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 NewsMother Nature and YOU Shine at Earth Festival 2013: Celebrate-Learn-GrowEvery picture tells a story, so they say and clearly the many photographs we have of the 2013 Earth Festival show an event blessed with outstanding weather and so many participants .Our theme – Celebrate-Learn-Grow was portrayed in so many ways throughout the festival. SCHOOLS: The crowd was estimated at 5000 and was augmented by the many Cherry Hill school students, family members, teachers, PTA ENTERTAINMENT: Two stages of performances had toes tapping, hands applauding and the Phillie Phanatic in awe of all the talent in our community. Kudos go to: Thought-provoking performances by elementary students from the Mann and Paine schools, melodious sounds from the Rosettes and Close Harmony (Rosa International Middle); string and saxophone quartets DID YOU KNOW?
Our dedicated organizing team which includes Cherry Hill’s Recreation Department with support from the Department of Public Works, Police and Fire Departments, Mayor’s Office and Mayor Chuck Cahn, is already planning for the 5th Cherry Hill Earth Festival. We have a list of updates and tweaks and we’ll work to make the 2014 festival a showcase for South Jersey. Enjoy this video collage of Earth Festival 2013. Produced by Brenda Jorett
Green Drinks this Wednesday!Think global. Â Drink local.
Join us on Wednesday, May 1st, 2013Â in the back room at PJ Whelihans from 6-8pm!
SCH has its own chapter of this popular social and business networking happy hour that brings together a wide array of environmentally minded people each month over beverages to discuss green and sustainable solutions, ideas, concepts and much more. This laid back, unstructured gathering is part of an international movement and a collaborative effort with Green Drinks Philadelphia. And remember, the efforts of SCH are regional and inclusive⌠you do not need to be a Cherry Hill resident to participate with us. Stop by the first Wednesday of EVERY month at PJ Whelihanâs on Rt. 70 and Greentree Rds in Cherry Hill from 6-8 pm to hang with us and other like minded folks in the community. Everyone is friendly and eager to meet new people! Note: SCH provides the âGREENâ opportunity to network, but not the âDRINKSâ! Everyone either runs a tab or pays by the drink. Contact Lori Braunstein for more information Lori.Braunstein@sustainablecherryhill.org
Sustainable Cherry Hill Earth Day Festival goes Guerrilla!This was originally posted on Guerrilla Haiku Movement by Haiku Mistress on 04.30.13 in 2013
A) The high school Agents of Haiku fully embraced their mission (to get EVERYONE to write at least one haiku) and approached as many people as they could find thereby initiating conversations with and between 100s of strangers, impressing me and all people lucky enough to interact with them with their enthusiasm, commitment and positive energy. B) Haiku were written in Turkish, Bangladeshi, Italian, Spanish, French, and Japanese making the polyglotism of the Cherry Hill community impressive indeed. C) People embraced the Festivalâs purpose and wrote many haiku of an environmental ilk! D) An enormously good time was had by all! Over 300 total haiku were written through the course of the festival, and a sampling of them are available here for your viewing enjoyment! Â Thanks to Sustainable Cherry Hill and our amazing Agents of Haiku for a lovely day of celebration!
5 Reasons to Visit the Cherry Hill Earth Festival – April 27thAs we celebrate Earth Day, you get a great opportunity to spend some quality time outdoors at a Cherry Hill historic gem – Croft Farm. Here are the top five reasons to pay a visit to the 4th Cherry Hill Art Blooms Earth Festival – rain or shine Saturday, April 27 – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.: 1. Celebrate: we expect several thousand people to celebrate the Earth as the Croft Farm foliage 2. Learn: See how students, teachers, staff and parents from 19 Cherry Hill district schools have learned how to foster our resources through character education – citizenship, responsibility, respect, being fair and working for the common good. Student videos, displays, skits, songs and stage performances. AND we have green crafters, non-profit groups, businesses and more engaging us with different ways to understand sustainability in our everyday lives. 3. Grow:Â Children can plant tree seedlings while grownups exchange or purchase garden plants at the Plant exchange; visit the beautiful gardens around the Arts Center where the April 27-May 11 Art Blooms weeks get underway. Grow you mind and spirit as the Haiku Mistress and Cherry Hill High School West volunteer students engage children of all ages in chalk-art haiku on the black top in front of the Farm House and throughout the festival grounds 4. RECYCLE – then Dance, Sing, Romp: When you arrive at Croft Farm for the festival, drop off your end-of-life small electronics, appli TWO stages of solar-powered (sun-permitting) entertainment features: The Rosettes & Close Harmony from Rosa International Middle School; plays by students from Paine & Mann Elementary Schools; Kobukan Karate; String quartets from Cherry Hill East; Happy Feet dancing; Cherry Hill East Sax quartet, Cherry Hill Pine Barons; Out of the Beardspace band: The DG Band & next to the Arts Center Little Stevie & His Electric Mojo. The little ones can ROMP at the Moon Bounce! The Phillie Phanatic brings his antics to the festival in the 11 a.m. hour! 5. YUM!Come to enjoy tasty and healthy lunch and snacks from Chimp Ade (benefits the Jane Goodall Foundation) & J-Dogs; Alex’s Lemonade. The Cherry Hill Earth Festival is planned by Cherry Hill Township and Sustainable Cherry Hill. This year’s event is presented by Hutchinson. Our Leadership Sponsors are Camden County, Magnum Computer Recycling and Rosenblatt Roofing. Â Our Green Sponsors are Body Solutions, Metro PCS and Penn Medicine. We thank all of our sponsors and in-kind supporters. Most of all we thank YOU for being an agent of the EARTH. See you at the Earth Festival – Sat., April 27 – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.! For more information, see our complete Art Blooms Earth Festival page!
We need to sustain ourselves too.7 Keys to an Authentic Life
Key #1: Surround yourself with positivity Negativity is not only toxic â itâs contagious. Itâs difficult to maintain a positive outlook when you are constantly bombarded by the negative views and opinions of others. Anger and bitterness lead us toward combative interaction with the world, which will inevitably permeate our social relationships and jeopardize our stability and happiness. The more we surround ourselves with positive people and influences, the more likely we are to view the world in a healthy way  and enable our peace and well-being. Key #2: Put relationships first We have a lot to juggle in our daily lives. Itâs easy to lose sight of whatâs important when we are bogged down with work, chores and responsibilities. But when we create the time to be meaningfully connected with those close to us, we create an emotional safety net which helps to ensure sustainable happiness. Honestly, how likely are we to be happy with our relationships if we donât take the time to cultivate them to their greatest potential? Key #3: Find gratitude There are tremendous riches all around us, yet we often focus on what we donât have, which can set us on a course to habitually seek elusive external gratification. Only when we find gratitude for what we do have will we then be able embrace the present and reduce the stress and frustration of continually pursuing âmoreâ. Make a list of things for which you are thankful, and look at it every day. Key #4: Seek fulfillment Many people find themselves exhausting their productive energy in jobs which neither inspire nor fulfill them. But we can also seek fulfillment in other ways such as volunteering, spending time with loved ones, or pursuing creative outlets. When we are fulfilled, we honor our best attributes and also bring the best to the world, enabling us to be of service to others in a positive way. By having compassion and helping others, we can actually reduce stress and enhance our longevity. (See âStess and Human Healthâ, July 2012). Key #5: Donât resist reality How often have we gotten upset about something that did not go the way we planned, only to realize later that it was ultimately for the best? Itâs easy to get uptight when things donât go the way we think they should. When we learn to view lifeâs events as part of a continuum essential for our personal growth, we liberate enormous amounts of positive, productive energy within ourselves. Be thankful when things go âwrongâ, and then youâll be able to learn from those situations to empower yourself to move forward. Key #6: Donât believe everything you think Our individual reality is based on our perception, and our thoughts drive our perception. When we understand that we have the ability to undo negative or unhealthy thought patterns, we can change our reality. But first we have to acknowledge the deep-rooted emotions which have driven our perception for most of our lives. Although this is no easy task, it helps us become empowered by starting with ourselves, rather than futilely trying to change the people and circumstances around us. Key #7: Be OK with yourself One of the most elusive tasks is to learn to accept ourselves for who we are. This can be an extremely painful process, since over our lifetime we tend to cling to the belief that we are never good enough just as we are. This thinking fosters fear-based decisions which steer us away from our authentic selves. Only when we overcome these internal blocks can we embrace a life where peace predominates over fear and anger. _______________________________________ No one can create an authentic life for us â we can only do it for ourselves. But over time, applying conscious living and self-control to our thoughts and actions can reward us with the peace and fulfillment that only an authentic life can give. If we are to truly embrace sustainability, then we absolutely must include our own lives in the equation. Youâve only got one chance at life. Why not do it in a way which makes you happy and uplifts others around you?
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.
“Let the Light Shine In”
In March of last year, as a participant in REACH, I worked with three other students on a project as part of the Green Challenge Program sponsored by the Educational Information and Resource Center (EIRC) (http://www.eirc.org/). Our group, along with other groups from our school and other schools throughout New Jersey, were challenged to come up with a project that would help us learn about conservation and sustainability and would demonstrate a way that we could make a positive impact on our environment. Our group’s âLet the Sun Shine Inâ project was intended to show how easy it would be to save energy if each of us made a small effort. We wanted to see how much electricity our school would conserve if we shut off the lights for just one day during school hours. With the approval of our principal, Sr. Lydia Etter, we did just that. The lights remained off from 8:30 am until 2:30 pm in all the classrooms and hallways, as well as the school office and the cafeteria (with the exception of the cooking area for safety reasons). At the start of the “lights out” period, our school’s custodian officially documented the reading on the building’s electric meter. While the lights were out, we took lots of pictures. Many photos showed that most of the classes clearly did not need lights because with the shades up, the classrooms were very bright.  At 8:30 am on the following morning, our custodian took the reading again, giving us the total electrical wattage usage for the prior 24 hour period. He then took the reading from that time until 8:30 am the next day and this gave us the reading for a typical 24-hour day with the lights on. We compared the readings for two 24-hour periods and determined that we saved nearly 33% of our schoolâs daily electricity usage on the day we “Let the Sun Shine In”. At the Green Challenge Competition in May, 2012, we presented our project to a team of environmental and engineering professionals, competing against numerous groups from our school as well as other schools, both public and private, throughout the state. Our team was awarded top honors, receiving the only Platinum Satori award.  As a result of the highest award of the Platinum Satori, I am now permitted, and honored, to be pursuing the Green Satori by spreading the word about my group’s project and bringing public awareness to how each of us – even elementary school students – can take steps to protect our environment and valuable resources. Through my project I’ve learned a valuable lesson: that it is everyone’s responsibility to care for our planet and that no effort is too small. Yes, it would be great for Resurrection Catholic School and every other school in Cherry Hill to shut off the lights for one day each school year and save electricity. However, imagine if each of the nearly 12,000 Cherry Hill students did something as simple as shut off unnecessary lights and unwatched televisions and unplug unused appliances. While these individual efforts may seem small, the combined efforts would have a great impact.
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