Ensuring the Future by Acting in the Present
Welcome to Sustainable Cherry Hill
Sustainable Cherry Hill (SCH) is an all volunteer 501c3 non-profit community outreach and educational organization that fosters the global sustainability movement at a local level. Creating resources that facilitate this shift in lifestyle, while connecting people in the community for and around our mission, lays a foundation for making the necessary change to a sustainable way of life- one less geared to environmentally damaging and socially inequitable consumption patterns, and one that works in harmony with the planet, its resources and their limits. Our Mission: “Bringing people together to build a sustainable South Jersey” SCH strives to continuously tap Cherry Hill and the surrounding region’s greatest resource- its people- in order to shift to a sustainable way of life. We do this through hosting educational events, networking opportunities, supporting community based task forces and acting as a general clearing house of information on sustainability news and events. We provide a structure for people at all levels to work together to pursue their passions and use their unique skills and networks in the service of a more sustainable community. SCH is essentially a community group in that our approach to sustainability recognizes that everyone making small changes results in big differences collectively. As such, it is critical that we establish and nurture relationships with all area stakeholders, including government, schools, businesses, faith groups, other community groups and individuals from all over South Jersey. But grassroots cannot do it alone.  Large scale change requires leadership by governments and corporations.  An educated and empowered populace can put pressure on these entities from the ground up. Your Role:
SCH Website Terms and Conditions Featured NewsGardens for a Rainy Day Workshop & Tour
Come join us on May 31st, 6:30 – 8pm at the Cherry Hill Public Library for a presentation on creating Rain Gardens, led by Mike Haberland, Environmental and Resource Management Agent with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Burlington and Camden Counties. This presentation will include a tour of the Demonstration Rain Garden at the Cherry Hill Public Library.  This is a FREE program, but registration is required here. Hosted by The Sustainable Cherry Hill Garden Task Force.
Sustainability Lies Within
A sustainable lifestyle is one in which areas such as family, personal relationships, work and physical/emotional health are all maintained in relative balance. However, some of these matters are more challenging for us to cope with than others, and our adaptive strategy is often to avoid reconciling those areas which we feel ill-equipped to handle. This behavior can cause us to neglect facets of our life that also require attention and dedication. Some people may invest heavily in their job, physical appearance, materialism, relationships, or countless other realms because they provide a kind of refuge from painful issues that are not yet resolved within themselves. The problem with our avoidance of emotional pain is that it inherently places us in situations that compromise our potential for lasting happiness. We may end up finding ourselves feeling unfulfilled, or engaging in unhealthy relationships, addictive habits or other self-limiting and self-defeating behavior. The result is an unsustainable platform for life which can be fraught with physical, financial and emotional instability, or a kind of sterile security that can rob us of our productivity and passion for life. Avoiding our own weaknesses produces fear-based choices which can be so ingrained in our thought process that we often do not realize the unhealthy situations we may create as a result. In my personal life, for instance, I found it easier to focus my time and energy on marriage and family rather than the challenges of professional life. Although the bond I have forged with my two young daughters is irreplaceable, divorce ultimately made me realize that my over-investment in family was highly unsustainable because it sacrificed personal balance for perceived emotional safety. Itâs a fairly simple process to identify aspects of our external world which we feel should have increased sustainability. However, it is much more challenging to identify and reconcile those inherent aspects of ourselves which have a direct impact on our personal circumstances. Unless we confront our fears and the thought patterns which produce them, a sustainable life will be an elusive goal – as we repeat the same unhealthy behaviors that accompany our attempt to avoid negative feelings. From my own experience, I can attest that assuming responsibility for the role we as individuals play in shaping our life is neither easy nor without considerably painful introspection. However, whatever issues about ourselves we choose to avoid now are only bound to resurface later in an increasingly complex and difficult way. Personal sustainability, therefore, is about taking proactive control of your lifeâs journey, and realizing that a more sustainable world lies within more sustainable people.
Paul Hanley is a long-time Cherry Hill resident, freelance writer and Environmental Science professor at the Community College of Philadelphia. Look here on Sustainable Cherry Hill for more upcoming blogs from Paul in the coming weeks. He can be contacted at phanley@ccp.edu.
A full house for “Greening Your Bottom Line” business breakfast The business community comes together to learn how to go green! What do you get when you put 104 people together at breakfast on a rainy Tuesday morning? You get great minds thinking alike at the Sustainable Cherry Hill Greening Your Bottom Line event May 1, 2012. SCHâs Green Building/Business task force designed this event over about five months and the team succeeded in drawing top-notch business leaders to learn and share about green business practices. SCH executive board member, task force leader and Spiezle Architectural Groupâs Scott Downie led the presentation that was originally developed by Marstel-Day analyst and task force member Tony Tancini. Â Tony & Scott collaborated to come up with the key questions and some thought-provoking answers on why a business should work to reduce its impact on the environment, how to get started and what actions will lead to results.
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The question-answer session and networking put many businesses together on how to collaborate on potential greening projects as well as sharing best practices. Because of the success of the sold-out event and enthusiastic interest, the task force will work to plan a follow-up event later this year.
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Many thanks are extended to Mayor Chuck Cahn who welcomed the attendees and promoted participation in the âItâs in Our Powerâ program that continues in the township. The task force and Sustainable Cherry Hill are also grateful to Leadership sponsors including Hutchinson Mechanical Services and the law firm of Montgomery McCracken as well as event sponsors Waste Management, Arch Design Architects, White Optics, Organic Diversion, Trinity Solar, Wu Associates, ZLED Lighting and in-kind sponsor Camden County Regional Chamber of Commerce.
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Thanks are also extended to George Katsikis, general manager of Caffe Aldo Lamberti and the staff who provided excellent service and a tasty breakfast in a beautiful setting.
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Check out great photos from the event here!
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Submitted by Brenda Jorett
Join us for a regional capacity building event!Our Sustainable Future:  The YOU in Community
 Join us for an engaging event to build a sense of community, cultivate leadership skills, create outreach strategies and develop a collective vision of sustainability for our region.
Friday, May 11 at 6pm: Â Dinner at Croft Farm provides an opportunity to meet and socialize with enthusiastic people from our region. Â Aside from a delicious dinner and an optional hike, we’ll have some special, fun surprises to make it easier to meet others.
Saturday, May 12, 9 am to noon: Morning work session at Trinity Presbyterian Church that will include a light breakfast and three interactive programs to encourage growth, personal insight and planning. Â Meet others, share ideas and challenges and learn all about our community run task forces!
We encourage neighboring communities to bring teams to learn and grow along with us.
Everyone is welcome!
*We hope you will join us for both dinner and the program, but you are welcome to pick just one!
More information and registration here.
Art Blooms Earth Festival brings a community together
When Croft Farm is in full bloom on a pleasant, spring day, the trees, plants, bushes, as well as the farm house, art center and barn are a splendid backdrop for a brilliant day. The Earth Festival brought together hundreds of people from Cherry Hill and other South Jersey communities to share ideas about sustainability, preserving our resources and making our communities and the world a better place.
Student entertainment and sustainability displays are the heartbeat of the Earth Festival. The musical selections by every talented group throughout the day added to the flavor of the festival. The dedicated teachers, staff and parents who support the students every day and the smiles the student performances bring to every face are the best reviews one could give to these performances. From elementary sustainability guessing games, to water quality experiments, shoe collections, sustainability posters and incredible art work from recycled objects, Cherry Hill students are quickly becoming the sustainability leaders in Cherry Hill and other communities. Their projects led by their talented teachers showed adults that our children âget itâ when it comes to taking steps to preserve and protect our planet. New to the festival this year was a next-step in interactive displays. Students and their art teacher helped children of all ages draw on a section of the Croft Farm parking lot with chalk and washable spray paint. The temporary art fixture in the shape of a huge tree is a celebration of our world and the resources that we oft times take for granted. Finally, we thank all of our Earth Festival sponsors, the 70+ vendors and exhibitors, Mayor Cahn and his wife who is promoting the Wellness Program throughout Cherry Hill, The Cherry Hill Arts Board, the police and fire departments, and the dozens of Sustainable Cherry Hill volunteers and supporters who spent countless hours producing this annual event. Watch for updates on how you can be part of the 2013 Art Blooms Earth Festival including the date of the event so you can mark your calendar and be part of creating a more sustainable community â every day. WHYY Newsworks Coverage here. Photo Links: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sustainablecherryhill/sets/72157629920859091/ https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150785615724656.433087.134342599655&type=3 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150785890989656.433119.134342599655&type=1 http://s739.photobucket.com/albums/xx38/bjorett/Sustainable%20Cherry%20Hill/Earth%20Festival%202012/ Thank you to our sponsors:
Submitted by Brenda Jorett
Phoenix Park Groundbreaking in Camden Andrea Ferich gives a benediction for Phoenix Park in Camden This morning I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Phoenix Park in Waterfront South Camden. Â This project will transform a former 5 acre industrial site into a stunning waterfront park for the residents of this community. The ceremony today took place along the Delaware River on a sheet of cracked asphalt that formally held an old, polluted factory. Â Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA) Director Andy Kricun, explained how the land was purchased by the CCMUA using Camden County Open Space Funds and cleaned up with the help of the NJ DEP. Â Andy and the CCMUA have shown tremendous leadership in improving the quality of life of residents in Camden through odor control technology improvements and as a partner in the Camden SMART initiative. SMART stands for Stormwater Management and Resource Training and is a collaborative effort between the City of Camden, the CCMUA, Coopers Ferry Partnership, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, NJ Tree Foundation NJDEP and a host of public/private partners. The initiative includes various neighborhood green infrastructure projects, storm water management policy development and green infrastructure training programs. Â In addition to improving storm water management through its beautiful natural design, Phoenix Park will also provide much needed community access to the Delaware River. Andy thanked the many individuals and organizations who helped make the purchase and clean up of this land possible, including Camden Mayor Dana Redd, Helene Pierson from Heart of Camden, Â Camden County Freeholder Jeff Nash and Director of Environmental Affairs, Jack Sworaski, The Center for Environmental Transformation’s Andrea Ferich, Jessica Franzini from the NJ Tree Foundation and Edward Choromanski from the NJDEP. Fr. Michael Doyle, the iconic priest from Sacred Heart Church in Waterfront South Camden, described how the name ‘Phoenix Park’ was inspired by a beautiful park in his native Ireland. Â Fr. Doyle has been championing the vulnerable of Camden for many years and expressed his pleasure in having another beautiful place for community members to spend time and enjoy the river. It was wonderful being a part of this morning’s ceremony. Â Sustainable Cherry Hill is committed to forming and cultivating positive regional partnerships with our neighbors. Â It is important for us to remember that all of our sewage and trash goes to this neighborhood in Camden. Â Let’s try to make our connection to the city be about something more positive- join us sometime as we plant and harvest fresh veggies in The Center for Environmental Transformation’s garden and greenhouse, visit the South Camden Farmer’s Market and Greensgrow’s CSA, plant trees with the NJ Tree Foundation, come see a show at the South Camden Theater and more! And hopefully in one year- come with us to have a picnic in the new Phoenix Park!
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