Hope Township NJ Environmental Commission

10/12/2026

🎃 Any other suggestions to make this 👻 Halloween a little greener?

♻️🎃 Have a GREEN HALLOWEEN 🎃♻️

✨ Give your wallet, and the environment, a break this Halloween and avoid overconsumption on decor. Make an effort to purchase items you can reuse year after year like wooden or metal signs and avoid shopping for trends.

🎃 Pumpkins and gourds are also great zero-waste decorations as they are fully biodegradable. When Halloween is over you can compost your pumpkin, or even better, roast the seeds and use the insides for a pie!

👻 Reuse old clothing to make a scarecrow, witch or ghost. Stuff the clothing with newspaper or old pillow filling and tie it off with twine to give it shape. You can also reuse other household materials and get creative to make things such as cardboard tombstones, recycled paper bats and tin can lanterns.

🤝 Together, we can make this Halloween a little greener, one spooky step at a time. Let’s celebrate with less waste and more creativity—because the scariest thing would be not caring for our planet!

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

10/07/2026

Congratulations to our own Hope Environmental Commissioner Sarah Hare on receiving a New Jersey Highlands Coalition WIlma Frey Volunteer Award for leading a successful campaign in 18 of Warren County's 22 municipalities to adopt Warren County Commissioner James Kern's draft ordinance prohibiting data centers!!!

10/05/2026

A $500,000 federal grant will fund security upgrades at the future train station, part of a $112.5 million project to restore passenger rail service to the area by 2031.

10/04/2026

After months of abundant rainfall, we're lifting the statewide drought warning that's been in place since December 2025

✅ Most regions: returning to NORMAL
⚠️ Coastal South region: moving to drought WATCH

But let's keep up our water conservation habits! 💧

Learn more: dep.nj.gov/drought

10/04/2026

Fall migration is in full swing across the country! Many of the birds and bats that spend their breeding season in New Jersey are now heading back to their warmer winter habitats, including young animals taking their very first flights. Migration is an incredible but risky trip. These small animals rely on the stars and Earth’s magnetic field to navigate during their nighttime flights. Last night, over 800 million birds were in flight throughout the country!

You can help support their safe passage by dimming or turning off outdoor and indoor lights at night. This small action can help migrating birds and bats better navigate to their winter homes.

Learn more here: https://www.stopbirdcollisions.org/solutions-light-and-landscape/

10/04/2026

10/02/2026

Great and free programs for everyone.