Newtown Township has been awarded a $69,930 grant as part of the state's Recycling Performance Grant Program. The announcement was made Friday by State Rep. Steven J. Santarsiero. The township received the award for recycling 2.848 tons of trash in 2009. The grants are distributed by the state Department of Environmental Protection as part of the Recycling Performance Grant Program established by Act 101 of 1988. The grant program is designed to reward Pennsylvania communities that increase the amount of material recovered through their recycling programs, and to promote job growth and …
A stuffed bird that chirps is cute. It’s even cuter when you know that by owning it, you’re helping your community. Newtown Township recently became a designated "Bird Town" by Audubon Pennsylvania. The Bird Town program is aimed to help communities improve their ecology and create a more sustainable environment for all beings. Now, the township’s Environmental Advisory Council has embarked on a fundraising effort to raise money for the membership fee and other promotions. The EAC is selling Bird Town t-shirts for $10 and stuffed birds for $6 to raise the funds to pay the $450 annual fee. …
With the push to go green lately, sustainable building is on the rise. And local residents don’t have to travel far to gain training in this cutting-edge field. For five years, Bucks County Community College has offered a Sustainable Building Advisor Institute certificate program. The program teaches environmentally friendly ways to minimize energy costs and conserve building materials. The next Sustainable Building Advisor program will begin on Oct. 21 at the college’s Newtown campus. Classes meet Friday and Saturday, one weekend a month for nine months, through June 9. Just recently, the …
The Newtown Creek Coalition is holding its summer creek clean up this Saturday, Aug. 6, from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers should meet at 9 a.m. at the Newtown Borough parking lot behind the First National Bank on Centre Avenue. Organizers recommend that volunteers wear a long-sleeved shirt, jeans and heavy boots. Volunteers should also bring work gloves. The Newtown Creek Coalition was formed in 2006 to coordinate residents, businesses and government entities with an interest in protecting the creek. For more information, visit www.newtowncreekcoalition.org.
Newtown Township’s wind turbine has been installed and is operational, officials said Thursday. The wind turbine was erected thanks to a state grant, which covered two-thirds of the cost. The township invested approximately $7,000, said Mike Gallagher, a member of the township’s Board of Supervisors. “It's expected to generate enough power for about 10 to 20 percent of the municipal complex,” Gallagher said. OmniWind Energy Systems installed the wind turbine behind the new Public Works building off Durham Road.
You know that new car smell? Whether it’s in a building or car, many people like the scent because it evokes a sense of freshness and cleanliness. Well at Pennswood Village, they did everything they could to avoid the new car smell when renovating Barclay House, a personal care residence. That’s because the scent isn’t exactly good for you, explained Jennifer Doone, Pennswood’s marketing and admissions director. To be more precise, it’s "offgassing" -- the smell of chemicals and plastics airing out. Pennswood Village, a senior living facility that’s home to more than 400 residents, recently…
Newtown Township is bracing to become the first designated “Bird Town” in Bucks County. The Bird Town program was developed in 2010 by Audubon Pennsylvania to help communities improve their ecology and create a more sustainable environment for not just birds, but people, too, explained Steven Saffier of Audubon Pennsylvania. The program encourages and aids communities to utilize better land management practices and stewardship with the goal of achieving a range of environmental benefits. So if it’s about more than just birds, why is Audubon calling these environmentally conscious communities …
With gas prices likely approaching $5 a gallon by the summer, everybody is getting concerned about the cost of commuting and travel in general. Everybody but Barry Oppenheim, that is. Oppenheim doesn’t have to worry about filling up because two years ago, he converted a 2002 Saturn Vue from gasoline to electric. He now drives it each day from his home in New Hope to Bucks County Eye Group in Newtown, where he is a pediatric ophthalmologist. Oppenheim had never converted a car before he took a very successful stab at it in August 2008. He just did a lot of reading and research the year leading…
Earth Day may not be until later this month, but you can help protect clean water today at Studio 35 Salon on State Street. For the 16th year, the salon is holding an Earth Month raffle, which will benefit Clean Ocean Action. The Highlands, N.J.-based nonprofit works to protect and clean water resources in the tri-state area. “Water is a precious commodity and we need to protect it,” said Studio 35 Salon co-owner Carole Kelly-Daversa. “I love water. My husband and I sail. We love to kayak, swim, etc.” The raffle includes 11 prizes, including hair cuts, facials, and a gift bag of hair care …
It’s no secret that the economy is stagnant and jobs are scarce. But there’s a place in Bucks County that’s training workers for a new kind of career. Bucks County Community College’s Green Jobs Academy is one of the only institutions of its kind in the region, explained Chris Gillespie, the college’s assistant vice president of Continuing Education and Workforce Development. The Green Jobs Academy, located in Bristol, is a hands-on, state-of-the-art facility offering short- and long-term training programs in solar, energy efficiency, geothermal, sustainable construction and more. “With this …
It’s hard to imagine that anyone would get excited about sorting trash. But each Friday, the third graders at Newtown Elementary School beg to do just that. In fact, they like it so much that they forgo recess just to sift through used drink pouches, chip bags, and snack wrappers. There is a reason for their enthusiasm. The students are recycling for TerraCycle, a Trenton-based company that accepts certain types of waste to make products like bags, picture frames, toys, trashcans, and more. Best of all, the school gets money in return for the products they send in to recycle. The school began…
How do you teach children that food doesn’t actually grow in the grocery store? You show them firsthand where it actually comes from by cultivating a garden, of course. And what better place for this real-life lesson than school itself? Newtown Elementary School is gearing up for its second season of Veggieville – a 37-foot by 43-foot organic vegetable garden planted on the school’s grounds. Newtown Elementary School parents Kathy Skalish, Cheryl Gilmore, Rhonda Lichter, and Kim Burton founded the garden last year. It was a success and they’re going at it again in 2011. Gilmore said she …
We’ve all got green on the brain. Recycle this. Reuse that. Turn the lights off. And the water, too. But George School is taking sustainability to a whole new level. From a LEED gold-certified library to composting, recycling, and student “energy agents” who educate their peers on sustainability issues, the Quaker private high school has set a high bar for environmental stewardship in schools. There is an old adage: “think globally, act locally.” At Newtown Patch, we believe that rings true. Every action counts. These local efforts will not only make our community a better place, but the …
