This is the second issue of Sustainable Merchantville, a publication highlighting efforts by our town – its Council, organizations, and residents – to make Merchantville a sustainable community. Sustainability means meeting the environmental, social, and economic needs of our community today in a way that considers the impact on future generations. Because of all the good work happening in our beautiful little borough, Merchantville continues to be recognized as a certified and bronze-awarded Sustainable Jersey community. (Learn more about Sustainable Jersey at www.sustainablejersey.com.)
As Merchantville celebrates its150th anniversary this year with exciting activities that commemorate our past, we are also looking to the future. Our community is taking action to live more sustainably and protect our shared environment, not only for ourselves, but also for future generations. Work is being done everywhere around us, every day, to plant the seeds for a sustainable future.
Delve into this publication to read about residents who are buying electric vehicles, planting vegetable gardens, raising chickens, buying second-hand, composting, and installing solar panels. The children at Merchantville School are learning about gardening, composting, and repurposing plastic caps that aren’t easily recycled into artwork. Businesses like The Station offer sustainable,l ocally produced goods and an amazing group of volunteers have revitalized our local outdoor market, Market Off Centre.
There are so many opportunities to support and contribute to Merchantville’s ongoing success as a sustainable community: shop locally at our second-hand stores downtown, pick up free tree saplings at The Station on April 27th, plant native pollinators, reduce trash by composting food waste, and get involved with one of the many sustainable organizations you’ll find listed in this publication. Stay tuned for more action as the town explores opportunities like planting tiny forests, installing charging stations, evaluating community solar, establishing native meadows, and focusing on energy savings.