Earth Day Special: 10 Ways to be Green in Fair Lawn

Friday is Earth Day, the perfect time to remind Fair Lawn residents that this borough offers many opportunities to be environmentally conscious and get involved in green causes or activities. Here are 10 ways to accomplish that through local government and business:

GOVERNMENT:

1. Fair Lawn's Green Team Advisory Committee—founded by current Mayor Lisa Swain—meets monthly at Borough Hall. According to its mission statement, the Green Team "is committed to work with the Mayor, Council, other Borough Committees and citizens to maintain a vital and beneficial community. This shall be achieved through the implementation of environmental practices and initiatives which will provide a healthy and sustainable Borough and enhance the quality of life for our citizens and their associations."

2. The borough's Environmental Commission meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in room B-5 of the Municipal Building.

3. You can get involved with the Garden Committee, which organizes the , as well as the Community Garden Committee, which has been working to at Sampson Park on Sampson Road for apartment dwellers who do not otherwise have space to plant.

4. Attend a monthly meeting of the Open Space Committee, which has the following stated goals on its webpage:

• To inventory all open space in the Borough and identify existing utilized space which may be converted to open space in the future.

• Research and identify sources of funding such as grants or low interest loans to be utilized to obtain, preserve and maintain open space.

• Examine the uses of exiting open space and make recommendations as to the appropriateness of such utilization for recreation, parks, or passive uses of such space.

• Review the use of open space in relationship to its surrounding environs to determine the appropriateness of such utilization.

• Take into consideration an overview of existing utilizations, potential utilizations, potential acquisition, change of utilizations, if applicable, for the entire municipality.

5. Fair Lawn also has a Shade Tree Advisory Committee.

6. Recycle properly by checking out the official Fair Lawn Recycling Information. The borough also participates in the Clean Communities Program.

7. Groups or individuals can volunteer to help maintain the cleanliness of borough parks through the 's Adopt-A-Park Program.

BUSINESSES

8. , at 13-09 Saddle River Road, is owned and operated by the Paeks, a husband and wife who opened the store in 1991. Inside the shop you will find a greenhouse with flowers for all occasions including weddings, anniversaries and funerals, as well as balloons, plants, stuffed animals and cards. 

9. , at 5-16 Saddle River Road, has been selling garden supplies to both retail and wholesale customers since 1980. A colorful array of plants, trees, shrubs and flowers are sold there along with everything needed to feed, weed and seed. Novice gardeners are encouraged to stop in with their questions and come away with some new ideas.

10. Center Stage Productions, at 20-10 Maple Ave., create promotional environments ranging from seasonal décor and modular barricades for retail centers, commercial and public spaces, to corporate trade show exhibits and events. Barricades Ltd, a division of Center Stage Productions, has created a modular barricade system for shopping centers and malls that "redefines how good a vacancy can look with a barricade system in place," according to the company's website. The barricade system is constructed from recycled materials.