Sustainable Blairstown

The Godlewski Family in Great Meadows has run their family farm for generations

Unlike many parts of New Jersey, Blairstown and the surrounding communities have deep roots in agriculture that are not quite ready to give way. Please join us at 11 a.m., August 21^st at the Blairstown Farmers Market to listen in on a series of interviews with regional farmers as they share their stories about farming the land of Warren County.

From third generation farmers working hundreds of acres, to novice farmers squeezing every thing possible out of a small plot of land, you will hear differing perspectives on what it takes to be a farmer in 2010 and the importance of preserving this long-held tradition. Among the interviews given that day will be Mr. Bob Best of Best’s Fruit Farm, Hackettstown; Patty Godlewski of Godlewski Farms, Great Meadows; Lou Pittenger of Pittenger Farms, Andover; and Patti Doell of Little Big Farm, Blairstown.

The interviews will be recorded and posted on this website in order to preserve this important knowledge for future generations on the history and culture that is uniquely ours. There will be time for questions on the day of the interviews, but if you would like to submit topics of discussion ahead of time, please email Kevin.Doell@gmail.com.

The Farmers Market is located on Route 521 in Blairstown, just north of the Fire Department and across from the Blairstown Elementary School. Please join us.

Pitch in to customize the Blairstown "My Map"

Sustainable Blairstown is currently working on a Community Asset Mapping Project and needs your help.

Community Asset Mapping provides a collective inventory of the positive and valued aspects of a community, including places, institutions, programs, and people. In doing so, it also provides the foundation for assessing gaps and making improvements. Asset begins to answer the question “Where are we now?” and helps community members to think positively about the place in which they live and work. It also challenges residents to recognize how other people see and experience the same community. By identifying community assets, communities can better understand how to build on these important community resources to sustain and enhance future generations.

Sustainable Blairstown members are working on dual path approach to mapping our community: a customized Google “My Map” and a written “Report of findings.” Read on to see how you can help.

Be a cartographer with using Google “My Map”

Thanks to the brilliant software developers at Google, Sustainable Blairstown members were able to begin building a custom map of Blairstown that features overlays of those aspects of our community that are truly special. We invite you to be a collaborator on that map by following the link to the map and adding your thoughts as to what should be highlighted in our community for all the world to see.

First watch the Google tutorial on “My Maps” and then help us make our map reflect all that’s great about our town by directly collaborating on the Blairstown map itself.

Drop a Comment for our “Report of Findings”

As part of the mapping project, Sustainable Blairstown members interviewed residents at the Footbridge Park Forth of July Celebration and at the local farmers market to gauge their thoughts on the community’s assets. Based upon the interviews, Sustainable Blairstown member Laura Corio worked up a report of our findings. We invite community members to tell us what they think about the community by answering the questions below:

• What’s so great about Blairstown?
• What could make Blairstown a better place to live?

Let us know your thoughts!

BLAIRSTOWN, N.J. (March 12, 2010) – The Blairstown Township Committee adopted the “Blairstown-Sustainable-Land-Use-Resolution” at its February meeting in what was another step towards its certification in the “Sustainable Jersey” program. Sponsored by the Sustainable Blairstown Committee, the resolution affirms the Township’s intent to support sustainable, smart growth land-use policies as it looks to the future of Blairstown. The full text of the resolution can be found here.

“We recognize that land-use is an essential component of overall sustainability for a community,” said Blairstown Mayor Richard Mach. “Well planned land-use can help us preserve the historical character of our township. As always, the Committee members continuously pursue ideas and initiatives that add to the quality of life for the Township’s residents.”

The resolution identifies specific areas where the Township will strive to handle municipal land-use decisions with the intent of making Blairstown a more sustainable community. The intent is to incorporate the principles when considering the next master plan revision, which is slated to be undertaken by the Township Planning Board in the coming year.

“We feel the resolution works well with the spirit of our Master Plan that addresses the needs of our community while recognizing the importance of economic vitality,” said Planning Board Chair Herman Shoemaker.  “The resolution addresses such topics as facilities siting, housing variety, natural resource preservation, land use, and green building design. It will be another tool we can use to assist us in the planning process and in formulating recommendations offered to the Township Committee.”

One of the important action items called for in the resolution is for the Township to update its 2006 Environmental Resources Inventory (ERI). In response, the Blairstown Environmental Commission will be working on updating the document, which is currently available online at the Blairstown Township Web site, http://www.blairstown-nj.org.

“The resolution calls attention to the importance of making land-use decisions that balance economic, environmental, and societal needs,” said Kevin Doell, Chair of the Sustainable Blairstown Committee and Vice Chair of the Blairstown Environmental Commission. “We must always work to strike the right balance and to provide the highest possible quality of life for all residents.”

Sustainable Blairstown is an initiative of the Blairstown Environmental Commission as it pursues the Sustainable Jersey certification program. Developed in partnership with the NJ League of Municipalities, Rutgers University, The College of New Jersey, the NJ DEP and the NJ BPU, the Sustainable Jersey program enables municipalities to tailor their sustainability action plans to the needs and interests of the local community. To date, the Sustainable Blairstown Committee organized a body of community volunteers, sponsored the “Buy Local for the Holidays” campaign last year and established an online local business directory. The committee is currently developing plans for an outreach and education initiative in recognition of the April Earth Day celebration.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Sustainable Blairstown Committee, contact Kevin Doell at Kevin.Doell@gmail.com. To sign up for an html newsletter fill out our contact form.

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!

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!

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.

The Environmental Commission will be sharing a table with the Foodshed Alliance during the July 4th Celebration at Footbridge Park. Stop by to learn more about Sustainable Blairstown.