Collingswood is taking Mother Earth seriously and believes that we have a responsibility to make the planet, and Collingswood, more green. Several projects, businesses and events in the Borough are dedicated to doing just that.Jump over to the Green Connections page to learn more about how to recycle almost anything and what else you can do to help the Earth.

Green Festival |  Bike Share  l  Composting Program  l  Tree & Bench Dedications | Green Connections Page

Green Festival!
April 16, 2011 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. along Irvin Ave.
See scenes from the inaugural event here! Produced for Collingswood TV by volunteer Geoff Nichols.

Green sprouts popping up through the soil. Birds tweeting (…actual tweeting, not Kardashian tweeting). Just like that, the piles of snow are a chilly memory as spring gently raps on our doors. Hello spring! Aside from t-shirts and open windows, spring in Collingswood is best welcomed with the Third Annual Green Festival on April 16!    

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. along Irivn Avenue thousands will gather to celebrate the way they’re giving Mother Nature a hand in Collingswood. Check out booths with everything from eco-friendly products, tips on reducing your waste stream and demonstrations on what exactly happens to all that trash.

This year’s festival is again held the same day as the Camden County Hazardous Waste Collection event in Collingswood at the Public Works garage on N. Atlantic Ave. This way, green-minded residents can drop off hazardous waste safely and then check out the fair to learn what businesses, organizations and other residents are doing to be green (check out info on the Hazardous Waste Collection on page 3).

“It’s easy to give back and go green,” said Commissioner Joan Leonard. “People who have long been recycling and making the extra effort learn new tricks at this festival and first timers walk away feeling like they can do so much by just making a few small changes.”

Dozens of vendors and local businesses will be present at the event. Enjoy music and food; learn more about green architecture and get involved with Collingswood’s Bike Share with a free tune up from volunteer mechanics and a bicycle safety refresher. Get to know local businesses that sell sustainable and eco-friendly products. Bring the little ones to the Kids Zone and celebrate what we can do to make the world a greener place. Purchase a soil testing kit before you plant in your gardens and learn what the results mean from the event’s master gardeners. Come with questions!

You can also learn more about the locavore movement (everything about buying and eating local sustainable foods), cloth diapering and lots lots more you can do to reduce your impact on the planet and live green!

Back for another year are the rain barrel and compost bin programs. Sign up for a subsidized rain barrel and composter at just $45 and $25, respectively (Non-resident prices - composters: $50 and rain barrels: $75). Sign up for yours prior to the event and pick it up on April 16. Take a quick class on how to use them and start reducing waste. The Borough sponsors the program thanks to a Camden County recycling grant. There’s a very limited supply this year and they’ll be sold first come, first served (any remaining items will be sold at the festival, but we expect a sellout!). To pre-order, bring a check to Borough Hall, 678 Haddon Ave. For questions on the composter and rain barrel program email Commissioner Leonard at Jleonard@collingswood.com.

Clean out your closets, environmentally! Drop off the following for recycling at the festival: Crocs brand shoes, sneakers - all brands, corks, cell phones, ink cartridges, Brita filters, bagged packing peanuts, rechargeable and button batteries, alkaline batteries, Capri Sun pouches, kids clothes/gear and books. And now, #3-#7 plastics are collected curbside and electronics can be recycled in the Bike Share parking lot next to the Community Center year round. It gets easier and easier to recycle in Colls.

Interested in getting involved? Vendor spaces are open and volunteers are needed. Don’t hesitate to show off green initiatives, products or learn how you can pitch in. Call Commissioner Leonard at 856-858-4545 or email at jleonard@collingswood.com.

Whether you’re new to the world of green or a hardcore eco-crusader, come out for fun and learn what you can do - the Green Festival is free! Give back to Mother Earth every day in big and small ways. Visit the Go Green! page at Collingswood.com to see vendors and more details about the Green Festival.

Special thanks to Ray Dougherty and  

Bike Share
Bike share is a concept that allows people in cities to borrow bikes at central locations and replace the bike at another location for a small fee. It helps reduce reliance on cars makes it easier to reach public transportations and local destinations. It reduces congestion, emissions and transportation costs. Recently, Drexel University and M.I.T have developed bike share programs for use within their urban university settings.

Collingswood's bike share is tailored for the need and budget of the Borough. The bike share will recycle bikes – instead of purchasing new bikes for the programs, we will use repurposed bikes that have stayed unclaimed in the police station or use donated bikes. Each bike – or green machine – is painted bright green so they are easy to identify.

The program operates with volunteer mechanics who donate time to restore and paint bikes, giving them a second life and making them as good as new. The program will loan riders bikes for long term use at a minimal fee, allowing them to be kept at the homes of participants rather than on bike racks. The Collingswood bike share hopes to promote health, riding safety, accessibility, and reduce emissions and cost of transportation. It goes without saying, however, that we hope Collingswood have some fun on two wheels, as well!

More on the program
Mission:
The mission of the Collingswood Bike Share is to provide opportunity to the community  to ride a bike instead of starting up an engine through the repair of  discarded or donated bikes. It’s all about reducing our carbon footprint and the mission to re-cycle a bi-cycle!

Overview:
The program will operate like a library, in which residents borrow a bike and then return it to the Bike Share when done using it. Borrowing can be for a short or an extended period of time - as long as the participant continues to ride. The bike is taken home and used like a personally owned bike, with a few regulations of the program:

Details:
Collingswood Bike Share, under the Department of Recreation of the Borough of Collingswood, owns, maintains, and manages the bikes. Participants in bike share will follow bike safety standards and must use a lock. The most important agreement, however, is that you use the bike! When you are not using it, you may bring it back to share your bike with other members of the community. You could also bring your bike back in to the program if you are away on vacation.

Guidelines:
All participants will be required to sign an agreement and liability waiver by the Borough of Collingswood Department of Recreation before receiving a bike.
-Participants under 18 will need a parent’s signature.
-All participants will be asked to use a helmet, to secure the bike with a lock and must follow bike safety guidelines.
-In order for the bikes to be in good working order, participants will be asked to bring the bike in for a tune up if any problems are noted. Additionally, we ask that every bike is brought in to the bike share office/garage once every two months for a “check up” at our clinic.

Services provided:
The bike share program will also provide the following service to the community:
-Bike Clinic: volunteer mechanics will provide knowledge and know-how to help you learn how to fix and keep your own bike or a bike share bike running well
-Donations: the bikes share program will accept bikes in any condition for which you no longer have a use or need
-Bike Share: Residents of the Borough may borrow a bike for short or extended periods

Location:
Find us every Saturday morning at the Collingswood Farmers' Market or Tuesday evenings, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the garage between the Community Center and the Department of Public Works garage or come to Borough Hall and ask for Holly.

Cost:
$25 per year to join the program for a “green machine” - a bike!
This includes using a bike for an extended period, or different bikes on many different occasions, or trading in to receive a different bike as available
No charge for regular volunteer mechanics of the program but donations are accepted

Contact us and Join!
Commissioner Joan Leonard for information, donations. See Holly Mannel at the Collingswood Municipal Building for information regarding sign up and payment for the program.

Borough Hall hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
Bike Share hours: Saturdays: Farmers' Market  (seasonal),
Tuesday 6 to 9 p.m. at our garage location.

Thank you!
To all those who each did their part to make this possible
Those who repair, those who donate, those who support the effort, those who guide us, those who help, those who encourage, those who manage, and lets not forget those who ride!

[back to top]

Composting and rainbarrel program
The Borough is sponsoring a program to reduce the waste stream and help handle garbage natrually! Residents can pick up an Earth Machine compost bin for just $25 (retailed at $80) and rainbarrel for $45.Supplies are limited and orders are first come first served.

Interested families, homes, businesses and even apartment complexes should contact Borough Hall at 856-854-0720 x120. Reservations are needed to attend the class and prepay for a compost bin. The first 100 to sign up get a free gift!

So, you’ve picked up your fancy, schmansy compost bin, but where do you begin? Here’s a crash course on getting started:

There are some definite dos and don’ts when it comes to adding items to your bin. Toss in leaves, grass clippings, trimmings and weeds, but no branches or thick shrubbery (they take too long to decompose). Be generous with kitchen wastes like fruits and veggie scraps, cardboard rolls, clean paper, coffee grounds and filters, cotton rags, dryer and vacuum cleaner lint, nuts and eggshells (ground up), fireplace ashes, hair and fur, hay and straw, houseplants, sawdust, shredded newspaper, tea bags and wood chips. Steer clear of dairy, fats, meats, bones and chemically treated or coal items.

Put a coarse material, such as straw, at the bottom of your bin, then a first layer of green vegetable matter. Next add a thin layer of rich garden soil. Be sure to keep the pile loose and to circulate air through it by turning it occasionally. Your pile should feel slightly moist after awhile, like a wrung out sponge. It it’s too dry, spray it lightly with water. If it’s stinky, turn it more often. If it’s uniformly cool, dark and crumbly, then you’ve made yourself some picture perfect compost! Go sprinkle some of that goodness in your garden!

It can take anywhere from a month to a couple of years to turn your waste into compost depending on the types and quantities of materials used, temperature, moisture and amount of air in the mix. This is just a taste of composting - for more info check out resources online.

Volunteers needed!
Those trees in Knight Park don’t prune themselves, you know!
Volunteers are needed to keep the park in tip top shape! Get involved by helping plant trees, restoring the pavillion and mainting the green spaces in our community. Even one weekend is enough to contribute a lot. To get on board email Commissioner Mike Hall or call Commissioner Joan Leonard at 856-858-4545.

[back to top]

Show your dedication
A tree and bench in Knight Park can be bought together for $600 to honor someone you love or just bring some new life to Collingswood. Trees and benches are not only a tribute but also lend a hand in the current effort to restore Knight Park to all its glory. Call Commissioner Joan Leonard at 856-858-4545 to learn more about dedications.

[back to top]