Green Projects.
Green Summit NJ , the City of Summit and other local organizations' have a variety of environmental projects underway. Here are a few that are going on right now:
Trex Bags to Benches Programs
The Summit Area Green Faith Circle is currently participating in the Trex Bags to Benches program. Various houses of worship have bins for collecting clean plastic bags and stretchable plastic film products to support the recycling of plastic into composite lumber by Trex, which awards each 500 lb. donation with a bench made of recycled plastic.
Here are the current public drop-off locations for your "stretch" plastics:
United Methodist Church - 17 Kent Place Blvd., Summit
What's accepted? Clean, dry, empty stretch plastics - such as plastic grocery bags, bread bags, dry cleaning bags, ice bags, cereal bags, salt bags, plastic packing pillows, and other plastic film wraps.
Skip the Straw Summit
The City of Summit launched its "Skip the Straw" campaign on November 1, 2018. This voluntary campaign provides education to the city's restaurants and asks them to consider reducing their use of plastic straws (through options like offering straws only upon demand or finding alternative straws, such as paper ones). We can all do our part to help by requesting "no straw" when ordering a drink or trying out reusable straws (such as stainless steel or glass straws) for personal use.
Sustainable Schools
Green Summit encourages and supports Summit public schools in achieving Sustainable Jersey Schools certification. We are working with school administrators, PTOs, and other members of the community to develop school activities and programs that create more sustainable practices and increase environmental awareness in Summit schools.
Learn more at Sustainable Jersey Schools and help our school communities by visiting our Get Involved page.
Ciel Home Energy Audits
The Summit Environmental Commission has negotiated a reduced rate for home energy audits conducted by Ciel. Usually the service is $299, but for Summit residents a home energy audit is only $49.
Ciel conducts a comprehensive survey of your home's energy and identifies areas of improvement - including possible gas or water leaks, drafts which could be reducing the efficiency of your heating/cooling systems, and wasteful appliances. Over 200 of your neighbors have already completed their audits, sign up for your appointment here.