Option Green is a free lecture series exploring local to global environmental topics. Option Green is co-sponsored with the East Brunswick Public Library. All programs begin at 7pm at the East Brunswick Public Library. Admission is free.
The Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission and East Brunswick Public Library have been awarded a 2017 Environmental Achievement Award by the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) for their jointly sponsored Option Green lecture series.
Have a suggestion for an Option Green program? Send us an email at friends.ebec@gmail.com.
Climate change is already a life-or-death issue in some parts of the world. Learn about efforts in Zimbabwe to help rural farmers adjust their practices to deal with it. Tait Chirenje, professor of environmental science & sustainability at Stockton University, will discuss the results of a four-year effort in a virtual program. Learn more and register.
Jan. 13 N.J. State Climatologist Dave Robinson Kicks Off 2021 Option Green Series
East Brunswick Public Library kicks off 2021 with the first virtual program in the new “Option Green: Climate Change & Community” environmental education initiative. The first program in the series is a discussion of the PBS documentary, “Decoding the Weather Machine” with New Jersey State Climatologist David A. Robinson on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 7:30 pm. The documentary explores how scientists and researchers have been working to understand weather and climate better. The documentary can be viewed in advance of the program via www.pbs.org, or the DVD can be reserved with a library card from any Middlesex County public library. Read more
Winter-Spring Virtual Film Festival
Four films focusing on climate change and its impact will be featured in the East Brunswick Public Library’s first-ever virtual film festival beginning with the National Geographic documentary, Chasing Ice, Jan. 19-20. The Option Green Virtual Film Festival is part of the ongoing partnership between the library and the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission. The films will be available for online screening. The film series is funded by the American Library Association's "Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change" pilot program. Read more
Past Events
September 4, 2019 - Wild New Jersey - Nature Adventures in the Garden State: David Wheeler will lead the audience on a journey through the diverse wildlife, nature destinations, and exciting outdoor activities offered in New Jersey. From bald eagles and bobcats to diamondback terrapins and bottlenose dolphins, wildlife abounds in New Jersey.
June 5, 2019 - Strangers in the Night: Moths in Your Backyard: Join ecologist Elena Tartaglia for a hosrt talk highlighting the fascinating and important roles of moths in the environment.
March 29, 2018 - East Brunswick’s Butterflies from Azure to Zabulon (and some moths too!): David Moskowitz, PhD will present a fun, photo-filled program on the Butterflies of East Brunswick and the East Brunswick Township-wide Butterfly Survey initiated in 2017. East Brunswick has a rich butterfly (and moth) fauna owing to its diverse habitats that range from the expansive pinelands of Jamesburg Woods, to the large meadows of Heavenly Farms, to the vast freshwater tidal marshes of Keystone Park along the South River, plus forested wetlands, streams, and even beautifully planted yards. Come enjoy an evening of dazzling butterflies and moths that is sure to surprise everyone by what is in our town! David has lived in East Brunswick for nearly 30 years, raising three children, and constantly exploring the wilds of our town. He is Chairman of the Environmental Commission and President of the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission. He received his PhD in Entomology from Rutgers University, as well as a Masters from NJIT, and a BA from George Washington University. Dr. Moskowitz was instrumental in creating the Butterfly Park, Community Garden and the Salamander project. He is also the co-founder of National Moth Week, a global Citizen Science program focused on moths that was started in East Brunswick from local moth nights. He also created the Facebook group Bug Addiction – Confessions of a Bug Addict. Dr. Moskowitz has published on a wide variety of natural history and entomological topics in peer-reviewed journals and popular outlets. His insect photographs have also been used in many social media groups and in journals and magazines including on the cover of American Entomologist four times. Dr. Moskowitz was also listed by Untamed Science as an “Entomologist Worth Following” for his entomology social media footprint. David is also an amateur beekeeper with two hives.
March 6, 2018: Bag It: Is Your Life Too Plastic documentary screening: Americans use 60,000 plastic bags every five minutes - single-use disposable bags that we mindlessly throw away. But where is away? Where do the bags and other plastics end up and at what cost to our environment, marine life, and human health? Bag It follows every man Jeb Berrier as he navigates our plastic world. Are plastic bags really necessary? What are plastic bags made from? What happens to plastic bags after they are discarded?
February 13, 2018: Chasing Coral Movie Screening and Discussion: Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world. The screening will be followed with a discussion led by Liti Haramaty of Rutgers University. Liti is a marine scientist who is studying, among other things, the effect of global climate change on coral physiology.
Wednesday, November 28: What's that Rock?: From its rocky, mountainous regions to its white, sandy beaches, New Jersey has a diverse geological history. Dr. Lauren Neitzke Adamo, research geologist and director of the Rutgers Geology Museum, will discuss how the earth's tumultuous past created the landscapes we see today in this Option Green program open to adults and budding geologists.
Wednesday, November 8: Geocaching - A Modern-Day Treasure Hunt:Steve and Jessica Godun are a father-daughter team who have been geocaching under the username "JessicasDaddy". This presentation will introduce people to the activity known as "geocaching," a modern day treasure hunt with over three million geocaches hidden across the world.
October 18, 2017: Birding in East Brunswick:Steven Albert has been an avid birder for over 50 years, ever since a Downy woodpecker in a tree in his apartment courtyard caught his eye. He's lived in East Brunswick for 30 years and frequently birds around town, and in his backyard. As a member of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission he's been leading bird walks around town in the winter and spring. East Brunswick has a variety of habitats, from the grassy meadows of Heavenly Farms to the woodlands of Dallenbachs and small woodlots everywhere. There are the open spaces of Edgeboro Landfill and its surrounding marshes, the lakes and ponds of Dallenbachs, Farrington, and Abraham Shalit Park. Our town hosts a surprising variety of summer breeders, overwintering raptors and waterfowl, migrants and local residents. Join him for a visual tour of these local birding hotspots and some of the more than 200 species that have been observed in East Brunswick.
September 19, 2017: Discovering Natural NJ: from High Point to Cape May: with Jim Peck. Jim Peck will show his photos and discuss beautiful and little known natural areas found all across our diverse state. He has traveled through NJ for the past 12 years exploring and writing the Trail Mix nature column for the Home News Tribune. He has also visited 49 states with just North Dakota to go.
August 2, 2017: Honeybee Basics: An EB Public Library event, co-sponsored with the Friends EBEC. Find out what all the buzz is about in a ceybee hive! Join beekeeper Angela Juffey as you discover the social structure of these valuable pollinators, their process of making honey, and the role of the beekeeper (which may be YOU someday), in maintaining the balance.
July 2017: Reading to Action: An EB Public Library event, co-sponsored with the Friends EBEC.
July 26 - Unstoppable Book Discussion
July 29, 10 am - Park Cleanup at Heavenly Farms
May 24, 2017: New Jersey’s Climate Variability and Change:New Jersey State Climatologist and Rutgers Geography Professor David Robinson will discuss what’s happening to New Jersey’s climate in an era of heightened interest in climate change, its causes and impacts.
April 26, 2017: Hydroculture Stephanie Alea: a field researcher in the Department of Plant Biology at Rutgers, will discuss hydroculture – growing plants in a soil-free medium. She holds a bachelor’s degree in plant science from Rutgers and managed the display greenhouse at International Flavors and Fragrances, where she gained experience in hydroculture. She also holds a master’s in public health in epidemiology from Florida International University.
March 29, 2017: Salamander Migration:East Brunswick Environmental Commission Chairman Dr. David Moskowitz will discuss the annual migration of salamanders, an important ecological event. After noticing that salamanders were crossing Beekman Road in large numbers on rainy, early spring evenings to lay their eggs in vernal pools on the other side, Moskowitz urged the creation of the East Brunswick Vernal Pool Protection Plan, which features annual closures of Beekman Road to allow these amphibians to safely reach their breeding habitats. Each year, these closures draw people from throughout the area to observe this natural phenomenon.
