Gje/Rrtnt' FAIL/Wiiiter 200R
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gJe/rrtnt' FAIL/WIiITER 200r. VOTUMEVII NUMBER8 EIFIC'UGlHT Tc' YC'U EIY THE BELMAFI ENVIFIC)NMENTAL CC'MMISiSIclN INSIDETHIS ISSUE It's Never Been Easier to Go Solar! By Dr, Himanshu Nigam SunLit Systems New Jersey =-l o o o . o tj w Alwayswanted to do somethingfor the environmentbut felt that it wasbeyond w an individualto makeany impact?The time hascome when you can do your NewBEC Members. 2"'/lf,part. By installinga Solar Photovoltaic(PV) system you generateyour own 'rl/,, electricityfrom the sun andreduce your dependenceon electricityproduced by ii burningfossil fuels. This not onlycuts pollutionfrom the powerplants but also you savesyou moneyby reducingyour energy bills. Thank AT&T sii Currently,New Jersey is offeringone of the best incentivesanywhere in the U.S. to installrenewable energy solutions for yourhome or business.These systems will enableyou or your organizationto produceyour own renewableelectricity Eco-FriendlyBulbs 3i' - l): while helpingprotect the environmentand reducingstrain on the grid :-r:. (existingelectric transmission and distribution systems). Apart from solarthe it;t programsupports a varietyof technologies,such as smallwind, and sustainable FreeNature Walks 4,tiabiomassequipment, such as fuelcells. ffi With these special rebatesfrom NJCEPand other incentivesavailable to -talendar T{1 residents,now is the best time to makea moveto cleanerenergy. of i;7: 5ryj llow does it work? ,.n SolarPV systems are electronic systems that takethe lightfrop the sun and convertit to electricitythat can be usedin your home.lt is a non-polluting energysource and is recognizedas a majorrenewable energy technology for the 6?:1,future.A photovoltaicsystem has no movingparts, is silent and requires minimalmaintenance. A typicalsystem consists of a set of solar panelsinstalled on the roof a few inchesabove the surface.These panels are thin platesthat area few squarefeet \Recycling Info 712 \ in size. When sunlightfalls on these panelsit produceselectricity that is \ convertedby a smallelectronic device called an inverter.These inverters feed .i1't:l:4/ifui#!!li;y:!/j(j,ffirtffl/li/,i.|!) ::;t:ti;iiljft/hlffif11,.raffi the solarelectricity to your houseand in caseof over-production,the excessin sentto the gridcausing your electric meter to actuallyrun backwards! Theamount of electricityproduced from the solarpanels depends on the angle of the roof and its orientation.ln NewJersey, a Southfacing roof with 3O-4O degreeinclination is the best. lf you haveshadow-free roof spacefacing in the east,west or southdirection, you mightqualify for a rebate-fundedSolar System. Rebates and Net Metering NewJersey, through its CleanEnergy Program (NJCEP), is offeringincentives This ncwslcttcr to homeownersand businessesthat install solar electricsystems. These printcdon rccydcdpapcr. includerebates up to 7Ooloof the cost or $5.50 perwatt of the installedsystem, whicheveris lower.Apart from thesehigh rebates, users can also sell their Solar- RenewableEnergy Credits (S-RECs) in the open marketto addto their savings. (continued on page 4) Fi.ra\ 2 BelmarEGOWATCH OFALI.IIfVINTER 2OO4 Freecycling: GreatStuff for Free! You've heardof recycling,and maybe even pre-cycling.But now there's freecvclins.It's a gieatnew way to get rid of itemsyou no Iongerneed, find some-thingn6w, or simp[y help the environmentand the local communlty. TOYOU ISBROUGHT There are more than a thousandFreecycle groups around the globe, BYTHE up asonline forums BEwnnEruvRotittrlellTAL CoMMlssloN includingone in MonmouthCounty, NJ. They areset for comfrunitymembers to link tobther communitymembers in an effort The BEC meets on the 2nd ThursdaY of to recyclethings. Think of E-Bay without any cost. the month at 8 p.m. in Borough Hall. We of filling the landfills,Freecyclehelps you connectto someone welcomeyour ideas. Instead who probablywants what Youhave.Member's aie free to post any sort of to furnitureto old sinks.The onlv rule is it hasto be Belmar Environmental Commission: obieits, from CDs ,iVlerryBrennan, Chair free. Carol Davies If Vou'relooking to acquiresomething, respond to the postingdirectly / Chris Hoffman anil work out the-pickupdetails with the personposting the item. Melissa KaPlan Becky Krikorian Check out the original Arizona-based Freecycle site at Pe$€YO'Connor www.freecycle.orgor ioii the localMonmouth County group throu-ghits Thea Sheridan websiteat http://gro"ups.yahoo.com/group/freecycle-eastern-monmouth-nj/ Joanne Gray @ Mike Mixon, Alternates John Szeliga Council Liaison BECWelcomes New Members Thanks to: TheBEC soid goodbye to our numberone noturolist Chorles (Bud) Doyle, who resigned Richard T. Lvnch becousehe is now"livingfull time in Florido.We will misshis involuoble odvice, greot.noture and Council -stories. Mayor Ken Pringle frcursond entertoininq We olsowont to expressour deepoppreciotion to Joonne Robbin Kirk Groy,who hossteppJ downfrom full membershlpto olternotestotus, lor yTi: "l Plummer l"l.roly Ma€aret a-Jiihi"","*rgfliii !"p"rtir..rh"" U"jht'q"e h"ti*d moke Belmor o much berer ploce to live! We,reolsoexcrtedioffiGrstFreeresidents*hohouebeenoctive qnd Annette Ber$,ins ""["te*r ;',ttitt'" gf- lor thelost couple of yeors:Melisso Koplon, Peggy O'Connor Joyce Ciallella TheoSheridon. Bob O'Connor mJirii,'of BriorwoodRood, eorned o B.S.degree in EnvironmentolScience from Cook Joel DeFalco Colleqe,Ruqters UniversiV. Shet worked in thee-nvironmentol field both with Kevin LYnch ^"i i "ri""t consultinoiirr. ond is currentlyemployed os o highschool scie Andy Meuerle through and the Public Works DePartment "r"*il"r- *J irpi"*"ntingbeoch cleon-ups, noture wolks ond si'renceenrichment ;;:;;%;lt iUr.j".it" ho",b""n o membeioi theBelmor community ond involved with ofthe community gorden. In her free This newsletterwas preparedwith the aid fh"""#tilrh; ;;if"r;yeor;onJ i, o proudmember hikingond biking. Tiweling hos token of a grant from the NJ DePartment of ;;"; M"kt; [11!|l"'69Jrdoors in noturekoyoking, Protection' Office of Inter- her-p;;;;,worldwide to porticipotein science reseorch. Environmental volunteerond governmental Affairs and the Environmental ;iO.ion ,q"*ue,got involved with the BEC, os on Adopt-o-Spot BEC.prolects.ln Services Program' **;fii,'h;ifitr" runrhe prigror. Sh-e.h91olso worked on,mony other oJjitio",'ttt"Ll1i1t""r, ot the'Mo"nosquon Visiting Nurse Thrift Shop, it o Friendo[ the Belmor Llil; ondhos b""n o.iuu [or.n"orly 20 yeors'withBelmor's St' Pokick's Doy, Porode'. For "reol', TETEPHONENUMBERS th;'Ni; bJt ii "*rr, ti",. iobhos been os o photogropherforPortroits.by Michoel of Woll, IMPORTANT ;"h.-;{Jl"i nrrU".i, bob,hou" lived in'Belmir since l9Z6 ond hove three children, Police,Fire, First Aid..,..".732'68.| -l700 ii#, " N;*J'l"rt Oifi*r 2ndstotioned onthe oircroft corrier USS John F. Kennedr intlrl Orttn"or lroq; Kot,t DrewUniversity groduote with her Mosters inMovement Theropy; ond Officeof Recylcing .......'..732-681 -2705 Bond' iJ, o ,"nior'otNj[ N;;[. ond6 iip", inthe Friendly Sons of the Shillelogh Pipe Dept.of Public Works ......732'681-0452 Thevolso hove two grondchildren, Somontho, 3, ond.Quinn, 1, ondtwo cots.P"ggy" Morino....... .'732-681-2266lo#i"i-il"; include.olle.iing porode bodges ond building dollhouses ond^furniture. resourceond volunteer lor theBEC [or,severol yeors. 1-3 893 ;iD itLt, hor"U*no terrifiJ Court/Vio|0tions............,.732'68A l;;-";il ;";,d;# li MonrouthCounti she hqs lived in Belmorfor the.lost,11 ,yeors. BuildingDeportment ..'..".732-681'1 141 fr"il;;';";;"J ri.tr"rr"".n rriu"r'u"ck os o groduoteo[,st. Rgse.Hish s-chool'^.she oroduotedfrom Williom ond Mory with o B.A.ond Rutger's Eogleton Institute with on M'A', Librory .'.'....'732-681'0775 Her #h;ilttt;;i *i"r.;. ih" .r""ntly isemployed by theGeneiol Assembly inTrenton. governmentlssues' lneo BelmorElementory School .'732-68,|-2388 or"o, ol expertiseore environmentol,ogriculfurol, housing ond locol ExecutiveOffices ..,...'......732'68 1-3700 enioysreoding, wolking ond biking. Artists and Art Loverc CHOOSEECO-IRIENDLY Wanted TIGHTBULBS By Tim McCorry, Chair Want an easy way to savemoney and energy'athome? 'a Belmar Arts Council Itls as simple as screwing in new light bulb - a compactfluorescent, that is! If you care about the arts - the Belmar Arts Council wants you! Most homes use ordinary incandescentbulbs, which convert electricity to light by heating a filament. We are looking for new members who want Problemis, the technologyhasn't changed much since to help clevelop a vibrant arts scene by Thomas Edison, and they are incredibly inefficient - supporting ancl coordinating local artists, art only aboutl07o of the electricityproduces visible light; venues ancl events throughout the the restturns into heat.(With halogentorchieres the heat community. We have been busy preparing producedis so extremethat the ConsumerProduct Safety surueys to cletermine community needs ancl Commissioncited thesecheap lamps as a safetyhazard.) help in forming our mission statement. (Please Compact fluorescentbulbs aTeup to 10 times more complete and return the enclosed survey; we efficient.Replacing just one 75-wattincandescent bulb value your input!) with an 18-wattcompact fluorescent will saveabout 570 kilowatt-hoursof electricity.That means, We are also embarking upon an exciting in a typical mix of fuels used to produce electricity,just effort to upgracle the Belmar Elementary one compact fluorescentwill eliminate the burning of 300 School auditorium as our "flagship"performing poundsof coal.Over the life of the compactfluorescent ans venue. - which