Sustainable West Milford is a non-profit organization that looks to "Enable community members to transform West Milford and it's regional neighbors into an economically vibrant, environmentally friendly, and sustainable community through their personal participation and leadership."
Canning Club set to resume!
Learn to preserve all those great summer garden vegetables and fruits in a healthy, economical way. The Canning Club, organized through Sustainable West Milford, will conduct six hands-on workshops this summer. We will teach the basics of canning, freezing and/or dehydrating food, using fresh produce from the West Milford Farmer's Market.
In previous years, we've canned tomatoes, peach jam, bread and butter pickles, red cabbage, roasted veggie antipasto and we've frozen sweet corn. We look forward to sharing recipes and enjoying each other's company while getting back to basics, staying green & preserving our local food!
The Canning Club workshops will take place in the kitchen of the West Milford Presbyterian Church starting in June. Details are scheduled to be listed in the AIM, Messenger, Suburban Trends, Facebook & SWM Newsletter. Please contact Megan Fink at 585-730-9985 or mfink@milcomgroup.com with any questions or if you are interested in being added to our Canning Club list.
We hope to see you in June!
Cash Mob Updates
Our last mobbing found us on the corner of Union Valley Road and White Road, visiting the West Milford Florist.
For more than 30 years, Jill and her family have been providing the freshest, longest-lasting flowers to our community. However, the store also offers a great variety of home decor and gift items, including candles, kitchen items, greeting cards, pictures, frames, candies, cakes, potted plants, flower arrangements and, of course, cut flowers.
We all enjoyed our shopping experience. The staff is very friendly and helpful, and the visit included a gift of cut flowers, and a chance at a 10 - 50% discount on your purchase that day! I personally walked out with an armload of really great stuff! The next time you're thinking of flowers or gifts, be sure to stop by and see what this store has to offer.
After the mobbing, we all headed over to the Good Time Grill in Bearfort Plaza for the best burger in town! All the food is terrific, the service excellent, and the chocolate malt was fabulous! This may be the best place in town for an ice cream cone on a hot summer day, in a beautiful setting, and with a great playground for the kids!
What is a Cash Mob?
A cash mob is a way to support our locally-owned businesses while having fun, meeting new friends, and learning more about what you can buy here in town and why doing so can save you time, money, and strengthen our local economy.
A cash mob has three rules, and anyone can participate. You agree to: Have Fun, Meet at least one new person, and spend $20 at the selected locally owned store. That's it!
We usually go out to celebrate our successful mobbing afterwards at a nearby locally-owned restaurant or pub to infuse more money into our local economy!
When is the Next One?
Our next mobbing is scheduled for Saturday, June 1st. Meet us in the Wells Fargo parking lot (1 Marshall Hill Road) at 3:30 pm to learn what store we will mob and where we will celebrate our success. The Cash Mob is part of a joint effort between Sustainable West Milford and the West Milford Chamber of Commerce to encourage residents to "Buy Local." If you have any questions please contact Dave Watson-Hallowell at 973-853-2139.
Want to be Cash Mobbed?
What Businesses are Eligible?
- Locally owned and operated. No franchises
- Located within West Milford
- Have a wide range of items for purchase of $20 or less
What Does it Cost?
- It's free - no charge - nothing.
How Does it Work?
- Business Cards of those participating businesses are put in a hat and one drawn randomly each month.
- Participating businesses agree to promote the program each month and commit to sending at least 2 people to the event each month. (friends, family, customers, or themselves)
- Selected businesses are contacted ahead of time so they can be prepared for the mob - too much of a surprise is not a good thing!
- Mob meets at pre-determined time and location and learns what store is to be mobbed
- Shop, have fun, celebrate!
For more information, e-mail Dave, or call him at 973-853-2139. Look for additional information on the West Milford Cash Mob here, or at www.westmilford.com.
Sustainable West Milford Meeting - Genetic Roulette
The first SWM meeting of 2013 was quite enlightening, with the showing of Genetic Roulette - a shocking documentary on GMO's and how they have infiltrated our food system.
The good news is that with some effort and careful shopping you can minimize your intake of these dangerous food stuffs. Russ Bangs has compiled a great review of the film and has offered to share his notes with all.
We all enjoyed the organic NON GMO popcorn and organic juices!
For those wishing the see the film, please contact Dave at 973-853-2139 so we can schedule another showing. Or you can visit the site, see a 2 minute trailer, and download the movie for $2.99.
Opportunity for Mycoremediation
Testing by an independent environmental organization found lead and pesticides in 7 random soil samples taken from the former Wallisch Estate. More testing is scheduled (or may have already happened), and then a proposal for remediation will be submitted to the town for consideration.
This is an optimum opportunity to introduce SWM members and our town to mycoremediation - healing polluted land and water with common mushrooms. This has been amazingly successful in many highly polluted places. There is ample documentation available.
If anyone is interested in working on implementing this project, which could save the town a lot of money in remediation costs while creating awareness about the healing power of plants, please contact Robin@RobinRoseBennett.com.
Get Involved
Are you interested in getting involved with other events and programs? Is there something you'd like to make happen to bring sustainability to our town? Just interested in learning more about sustainability and living a greener lifestyle? Contact us! We would love to hear from you!