WRITTEN BY ALEX DAVIS

Thursday, July 26, 2012 01:00 am
STONE HARBOR – This borough is going greener.

On July 17, Borough Council unanimously approved the creation of a volunteer group named Go Green Community.

“We are very excited to present this new volunteer organization in the borough of Stone Harbor to help further our proactive efforts at being a ‘green’ community,” said Stone Harbor Councilwoman Karen Lane, who also heads council’s utility committee. “This new volunteer organization will work to create many new environmental initiatives in the borough that will help us keep Stone Harbor a beautiful place to live and visit for generations to come.”

Members of Go Green Community include Alan Kaplan, Patti DiMarco-Sheston, Larry Kratzer, Stone Harbor Public Works director Gregory Sheeran, Stone Harbor utilities inspector Chuck McIlvaine, island supervisor Joe Hughes. Stone Harbor public information officer Scott Wahl will serve as an adviser to the committee, while Lane will act as a liaison to the Borough Council.

The special committee will advise the mayor, council and administration. The first meeting will be held in August.

One of the main conservation initiatives for Go Green Community will be with the use of water. Earlier this year, Borough Council implemented new policies to reduce the amount of water that the public uses. Every community in the state of New Jersey has to follow the guidelines of a water allocation permit established by the state Department of Environmental Protection or face possible fines to excessive water use, according to a press release from Stone Harbor.

‘Even during the excessive heat of a summertime at the Jersey Shore, residents and businesses can still have green, healthy lawns and gardens while greatly reducing the amount of water that they use,” Lane said. “Stone Harbor’s efforts to reduce our use of water have worked well but we still need the cooperation of everyone in our community to follow the program and remain within the limits of our state permit.”

For more information, see www.stone-harbor.nj.us or contact the Stone Harbor Department of Public Works at 368-7311.