News

Recently, Council Member Jocelyn Mathiasen and Environmental Commission Chair Len Resto gave a detailed presentation to the Mayor and Borough Council Members on single use plastics and the plan to ban them. To view the PowerPoint presentation on single use plastics click here. To watch the video from the June 24, 2019 Mayor and Council meeting where the presentation was given please click here.

About the Commission

The Borough of Chatham Environmental Commission was formed in the 1970s as the Conservation Committee. The Borough of Chatham Environmental Commission is an advisory board created to help protect our natural resources. The Commission gathers information, communicates with other Borough agencies and the public, and sponsors projects to encourage the community to appreciate and enjoy our environment.

The Environmental Commission is concerned with all items on the New Jersey State Environmental Agenda: clean air; environmental quality; clean water; waste management; open space and wildlife preservation. The Environmental Commission meets on the second Wednesday of every month except August, at 8 PM at the Chatham Borough municipal building at 54 Fairmount Avenue. Residents are welcome and encouraged to attend Commission meetings, participate in or suggest Commission projects and share their concerns about our environment.

Regular meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Borough Hall.  Meetings are open to the public and residents are always welcomed to attend. 

The business community is being encouraged to do its part in protecting the environment. Is your enterpise following established best practices? To learn more click on

The Environmental Commission presents its Eco-Friendly Business award annually. Last year the award went to Twin Elephant Brewing Company. The Commission is currently seeking applications from interested businesses in the Borough of Chatham. The application form will need to be submitted by October 15, 2018 to be considered for this year.

The Environmental Commission is strongly opposed to the Pilgrims Pipeline Project. Certain of its members serve on the Pilgrims Pipeline Advisory Committee .

Past activities of the Chatham Borough Environmental Commission include:

• Development of an Open Space Inventory, the first step in creation of an Open Space Plan to preserve lands for conservation and recreation.
• Conducted plastic bags reduction program.

Ongoing activities of the Environmental Commission include:

• Educating residents about our environment and how to protect it.
• Anti-Idling Campaign.
• Working with Sustainable Jersey to improve our environment.
• Developing and maintaining nature trails along the Passaic River.
• Preparing an update of the Borough Environmental Resources Inventory.
• Maintaining contact with other planning and environmental committees, boards and groups in the Borough, Township and surrounding areas.

The Enviromental Commission is a member of:

• Sustainable Jersey
• Great Swamp Watershed Association
• Morris Land Conservancy
• Morris County Environmental Commissioner Network
• Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions.

We attend seminars and training offered by various State, County and local groups relative to the environment.

The Commission also sponsors projects by volunteers to help clean up our environment. Past volunteer projects have included construction of bat houses for natural mosquito control; installation of bluebird houses in park areas; extension of the Passaic River Trail; and removal of debris from Days Brook.

2018 Environmental Commission Members

The Environmental Commission is made up of seven (7) Members appointed by the Mayor and serve a 3-year term.  The Council appoints two (2)  Alternate Members who serve a 2-year term. One Member must be a Planning Board Member. The Mayor designates the Chair.  N.J.S.A. 40:56A-1 and Ord. #2011-1

Regular Member – Vice Chair	Benjamin Lampert	01/01/2018-12/31/2020
Regular Member	Patricia Soteropoulos	01/01/2018-12/31/2020
Regular Member	John Tancredi	01/01/2016-12/31/2018
Regular Member	John Dey	01/01/2016-12/31/2018
Regular Member - Chair	Kate Murphy	01/01/2016-12/31/2018
Regular Member	Kevin Murphy	08/14/2017-12/31/2019
Regular Member - Planning Board Liaison	Torri Van Wie	01/01/2018-12/31/2019
1 st Alternate	Joseph Treloar	06/25/2018-12/31/2018
2 nd Alternate	Kyle Muir	01/01/2018-12/31/2019

Organic Lawn Care

•  PesticidesPlayingField (pdf)
Green Team

•  Water Conservation Brochure (pdf)
•  Water Conservation Presentation, 2.2.12, NJ Americorps Watershed Ambassador Stephanie Queirolo
•  Green Challenge Summary Statistics (pdf)
•  Green Challenge actions environmental impact (pdf)
•  Rain.Garden.Brochure.Rutgers (pdf)
•  Rain.Barrels.Brochure,Rutgers (pdf)
•  Green Buildings Policy (pdf)
•  IPM Brochure (pdf)
•  IPM Plan Chatham Borough Municipal (pdf)
•  Green Grounds and Maintenance Policy (pdf)
•  Green Challenge Fillable Form (pdf)
•  Green Challenges (pdf)
•  Grass Cut It and Leave It Brochure (pdf)
•  Grass Cut It and Leave It! (pdf)
•  CFL Disposal Guidelines (pdf)
•  Click here to receive Green news, updates
•  Sustainable Jersey
Useful Links

•  Medication Disposal
•  US Geological Survey - Passaic River Gauging Station
•  NJDEP DroughtWatch
•  Solutions to Stormwater Pollution (pdf)
•  NJ DEP - Clean Water NJ

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