SUSTAINABLE MONTCLAIR
For our community, the environment, and our climate
Sustainable Montclair is a grassroots initiative dedicated to inspiring progress towards climate positive and environmentally sustainable change. Our hope is to help the town of Montclair, NJ, lead on environmentally progressive initiatives at the local level. We welcome all to join us in this community effort.
Montclair’s Tree Canopy
Along with local residents and neighbors of Woodman Field, Sustainable Montclair tried to save a grove of 21 healthy mature Oaks from being felled to make way for an artificial turf baseball field. Learn more about that effort here.
Our advocacy work continues as we push Montclair to adopt stronger ordinances and policies to protect and increase the town’s shade tree canopy. To date Montclair has not updated their shade tree ordinance despite a critical need. More info here.
Synthetic Turf = Plastic Pollution
Plastic grass is not a sustainable choice and poses a threat to the environment. It is an impervious surface and creates heat islands. Sustainable Montclair actively advocates for both reducing and eliminating the use of artificial turf. Read our op-ed about the need for a moratorium here. Learn what pediatric environmental health experts say about this petrochemical product here.
Sustainable Yards
Make your yard a pollinator oasis while nurturing biodiversity, native plants, and sustainable gardening practices.
Goodbye Gas-powered Leaf Blowers
In 2023, the Montclair Township Council took an enormous step in protecting public health, the environment, and climate by putting an end to the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in our community. This is significant progress towards more sustainable landscaping practices and cleaner air.
Get Involved!
TOP TEN REASONS TO START ATTENDING TOWN MEETINGS
10 - You can’t sleep at night knowing that the 2025 budget has an “Other Expenses” line that jumped 21% in one year. Nobody will explain what that is unless you ask. At a meeting. Into a microphone.
9 - You understand that ecocide and environmental injustice happens one small local decision at a time. And those trees can’t get themselves to Town Council, so you go.
8 - You like catching typos: The town projects it will need $125 million by 2029 — up from $108 million today. That is not a typo.
7- You learn new words for things. Like “unitasker.” And you didn’t know we have plow trucks from 1988 and spent 300K on a new log truck.
6 - Your life is busy enough but what happens at these meetings impacts your life.
5 - You may not have an opinion about Lackawanna but you have one about paying $400 for new tires because of an unfilled pothole and another one about the 100+ residents erroneously hit with sidewalk violations.
4 - You have opinions about stuff and you are tired of keeping them to yourself. See #5.
3 - You want to meet neighbors who care. Who really care.
2 - You get to externalize all your feelings about affordability and gentrification onto local government, where they belong.
1 - Nobody is coming to save this town. That’s not pessimism— it’s an invitation. The article linked here is Our Town. Want change? Attend Town Meetings. You are not nobody.
Learn more here.