Sustainable Blairstown

At the last Sustainable Blairstown Committee meeting, the group tallied over 500 buy local boosters signed by community residents in support of local businesses during the holiday season. Considering it’s the first year the group promoted such a buy local drive, everyone was pretty happy about the support demonstrated by the public.

In speaking to Herman Shoemaker, owner of the Book Nest in downtown Blairstown, we learned that the buy local campaign had a real impact in making people think twice about where they should spend their money. According to Shoemaker, one shopper told him that before they made any purchases, they would “look in Blairstown first.”

We’ll be out gathering more feedback as to what the experiences were for the merchants as well as the shoppers. If you or someone you know has an opinion on this matter, please invite them to comment below.

More to come on the results of our buy local for the holidays campaign!

On behalf of Sustainable Blairstown, I would like to thank and congratulate Blairstown’s business owners for doing an excellent job on the Main Street Holiday Fair event on December 11. At store after store, the holiday cheer really flowed as local business owners did an excellent job in making the evening truly enjoyable. There was music, hot cider, wonderful treats for the kids, and smiles all around despite the nip of Jack Frost in the air.

This night should mark the reestablishment of the tradition in Blairstown of bringing the community out together to celebrate the start of the Holiday Season in the spirit of community and good will. This type of gathering benefits the economic vitality of our town while also solidifying the wonderful sense of place that Blairstown offers as the town we all call home.

Special thanks to The Press for promoting the event, to REMax for Santa and the Grinch, for the Fire Department so that Santa could ride in style, and for all those behind the scenes that worked to make the evening a success.  This year’s event was pulled together in just three weeks time. What a tremendous result!

Let’s make a plan to do it again next year in a way that engages even more members of our community.

Due to the Christmas holiday this month, the Sustainable Blairstown Committee will be meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at Givens Belet. All members of the public are welcome to attend as the group looks to plan the next phase of its program to support the local economy, local environment and quality of life in Blairstown.

Sustainable Blairstown representatives will be on hand at Blairstown Elementary School on Saturday, Dec. 5, to meet with residents and promote the “Buy Local for the Holidays” campaign.

Interested in supporting “people, planet and profits” for a more sustainable Blairstown? Come on down and chat a while! Secret Santa runs from 9:00 a.m. until noon. See you there!

Buy Local This Holiday Season

Written by Jen Reich

When planning your holiday shopping this year, consider how you can make some of those purchases locally to help keep our economy strong. This year, the Sustainable Blairstown Committee has issued a challenge to the community: make just two purchases locally between Thanksgiving and New Years to invest in your hometown. When you make your purchase, check to see if you can sign a buy local booster that shows your commitment to keeping our local economy healthy and strong.

Below are some gift ideas to consider that you can purchase from your community shop owners. If you have more ideas, please leave your suggestions as a comment below:

• Cards and stamps
• Set of canvas/cloth shopping bags
• Gas card
• Local food items
• Oil change
• Electronics
• Gift certificate to a restaurant or diner
• Framed photo of loved ones
• Snow removal services
• Cooking classes
• Car wash
• Round of golf
• Compact florescent light bulbs
• Yoga classes
• Flowers or hanging plants
• Custom bag filled with local market goodies
• Haircuts, manicures, and pedicures
• Local artisan gifts
• Consignment/vintage clothing
• Fresh baked cookies/pies/cakes
• Glider rides
• Flashlight and batteries
• Tools
• Pizza party for your kids
• Massage/reiki treatment

Please consider shopping locally this year. It is a simple way to strengthen your local economy from the inside out, while reducing your carbon footprint and saving time and energy. Remember, for every dollar you spend at independently owned stores, 68 cents returns to the community – far more than dollars spent at national chains. Make your purchases count this year while investing in your hometown.

To learn more about Sustainable Blairstown, sign up for the group’s email newsletter. You can also attend the group’s meetings each month at Givens Belet American Legion VFW Post. Call Kevin Doell for meeting times and dates at 908-459-5484. If you would like to have a Sustainable Blairstown representative address your organization, give us a call.

Happy Holidays from the Sustainable Blairstown Committee!

Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, the Sustainable Blairstown Committee will be meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at Givens Belet American Legion / VFW Hall on Rt. 521.

This month the group will be discussing the buy local for the holidays campaign, the online business directory, outreach efforts, as well as a December shopping night for Blairstown.

For more information, call Kevin Doell at 908.459.5484.

BLAIRSTOWN, NJ (Nov. 9, 2009) – The Sustainable Blairstown Committee is challenging residents to “make their purchases count” this holiday season by making at least two purchases with local businesses between Thanksgiving and New Years. Shoppers should look to sign a “Thank You” booster slip at participating businesses that will then display the slips in appreciation. The buy local challenge is part of the Committee’s program to qualify for the Sustainable Jersey Municipal Certification.

Buy Local Slips will be Available for Participating Businesses

“Everyone wants to live in a bustling and vibrant community with nice stores and strong property values,” said committee chair Kevin Doell. “This requires an investment and commitment on the part of the residents to shop locally so that our community’s businesses stay healthy.”

The Sustainable Blairstown Committee chose to initiate a buy local campaign this year because of the opportunity to make an important economic contribution. Locally owned businesses buy more goods and services from other local businesses. Studies show that local businesses spend a much larger share of their revenue (two to three times as much on average) in the local area as national chains and online retailers do. More money circulating in the local economy means more jobs.

To raise awareness about local shopping possibilities, the Committee is also developing an online business directory at www.sustainableblairstown.org. The directory is searchable by category and keyword. All local businesses are invited to visit the site and add their listing for free along with a description of the business or service and possible gift ideas. Some of the businesses already listed include The Cupcake Factory, Gallery 23, Brook Hollow Winery, the Twice Upon a Time Shop and others. In the coming weeks, the Committee will begin circulating a list of creative, local gift ideas on the blog. Residents are invited to comment on the site’s pages with their own gift ideas.

“We’re looking forward to participating in the buy local campaign,” said Sharon Almassy, owner of The Twice Upon a Time Shop, whose spouse started Cole’s BBQ in June. “Our family is actually running two new businesses and we really appreciate the efforts of Sustainable Blairstown to raise awareness of this important issue. I find that my customers are always surprised at what is available right here in town. I tell them to look local first before taking that 30-minute drive.”

To learn more about Sustainable Blairstown, sign up for the group’s email newsletter at  www.sustainableblairstown.org. You can also attend the group’s 4th Wednesday meetings each month at 7:30 p.m. at Givens Belet American Legion VFW Post. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, this month’s meeting will be held on Nov. 18. If you would like to have a Sustainable Blairstown representative address your organization, please contact Kevin Doell at 908-459-5484.

BLAIRSTOWN, N.J. (OCT. 13, 2009) — Community volunteers organizing the Sustainable Blairstown program (www.sustainableblairstown.org) finalized their action plans last month as they pursue the state’s “Sustainable Jersey” Municipal certification on behalf of Blairstown Township. Crafting programs that strengthen the community’s economy, environment and quality of life, the Sustainable Blairstown Committee will begin its efforts with a buy local campaign that will result in the creation of an online, local business directory and a community pledge drive to buy local this holiday season.

“The group is looking to raise awareness of its activities in a way that quickly engages both the business community and the residents,” said committee chair Kevin Doell. “Research shows that for every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If that same $100 is spent at a national chain store, only $43 remains in the community. For online purchases, little comes back at all.”

To start, the group is collecting information on businesses operating in Blairstown, Columbia, Frelinghuysen, Hardwick, and Knowlton. These businesses will be listed in a buy local directory on www.sustainableblairstown.org. Businesses interested in being listed on the site can enter in their information directly on the Web site or they can email lcorio@embarqmail.com. The directory will be searchable by category and will inform residents about the wide range of products and services available within just a few miles of Blairstown.

The second part of the buy local campaign will be a community pledge drive in which residents will be asked to pledge that they will make at least two holiday purchases from community based businesses between Thanksgiving and the New Year. Shoppers will simply add their name to a list posted at local businesses to complete and document their pledge.

“One needn’t spend an hour in traffic to find the perfect gift,” said Buy Local Program Champion Laura Corio. “Buying locally strengthens relationships in the community, maintains our town’s economic vitality, and conserves time and energy – all while limiting pollution by eliminating unnecessary travel.”

The Blairstown Township Committee passed a resolution naming the Sustainable Blairstown steering committee members back in August. A subcommittee of the Environmental Commission, the group leverages the skills and expertise of team members to develop plans, implement programs, and assist with educational opportunities that support the creation of a sustainable community. For each completed activity the group earns “Sustainable Jersey” points towards the town’s certification requirement of 100 points.

In addition to the buy local program, the group is considering a school garden project, an energy audit for municipal buildings, and a sustainable land use pledge, among other projects. The Sustainable Blairstown Committee members include: Laura Corio, Kevin Doell, Carolyn Fenton, Kim Harrington, Joe Heydel, Lavonne Heydel, Angel Ramos, Sylvia Ramos, Jen Reich, Mark Saalfield, Michelle St. Andre, and Joe Wargo. New members are welcome.

The “Sustainable Blairstown” group meets on the 4^th Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Givens Belet American Legion VFW Post. The public is invited to attend. To learn more, sign up for the group’s email newsletter at www.sustainableblairstown.org. If you would like to have a Sustainable Blairstown representative present at your organization, please contact Kevin Doell at 908-459-5484.

About Sustainable Jersey

Developed in partnership with the NJ League of Municipalities, Rutgers University, The College of New Jersey, the NJ DEP and the NJ Board of Public Utilities, the Sustainable Jersey program (www.sustainablejersey.com) enables municipalities to tailor their sustainability action plans to the needs and interests of the local community. Each completed program element earns the municipality credits as it drives towards a sustainable certification upon reaching 100 points. A number of other towns in the surrounding area have also passed resolutions to participate in the program, including: Byram, Fredon, Hardwick, Lopatcong, Mount Olive, Mount Arlington, Netcong, and Newton.

Inquiries:

Kevin.Doell@gmail.com

908.459.4584

At its public meeting on August 12, the Blairstown Township Committee took up the issue of the Sustainable Blairstown Green Team. After reviewing a list of volunteers provided by Environmental Commission member Kevin Doell, the Committee unanimously endorsed the work of the Environmental Commission in establishing its new Green Team. The new team members include:

• • • Joan Cehak
    • Laura Corio
    • Kevin Doell
    • Carolyn Fenton
    • Kim Harrington
    • Joe Heydel
    • Lavonne Heydel
    • Angel Ramos
    • Sylvia Ramos
    • Jen Reich
    • Mark Saalfield
    • Michelle St. Andre
    • Joe Wargo

(more…)

The Sustainable Blairstown Green Team will roll up its sleeves on August 26 to establish priorities in the town’s pursuit of its Sustainable Jersey municipal certification. At its July meeting, the group reviewed a short list of activities that could earn the town the 100 points needed for certification. The list of activities included:

• Municipal Energy Audit
• Municipal Carbon Footprint
• Buy Local Programs
• Recycling
• Green Fair
• Community Asset Mapping
• Local Food Production & Gardens
• Sustainable Land Use Pledge
• School Programs and Partnerships

(more…)