This week’s Mayor’s Message is from Harrison Township Committeeman Jeffrey Jacques
Good day.
I would like to take a moment and remind everyone how our everyday lives affect the environment and how each of us by being aware of this can do our part to make things better. Let us start with the definition of environment. The dictionary lists it as, “Relating to the natural world and the impact of human activity on its condition.”
In the natural course of our daily lives we do many activities. We get up first thing in the morning, go to the bathroom, take a shower, get dressed, make coffee, have breakfast. We then head off for our daily commute to work, perhaps take a bus to school. If you’re a farmer, then it’s off to the fields. Some moms and dads who work from home are taking care of children and completing daily household chores, such as washing clothes or dishes, preparing meals, running errands, putting out the garbage, house cleaning and a whole host of other tasks. On the weekends there are additional activities such as mowing the lawn, spring cleaning, planting flowers, shrubs or trees depending on the season. The list grows even larger if we add in activities that take place at school or work. Now let’s take a moment and think about all those activities from a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly perspective. Next, multiply that by how many people we have in our town, our county and our state.
Wow! that is a pretty big, huh? So what processes and programs do we have in place at home, at school, at work, in our township, our county and our state that ensure we are being good stewards of the environment? And do we participate in them? Recycling is a very big one and the great thing is recycling programs exist in our schools, in our workplaces, in our township and at the county and the state levels. We just have to be aware of them and participate. To learn more on how you can be a good steward of the environment, check out the Harrison Township Environmental Commission. Our Commission is listed on Township web page under “Boards and Commissions.” You can also attend one of our monthly meetings. They occur the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the courtroom of our municipal building. Have a great summer and be a friend to the environment by being aware!
