By Rebbecah Murzenski
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – Valerie Brown of the Camden County Office of Sustainability spoke about how to build a sustainable community as part of an environmental fair in Civic Hall at Camden County College on April 23.
Brown described sustainability as “recognizing our interconnectedness with each other and with the planet and working together to create a healthier, more equitable and more resilient future.” In other words, sustainability can be improved by recognizing that everyone has the ability to create a healthier and cleaner planet.
Dan Flisser, a biology professor at Camden County College, described Earth Day, which happened one day before the event, as “more than using recycling bags and turning down the temperature in your house.”
Flisser encouraged his classes to attend Brown’s event, stating, “We are educating the whole person here, not just for a career but for something that impacts everyone.”
About 20 people attended.
Brown noted Camden County has a Camden County Tool Library in Blackwood that allows anyone to borrow tools, free of charge. “It is phenomenal what you can borrow completely for free, hammers, leaf blowers, power washers and so much more,” Brown said.
Tool libraries promote sustainability by reducing resource consumption. Sustainability is also advanced because more people can practice gardening and home maintenance if they are able to borrow tools for free.
Student Kylie Zielinski said sustainability means something impactful to her. “It’s about being responsible, trying to fix things up and not trash the place for the next people. It is important that everyone does their part in making sure that the Earth is clean for one another.”
Brown said spraying pesticides on plants has several impacts. “Not only does spraying kill the bad bugs but it also kills the good bugs. And once the bad bugs come back, there are no more good bugs to take care of this problem.”
Brown also emphasized the importance of gardening and collecting seeds. “The more we save our seeds, the more adaptive they are for this area,” Brown stated. This means seeds collected from locally grown crops will allow for crops to be more adaptive for the specific region.
The Office of Sustainability offers free plants to those who are interested, Brown said. Once these plants, such as flowers and vegetables, have blossomed, seeds are able to be collected and swapped with other members of the community. Brown called this “seed sharing.”
Zielinski said, “It makes you realize how amazing nature is and how much of an impact people can have in its development.”
Brown concluded by explaining the Office of Sustainability has been working to plant native perennials in Camden County parks. Native perennials are plants that naturally grow in a specific region and live for more than two years.