Garden in Chatham Borough -Morris County, New Jersey. Ribbon cutting ceremonies for the first Chatham Community Garden located in the area east of Division Avenue and south of Main Street were held on May 1,2010. The garden is located in the area east of Division Avenue a...

Spring is in the air or well, almost summer... Morris County is beginning to bloom and maybe its time for a ‘late’ spring cleaning. A lot has been said about ‘clearing out the clutter’ and many of us feel more organized and energetic when we clear the clutter - mindfully. Many organizations in ...

Morris County is the first in The Awarenst's flock of county "green" directories. Our official launch date is Earth Day 2010. I am so pleased to announce the egg-citing news that the website is now a reality.
This is your online portal to "green" local services, businesses, non-profits and sust...

BlogTest-There are many reasons to consider a shipping container home. Currently there are seven hundred thousand idle shipping containers in the U.S. alone that are literally piling up in the junkyards.

Shipping Containers are extremely affordable and because they are made from weathered stee...