The Somerville Environmental Commission provides these tips and resources to help protect the local environment.
Living Sustainably
- How to live more sustainably: Do you want to “go green,” but aren’t sure where to begin? Learn 12 tips for leading a more sustainable life everyday!
- Recycling 101: Recycling can be confusing. Learn the ins-and-outs of Somerville’s recycling system and best practices.
Native Plants and Sustainable Landscapes
- Native Plants: Native plants are species that have evolved in a specific region over thousands of years, forming essential relationships with local wildlife, soil, and climate. They provide critical habitat and food sources for pollinators, birds, and other native species while requiring less water, fertilizer, and maintenance than non-native plants. By incorporating native plants into landscaping and restoration projects, we can support biodiversity, improve air and water quality, and create more resilient ecosystems. The Environmental Commission promotes the use of native plants to enhance green spaces, reduce invasive species, and foster a healthier environment for our community. There are many resources available through the Native Plant Society of NJ.
- Somerset County Native Plant Society Resources: If you’re looking to start a native plant garden, but aren’t sure where to begin, this document is for you. It includes a list of helpful resources, organizations, and how-to’s for all sorts of topics concerning native plants.
- Somerset Keystone Plants: The term “keystone species” refers to one that has a disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem relative to its abundance. They play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance by influencing the populations of other organisms and shaping habitat conditions. If a keystone species is removed, the structure and function of the ecosystem can change dramatically, often leading to a decline in biodiversity. Support biodiversity by prioritizing Somerset County Keystone Species for your next landscaping project!
- Integrating Biodiversity & Beauty: This handout is an action-guide for how to add keystone species to your yard.
- Celebrating our native pollinators: Pollinators are critical to the health of ecosystems. They are a vital part of growing many of our favorite foods! By planting a pollinator garden, you can help provide food for bees and butterflies. Get kids involved today, and plant things like milkweed (which hosts the Monarch Butterfly caterpillars!), native New Jersey wildflower plants, hang a bat box (did you know bats are pollinators too?), or convert some of your lawn space into a beautiful, productive native meadow, which provides habitat for birds and insects too!
Community Health and the Environment
- Protecting children’s environmental health: Children’s health is of huge concern, when thinking about the effects of pollution and climate change.
- How to dispose of your prescription drugs safely and environmentally: Old prescription drugs take up space in your cabinets, but disposing of them properly is important for mitigating pollution, which helps wildlife and our environment.