Manalapan Environmental Commission Wins Achievement Award for Recycling Project

The Manalapan Environmental Commission was awarded the 2012 Environmental Achievement Award for outstanding accomplishment in local environmental protection by the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commission for an educational project about recycling.

Environmental Commission Chairman Janine Tankoos explained how the Commission created a project to educate the community on how the reduction of plastic water bottles aids the environment.

“Most people don’t know how much pollution is created by creating plastic water bottles,” Tankoos said. “Making bottles to meet Americans demand for bottled water requires more than 17 million barrels of oil annually.”

Tankoos said that the Environmental Commission decided to work with a group of children on the project in order to instruct the students and prove to them that they can make a difference.

The students of a fourth grade class at Taylor Mills School helped the Environmental Commission with the project by creating a large structure out of 365 empty, disposable plastic water bottles. Each bottle represents a day of the year.

The exhibit includes an educational poster on the topic and the large structure made out of water bottles. Tankoos said that sculpture is “eye-catching” and cause more people to stop and read the revealing facts on the poster, such as the fact that bottled water is not any safer or free of more contaminants.

Tankoos presented the Environmental Achievement Award to Manalapan Mayor Susan Cohen and the Township Committee so that it can be displayed in the Manalapan Township Municipal Building.

Mayor Cohen issued a proclamation to the Environmental Commission for creating the traveling educational exhibit and to the students of the fourth grade class, taught by Jacqueline Convey. Every member of the class received a proclamation for their work in creating the large sculpture out of water bottles.

Convey thanked Tankoos for involving her students in this important and educational project, as well as Taylor Mills Principal Kerry Marsala for her support. And, of course, Convey thanked her students for their hard work.

Andrew Lucas is the Township Committee liaison to the Environmental Commission. The Manalapan Environmental Commission is comprised of Janine Tankoos, Herb Lazar, Scott Meyers, Charles Hohenshilt, Rick Klauber, Daniel Weinshenker, Pat Eisemann, Rachel-Dawn Davis,  Jack Eisner, and Sue Schoenfeld.