The Community Garden and Kids/Teens for Earth, a division of United For Earth, will welcome new volunteers of all ages, prepare new beds, put up the fence, and plant vegetables, herbs and flowers in our organic garden. Please join us at this event and help make Hillsdale a greener community. No previous gardening experience is necessary.

This season, the Hillsdale Community Garden will be offering a variety of hands-on, educational workshops and events for children and adults, which will include butterfly gardening, permaculture, growing and using herbs, companion planting, flood-tolerant plants for gardens and more. Stop by at our opening to find out more about registering for these programs. For further information, please email ejscholl@verizon.net

Bergen Community College 
Technology Education Center
Moses Family Meeting and Training Center (TEC-128)
400 Paramus Road, Paramus, NJ 07652

Agenda
6:00pm – 6:30pm: Registration and networking
6:30pm – 6:45pm: Opening remarks
7:00pm – 8:00pm: Breakout Sessions

Track 1
Organic Lawn Care/Sustainable Gardens 
Organic, non-toxic practices are better for your lawn over the long haul. Chemicals give your lawn an artificial boost, but deplete your soil of important nutrients. Organic materials do the opposite. They feed the soil, which then provides a consistent and sustainable food source for the grass. Overtime,
your lawn will need little maintenance as it becomes sustainable.
You may have to accept some clover, dandelions and other native plants, but they certainly will not take over your lawn. Did you know that clover is actually a great natural nitrogen source for your soil?

Track 2
Xeriscape (Water-Efficient) Gardening 
Presented by Sonja Clark, Director of Community Relations, United Water
Xeriscaping, also known as drought-tolerant landscaping or smart-scaping, is a method of landscape design that minimizes water usage. Outdoor sprinklers can account for 40 percent of household water use during the summer. With simple and easy Xeriscape landscaping, you may be able to reduce your outside water use by 50 to 60 percent.

By selecting drought-tolerant plants and using water-wise gardening techniques, you can
_ Reduce your outdoor water use
_ Create a colorful, natural garden
_ Spend less time on garden maintenance

Track 3
Beautifying with Permeable Hardscapes 
Presented by Chris Murray, Resident Regional Manager Cambridge Pavers
Professionals – Presentation is valid for 1 health, safety, and welfare credit
Permeable hardscapes are designed to minimize the runoff and pollutants to storm water management systems during rainstorms. In addition, they increase the amount of groundwater being recharged and made available for other uses. Introduction of their use in landscape design creates aesthetically pleasing entertainment areas providing increased leisure time through decreased maintenance time and increased home value.

Bergen SWAN will team up with a local naturalist and local artist to host a very special nature walk and art event for children ages 8 – 12.

The event will begin with a guided tour of the 100+ acre Emerson Woods led by naturalist Nancy Slowik, who will bring walkers’ attention to the remarkable signs of early spring in a wetland forest.

Following the walk, participants will climb aboard the Fun Art Bus,
a mobile eco-art studio, and receive personal art instruction from
Laurie Rivlin Caspert of You Gotta Have Art (www.yougottahaveart.org), and learn how to create an original artwork inspired by their favorite plant or other feature observed during their walk.

Participation is by registration only and limited to 15 children. Adults are welcome to join the walk portion of the event. The entry fee is a minimum
$20 donation for children, and $10 donation for adults accompanying them.
Kid-friendly refreshments and art materials are included.

To register and receive instructions, please call Bergen SWAN at 201-666-1877 or email bergenswan@sprynet.com, subject “April 15 Nature Walk”.

EmersonWoodsNatureWalkArtBus

Raising community awareness for all ages can  lead to more diversity and healthier and ‘greener’ life choices.  Implementing sustainable aspects  into school and community life is our long-term perspective.

This electronic newsletter will be issued quarterly.  It will reach out to all networking partners, school administrations, parents, and all interested residents.

SustainableEduNews

Attention Hillsdale Residents!

Do you have any confidential files of which you would like to dispose?

Then come on
Saturday, April 7, 2012
to the Hillsdale DPW Yard/Recycling Center
8:00 am to 12:00 pm.

Hillsdale Community Garden, Kids/Teens for Earth and Green Team Hillsdale are sponsoring a ‘Seed Starting Workshop’ at the Hillsdale Library
on Sunday, March 4 at 1:30pm.

Learn about starting seeds successfully indoors, to get a head start on your garden and save money. Materials will be provided to start your own herb, vegetable or flower garden.

$5 donation for individuals, $10 per family (payable at workshop) to cover the cost of materials. Please register with number of participants attending at ejscholl@verizon.net. Adults and children welcome.

In an effort to raise awareness about environmental issues in the region, for the third year in a row, Kids/Teens for Earth is coordinating with other local groups including Westwood Library, Pascack Sustainability Group, and Hillsdale Green Team to present “Green Screen” – a series of environmental documentaries and films for audiences of various age groups. Kids/Teens for Earth is a local environmental group that teaches children to learn to live sustainably in modern society.

The film festival will be held in multiple venues from Feb. 4th to Feb. 12, 2012. The highlights of the festival include: Waste land – a movie on trash based art (Pascack Theater on Feb. 7th at 7 pm), Gasland – a movie on fracking and its consequences (Hillsdale Library on Feb. 9th at 6:30 pm) and
Pipe Dreams – addresses the contentious issue of Keystone pipeline (Westwood Library on Feb. 4th at 2pm).

Couple of kids movies will also be shown including Disney’s African Cats (Hillsdale Library on Feb. 12 at 1:00 pm) and Pixar’s Wall-E (Westwood Library on Feb. 12 at 3:00 pm). There will be kids activities before the movies on Feb. 12. For more information and for detailed schedule visit Westwood library website at: http://westwoodpubliclibrary.weebly.com/index.html

Schedule at a Glance:

Pascack Theater, Westwood, NJ
Tuesday, February 7th at 7p.m. ~ WASTE LAND. Academy award nominee and winner of more than 20 film awards explores the transformative power of art within one of the of largest garbage dumps in the world. Advanced tickets can be obtained at the Westwood Library or at the Pascack Theater night of screening. $5.00 suggested donation.

Hillsdale Library
Thursday, February 9th at 7p.m. ~ GASLAND. Talk at 6:30 p.m. by Karina Wilkenson of Food & Water Watch. When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination. Film sponsored by Kids/Teens for Earth.
Saturday, February 11th at 1:00p.m. ~ CHEMICAL REACTION. This movie is about pesticide use in our backyards. Followed by Q&A session. Sponsored by Hillsdale Green Team.
Sunday, February 12th at 1:30p.m. ~ Disney Nature movie AFRICAN CATS. Sponsored by Kids/Teens for Earth. Activity: “How to make a nature documentary in your backyard” will take place at 1:00p.m. Registration on-site.

Westwood Library:
Saturday, February 4th at 10:30a.m. ~ NAUSICAA. Hayo Miyazaki masterpiece. Presented by the Otaku (anime) Club. This film appropriate for age 14 and older.
Saturday, February 4th at 2p.m. ~ THE LAST MOUNTAIN. Any Times critic pick on a very timely issue. Presented by the Pascack Sustainability Club and the Sierra Club.
Monday, February 6th at 7p.m. ~ PIPE DREAMS. Story of the greatest environmental battle in the U.S. today. Moderated by Matt Smith, 350.org, Tar Sands Action Northern New Jersey and Karena Wilkinson of Food, Water and Watch.
Thursday, February 9th at 7p.m. ~ GREENING THE DESERT. Hosted by Westwood Environmental Committe Kevin Brennan, this short film will be followed by a lecture on the growing permaculture movement.
Sunday, February 12th at 3p.m. ~ WALL-E. Time magazines choice for top film of the decade. A don’t miss Pixar film! Environmental Craft program for kids ages 7-12 will be held at 1:30 p.m., prior to film. Registration is required. Please sign up at the Library or by calling (201)664-0583. Space is limited. Both the film and craft program are sponsored by Westwood Girl Scout Troop 389!