Sustainable Lawrence - The Natural Step to an Eco-Municipality

Photo of girl supporting Living Lawns Campaign

OUR PURPOSE: To promote the adoption of sustainable practices throughout Lawrence Township, NJ.

May 9th
Dinner Reception
…and book unveiling!

My Journey

Keynote speech by Torbjorn Lahti

My Journey with the Ecomunicipalities:
How to Change the World through Local Action
6:00 pm, May 9, 2014
Foundation Hall at the Lawrenceville School

$30 RSVP by May 5, 2014

Need more information? Call (609) 731-1818

May 10th
Community Conversation
…you are invited!

Authors Sarah James and Torbjorn Lahti
will guide the conversation

May 10, 2014
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Rider University,
2083 Lawrenceville Rd. Lawrence Twp. NJ 08648
2nd Floor, Student Center - Cavalla Room
Breakfast at 8:30 am, Lunch included

$10 RSVP Today

Please join us or a day event in which residents and stakeholders from Lawrence, Ewing, Hopewell, Princeton and other municipalities will discuss and consult about our common future.

Following the last ten years of collaboration towards a better healthier future, let us design our next action steps together. We have invited representatives from The Natural Step program for eco municipalities to guide us through the conversation to arrive at shared goals, action plans and commitments for sustainable community development in our region.

Sarah James and Torbjorn Lahti guided our first conversation back in 2005
and we have invited them back to share experiences with other municipalities around the globe. Torbjörn Lahti is trained as an urban planner, and over the past thirty years has worked locally and globally in sustainable development. Initiator and former coordinator of Sweden’s national association of eco-municipalities (Sekom), he is author of the newly released book, My Journey with the Ecomunicipalities: How to Change the World through Local Action. Torbjörn also authored the theory booklet “Grounding the vision: The Eco-Municipality Education Guide” and co-authored with Sarah James The Natural Step for Communities - How Cities and Towns can Change to Sustainable Practices.

Save the Dates

This Sunday, October 7, 2012 - Village Park, Yeger Rd - 12:30pm to 4pm

Join us for Community Day in Lawrence Township
and learn firsthand what Sustainability is all about.

Saturday, October 27, 2012 - Lawrence Township High School

The Lawrence Township Community Foundation
      in cooperation with
The Lawrence Historical Society
      present
"Peoples, Periods, and Places"
      A Community Conversation
      12 pm to 4:00 pm

Info for Vendors Vendor Payment Plastic Bag Petition Schedule of Events

Saturday, March 23, 2013 - Lawrence High School

Our 6th Annual Living Local Expo Noon to 4pm Free and Open to the Public No registration Required Read Flyer SCHEDULE OF EVENTS		• Keynote Speaker - Albe Zacks, Terracycle • Cooking demonstration - Chef Christopher Albrecht of Eno Terra • Farmers Market - selection of currently available food from local farms and restaurants • 40+ Eco-Friendly Vendors - hybrid and high-efficiency car dealers and test drives, design & construction firms, non-profits, bike shops, food waste recycling • Speakers & Workshops - on a variety of sustainability topics (transportation, gardening, home efficiency, recycling, etc.) • Donate your old bike to The Trenton Bike Exchange, or donate gently used medical equipment to Resource
Upcoming Film Events Film Showing: SOURLANDS When: February 21, 2013, 6:30 p.m. Where: Mercer County Library, Darrah Lane, Lawrence Twp (Free) SOURLANDS weaves a provocative tale of ecology, energy and agriculture, told from a deep forest surrounded by sprawl. Viewing followed by discussion. Film Showing: PLANEAT When: February 25, 2013, 7:30 p.m. Where: The College of NJ in Ewing in the New Education Bldg, Rm 115 PLANEAT is the story of three men's life-long search for a diet, which is good for our health, good for the environment and good for the future of the planet. Film Showing: CRUDE IMPACT When: March 25, 2013, 7:30 p.m. Where: The College of NJ in Ewing in the New Education Bldg, Rm 115 Crude Impact explores the interconnection between human domination of the planet, and the discovery and use of oil..

FEATURED VIDEOS

More Videos:

Living Lawns NEW!
Interviews with citizens who are choosing to grow their lawns and gardens without pesticides.

Going Green
Learn about the sustainability movement happening in Lawrence Township.

Time Lapse Proof
James Balog shares images of glaciers receding at an alarming rate, some of the most vivid evidence yet of climate change.

Story of Stuff
Lean how stuff is really made and the hidden cost, especially cosmetics, bottled water, and electronics.

Our Home
Must see images of our planet with must hear soundtrack.

The Bulb
The Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb has come a long way in the last few years.

MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Just For Fun
Visit historicaerials.com
Our Future, Our Challenge
Saturday, April 16 at PDS, 9am-2:15pm
Hear from world-renowned speakers on energy policy, new energy technology, sustainable food, and green building. Cost: $12 includes a delicious lunch and admission to all speakers and events. Pre-registration required.
Project Porchlight
We were recognized by Project Porchlight as a Change Leader for our volunteer involvement in 2010. Over 100 volunteers distributed more than 1500 free CFL light bulbs throughout town in three community “blitzes”.
Lawrence Township has won the Sustainable Jersey Leadership Award for 2010. The Leadership award recognizes one municipality that contributes most to the Sustainable Jersey program through demonstrated regional or statewide leadership. The award honors sustainability efforts that make the most of local resources through execeptional dedication and leadership.
NJ DOT Has Adopted a Complete Streets Policy
A complete streets policy ensures that transportation planners and engineers consistently design and operate the entire roadway with all users in mind - including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.

LEARN MORE about complete streets below:
* National Complete Streets Coalition
* Complete Streets Fact Sheet
* New Jersey Complete Street Presentations
* NJ DOT Complete Street Policy
SWELL Neighbors
Tahirah Smith of Sustainable Lawrence can help you and your neighbors organize to save money, protect the environment, build your community, and add to the quality of your life.
Tracking Our Progress In Community Sustainability
We now have quantifiable indicators to measure actual progress toward sustainability in Lawrence Township. Learn more...
Take the 5-Pack Pledge!
Five Commitments to Live Sustainably and Save Money. For your children, your community, your neighborhood, and your pocketbook!
Hazardous Waste & Used Electronics Recycling
Mar 26, 2011 - Jun 11, 2011 - Oct 1, 2011
Time: 8 a.m. -- 2 p.m. - rain or shine
Place: John T. Dempster Fire School on Bakers Basin/Lawrence Station Road in Lawrence Township. For more information, call 609-278-8086 or go to www.mcia-nj.com.
Used Electronic Recycling Only
May 25, 2011 - Nov 1, 2011
Time: 9 a.m. -- 2 p.m.
Place: Sun National Bank Center in Lot #1. For more information, call 609-278-8086 or go to www.mcia-nj.com.
Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency
Updates as of Feb 10, 2010!
Learn more at energystar.gov

SL Headlines

Our Long Term Agenda (see summary)

Join Our Mailing List

Reading Our Region:
Essays from a Regional Writer

SUSAN CHARKES writes about nature in our region. Discover her poetic view of the outdoors and be inspired to visit the places she describes.

>> Read her latest writing

Trail Guide for Lawrence Township

This booklet features places in Lawrence for the public to hike. Most of the trails are off-road paths in our open space parks. They are open year-round from dawn to dusk.

Living Lawns Campaign

Check out the NEW VIDEO.

Join the Living Lawns Campaign today to help clean up your yard and neighborhood, protect your family and our local water resources, and save money.

Natural Steps for Lawrence

Natural Steps Podcasting
Podcasting

Natural Steps Blog
Blogging

Listen in to Colin Beaven, the No Impact Man whose family went off the grid and attempted to live in the middle of New York City with as little environmental impact as possible.

We will accept bicycle donations, recondition them, and then offer them for sale to area residents at modest prices. All proceeds will go toward supporting the after-school programming of the Boys & Girls Club of Trenton & Mercer County.

Have you seen our suggested reading?

Sustainable Book List
Visit our list of suggested reading. Check out a copy at the Library, buy a used copy locally, or order online. If you have a book to recommend, let us know.

MAKING RAIN BARRELS FOR THE SPRING GARDEN

Photo of Rain Barrel Photo of person with head in rain barrel Photo of rain barrels under construction

Action at one of Sustainable Lawrence's two rain barrel-outfitting events during our "Green Everything Days of Spring" (March 20-26). Here employees of the Delaware River Basin Commission in West Trenton prepare their own rain barrels on March 24. Sustainable Lawrence is tracking down further donations of rain barrels and can show you how to put one together and install it. You'll potentially save thousands of gallons of unnecessary runoff and assure a steady water source for your garden.

Following the principles of "The Natural Step" and working with the local community, Sustainable Lawrence aims to create an 'eco-municipality' in Lawrence Township, New Jersey.

CARRIAGE PARK CLEAN UP

Carriage Park Photo

These pictures were taken at Carriage Park. They show members of our partner organization, "The Community" spreading a load of mulch on a new garden for the seniors who live at the complex. Mulch came from the Township's Ecology Center on Princeton Pike. The event was jointly organized by Sustainable Lawrence, the SL satellite group at Carriage Park, and The Community.

Rider University Celebrates Sustainability

Rider University Students

Students from Dr. Laura Hyatt's course on The Biology of Climate Change at Rider lead staff and fellow students through "The Game of Life: The Carbon Edition", created by the class to educate people about the every day impact (e.g. driving to class, wasting food, and leaving dorm room lights turned on) of the school's and community's overall carbon footprint. The "R"-shaped game board taped to the floor might stand for "Rider", or it could call to mind our favorite four-word sustainability mantra: "Re-think, Reduce, Re-use, Recycle".

Save the Dates

Saturday, March 23, 2013 - Lawrence High School

Upcoming Film Events

SUSTAINABLE LIVING SERIES - PART SIX

RE-THINK!