It was a spring evening and we had just finished dinner. Excited about the warmer air that would bring more garden opportunities in the coming days, our conversations moved from spring plantings to tools needed for soil preparation. Speaking of soil, I remembered that I needed to take the food waste from the last couple of

Read more: Composting is Nature’s Way of Recycling and A Way to Reduce Garbage

It was a beautiful early spring morning. A mild overnight temperature allowed us to keep our windows open to enjoy the fresh air and the promise of the approaching garden season. I took a deep breath as the rays of sunlight entered the kitchen. The air was fresh, cool and moist as it filled my lungs. Right on cue another sensory

Read more: Chicken Adventure

The Borough of Merchantville - The Borough, mayor, council and support staff are all committed to a more sustainable Merchantville and are proud to be a Sustainable Jersey bronze certified community. We support the many residents and volunteers who promote and model sustainable action in our community.

The Borough of Merchantville - The Borough, mayor, council and support staff are all committed to a more sustainable Merchantville and are proud to be a Sustainable Jersey bronze certified community. We support the many residents and volunteers who promote and model sustainable action in our community.

  • Contact: Denise Brouse, Borough Clerk
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
  • FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/Merchantville
  • Merchantville Borough: https://www.merchantvillenj.gov

Market Off Centre - A volunteerbased and community-run monthly market supporting and promoting local farmers, crafters, artists, and more. The season runs every first Friday, May - October from 5pm - 8pm, with a new special holiday market happening in mid-November.

  • Contacts: Janeen Hovnanian, Carolyn Busa, Katherine Carpenter, Jaimee Solar, Diana Funk and Amanda Falkiewicz
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Where: On The Mile, between Eclipse Brewery and The Station Coffee

The Merchantville Green Team Working towards a more sustainable and resilient Merchantville, we are powered by committed volunteers, supported by our local government, and partners with neighboring communities and Sustainable Jersey to build a better future. 

  • Leader: Dorothy Foley
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • FaceBook: www.facebook.com/groups/447786962071621
  • Meetings: Every 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 p.m., at Eclipse Brewing

Junior Green Team - Focus is on educating and engaging the school community on actions that teach and inspire change in all areas of environmental sustainability. Students meet to discuss the importance of being environmentally responsible and work on projects that foster a closer connection to nature and each other.

  • Leader: Sherry Ianucci, Merchantville Elementary School (MES)
  • Email: sThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Incredible Edible Merchantville - Nurturing environmental land stewardship in Merchantville through small actions that connect our community through the creation of edible landscapes that promote and support a culture of healthy living, food security and a sustainable future. “Creating a kind, confident and connected community through the power of food.” ~ Pam Warhurst, founder of Incredible Edible movement

  • Leader: Joan Brennan
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • FaceBook: www.facebook.com/iemerchantville
  • Website: merchantville.com/eco/stewardship
  • Instagram: www.instagram.com/ie_merchantville
  • Twitter:  twitter.com@iemerchantville 
  • Meetings: Every 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 p.m., at Eclipse Brewing

Junior Garden Club - Student gardeners take care of their own garden plot at the Merchantville Community Garden. They learn how to weed, plant cover crops, vegetables, and flowers and the importance of pollinators and soil health for a healthy garden.  

  • Leader: Jennifer Smith, Merchantville Elementary School (MES)
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Merchantville Garden Club - Members plant, water, and maintain public garden spaces throughout the borough including along the walking path, in Morrissey and Wellwood Parks, and hanging baskets and streetside planters in commercial areas. Hosts spring Plant Swap. 

  • Contact: Kerry Mentzer / Kerry Miller 
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • FaceBook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081751542053
  • Meetings: As needed ad hoc in spring for planning

Merchantville OnlineA community focused web site for the Borough of Merchantville containing news, information and on-line community capabilities since 1997. It supports organizations, businesses, residents and the municipality. The website's "Eco" category is dedicated to publishing articles and promoting education about environmentally-friendly and sustainable living activities in our community.

  • Contact: Joan Brennan
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Website: www.merchantville.com/eco

The Merchantville Shade Tree Commission - The Commission is a volunteer organization that plants and maintains all trees in Merchantville that are between the curb and sidewalk or within the borough right of way areas without sidewalks as well as public trees in parks or on municipal property. It also reviews all resident applications for work on borough trees including planting, trimming, and removal and administers the Memorial Tree Program.

  • Commission members: Alice Diamond, Lynn Geddes, Alexis Degan, John Feldan, Pearson Barlow
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Webpage: www.merchantvillenj.gov/shade-tree-commission

Merchantville Business Association - The Merchantville Business and Professional Association (MBPA) aims to promote, advocate for, and empower local downtown businesses.  

Merchantville Organic Community Garden - A community garden on the grounds of the Merchantville Community Center, providing plots to residents and the Merchantville Elementary School for organic gardening. The area includes a three-bin composting system, native pollinator habitat, and native pawpaw fruit trees. We donate excess produce to local food pantries. 

  • Contacts: Kerry Mentzer / Dorothy Foley
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • FaceBook: www.facebook.com/groups/831063600789182

Public Events Committee - The Merchantville Public Events Committee strives to create engaging events for the community. Comprised of residents, the committee operates in tandem with Borough officials to offer a robust calendar of events for residents and visitors including the annual Holiday Parade, Easter Egg Hunt, Town Wide Yard Sale, and Merchantville’s famous “Monsterville” events in October. Reach out to Sean if you are interested in volunteering.  

  • Contact: Sean Fitzgerald
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Merchantville Backyard Chickens - Local residents of Merchantville and Pennsauken learn about the joys of backyard chickens, exchanging tips on feed, housing, fresh eggs, insect control, garden benefits and more

  • Leader: Jaclyn Ricci
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • FaceBook: www.facebook.com/groups/MerchantvilleBackyardChickens

Diversity Committee - Diversity Committee (MDC) is a quasi-governmental body dedicated to connecting and supporting neighbors, businesses, and institutions to shape Merchantville into a community of greater diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

  • Leader: Ruby Delarosa
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Meetings: On the first Thursday of the month, 7:00 p.m., Borough Hall, 1st floor conference room. 

Love in Motion Youth Group - A secular youth volunteer group that brings young people together to give back and be a part of something bigger than themselves. We create opportunities for kids to do charitable work and address community needs. All kids are welcome to be part of a diverse and open-minded group with the intention of learning about one another and being the change we hope to see in the world. We have at least one volunteer opportunity a month.

  • Leaders: Christina Aman / Kristin Fitzgerald
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • FaceBook: www.facebook.com/loveinmotionyouthgroup

Scouts - The troops participate in an active outdoor program where the goal is to have one activity a month whether it be camping, community service, or just a day trip. The scouts learn leadership, citizenship, and organizational skills while having a great time with friends. The troops are chartered by the American Legion Post 68. The boys and girls troops meet separately and are open to all kids ages 11-18.

  • Scoutmaster: Shawn Waldron
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Website: https://sites.google.com/view/troop119nj
  • Girls Troop Meetings: Tuesday nights, 7:15-9:00 p.m., at Trinity United Methodist
  • Boys Troop meets Thursday, 7:15-9:00 p.m., at Trinity United Methodist

At a little more than a mile, many of you have strolled, jogged, or ridden your bikes along this paved trail, which is laid over railroad tracks that was once the Camden & Burlington Railroad. But did you know that the Merchantville Mile is part of a much larger network of trails that, when complete, will encompass some 800 miles across

Read more: “The Merchantville Mile” - A Small But Key Segment of the Circuit Trails Network

Merchantville resident and entrepreneur Patrick Coar, 27, has turned his passion for living simply and his talent for design into a career converting all sorts of vans, and even a bus, into tiny homes on wheels. He has created a booming business doing what he loves and believes in. Best of all, he makes it a routine to spend time

Read more: Home (On Wheels) is Where the Heart Is

This is the second issue of Sustainable Merchantville, a publication highlighting efforts by our town – its Council, organizations, and residents – to make Merchantville a sustainable community. Sustainability means meeting the environmental, social, and economic needs of our community today in a way that considers the impact on future generations. Because of all the good work happening in our beautiful little borough, Merchantville continues to be recognized as a certified and bronze-awarded Sustainable Jersey community. (Learn more about Sustainable Jersey at www.sustainablejersey.com.)

Read more: Welcome to Sustainable Merchantville - A Small Community with a Big Commitment

When was the last time you passed by a meadow filled with flowers and plants in their natural habitat? You may soon experience such a sight at the Merchantville Community Center. The Green Team is seeking approval from the Borough Council to dedicate a section of lawn at the Community Center as a meadow, returning it to

Read more: Beautify Merchantville While Saving Costs: Create a Meadow

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