🌿 Sustainable South Jersey: Seven Sustainable Successes of 2025
2025 was a landmark year for Sustainable South Jersey (SSJ), filled with community-driven initiatives, educational outreach, and environmental advocacy. As an all-volunteer nonprofit, SSJ continues to inspire personal connections to South Jersey’s ecological resources. Here are seven standout successes that showcase the impact of our collective efforts this year:
1. Awarded Five Caren Kaufman Memorial Fund Grants
On Earth Day 2025, SSJ awarded $3,400 in grants to five community organizations through the Caren Kaufman Memorial Fund. These mini-grants supported grassroots sustainability projects, honoring Caren’s legacy of environmental health advocacy. Recipients made impactful change in their communities including:
- Ocean Township Garden Club, which purchased native shrubs, pollinator plants, and hardscape materials to revitalize the local library garden with native and pollinator-friendly species.
- Sustainable Maple Shade, which is building a greenhouse to support year-round seedling production for organic produce and to host educational workshops for the community.
- Future Leaders STEM Lab, which offered a series of Eco-Adventures: STEM & Green Engineering workshops that encouraged youth to explore environmental science and related career pathways.
- UrbanPromise Camden, which planted more than 40 native pollinator species in its outdoor garden, creating critical habitat for Monarch butterflies while providing hands-on gardening and environmental education for students.
- Center for Environmental Transformation, which ran an Eco Explorers Program that immersed K–8 students in hands-on activities focused on garden ecology, sustainability, and caring for their local environment.
2. Hosted SSJ Meet-Ups: Lightning Talks & Networking
SSJ meet-ups brought together sustainability leaders for 10-minute lightning talks, fostering collaboration and sparking new ideas. Topics ranged from protecting the last great forests of the Pine Barrens with Jason Howell to the fundamentals of beekeeping with Rob Bennett, with lively Q&A sessions and community networking. Events were hosted at locations like Tonewood Brewery, celebrated for its sustainable brewing practices.
3. Lead Volunteer Clean-ups at Strawbridge Lake and Berlin Park
We led a series of impactful park cleanup events across multiple South Jersey counties. These cleanups not only beautified public spaces but also fostered connection to local ecological resources and environmental awareness. Here are some of the year’s most memorable cleanup moments:
- At Strawbridge Lake Park, volunteers filled over 10 bags of trash along the 3-mile trail and even paddled the lake by canoe to remove debris, leaving the area cleaner and more welcoming for the Moorestown community.
- At the Berlin Park, volunteers participated in a geocaching CITO (Cache In, Trash Out) event, involving simultaneously searching for geocaches while cleaning up playgrounds, trails, and courts, combining outdoor recreation with hands-on environmental stewardship.
4. Supported Local Events
Sustainable South Jersey showed up in a big way this year: connecting with families, inspiring young learners, and spreading our sustainability message across the region. Here’s where we made an impact:
- Animal Welfare Association Family Fun Night: Provided interactive recycling game to teach kids the importance and methods of recycling in our communities!
- Just Salad – Cherry Hill: Connected with diners as the restaurant’s Give Back Day charity, sharing our mission and encouraging sustainable everyday habits.
- Burlington County Earth Fair: Talked with over 100 adults and children about how to sort waste properly into garbage, recycling, and composting receptacles,e, helping attendees learn what truly belongs in the bin while celebrating recycling and reuse.
- Cherry Hill Library: Sparked conversations about sustainability and highlighted simple ways residents can protect South Jersey’s local ecosystems.
5. Explored Petty Island On A Guided Eco-Walk
SSJ members joined a guided eco-walk of Petty Island, led by experts from the Center for Aquatic Sciences, to explore its unique wildlife and rich environmental history. We discovered birds, learned about the island’s industrial history, and the plans for reclaiming it as a public space. Events like this deepen our connection to local ecosystems and inspire greater stewardship of urban natural spaces.
6. Launched A Sustainable Businesses Map
SSJ unveiled a Sustainable Business Map, a handy guide to local businesses prioritizing waste reduction, sourcing local produce and meat, and supporting environmentally conscious practices. From refill stores, to farm-to-table restaurants, to native plant nurseries, the map makes it easy for the community to make greener choices while supporting a sustainable local economy.
Some of our favorites from the year include:
- Grabbing a beer from Tonewood Brewery
- Restocking our favorite home goods at The Refill Store
- Enjoying a hot dog and ice cream from 1785 Farm Dog
7. Hosted Book Clubs Driving Climate Awareness
This year, SSJ hosted two climate-focused book clubs that invited our community to learn, reflect, and take meaningful action:
- Under the Sky We Make by Kimberly Nicholas: A hopeful, science-based guide that empowers individuals to cut carbon, reconnect with purpose, and build a more sustainable future through practical daily choices.
- Under a White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert: An exploration of humanity’s attempts to engineer our way out of environmental crises, raising urgent questions about intervention, responsibility, and unintended consequences.
Support Sustainable South Jersey
As 2025 wraps up, Sustainable South Jersey continues to build momentum. With a strong foundation of community support and a clear mission, SSJ is poised to make 2026 even more impactful for South Jersey’s environment. Your support helps sustain our programs and expand our outreach, ensuring our work continues to grow and inspire the community.
To support Sustainable South Jersey’s endeavors, please consider donating at this link.
To directly support the Caren Kaufman Memorial Fund, donate here.
Want to get involved? Visit sustainablesouthjersey.org to learn more.
by Ann Mathew