Environmental Commission Seeks Emission Input, not Output

In an effort to decrease pollution and improve air quality, the Red Bank Environmental Commission is inviting members of the public to participate in an open discussion aimed at developing solutions to help limit the emissions produced by vehicles in the borough.

Through a partnership with the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions and funded by a grant from the Department of Environmental Protection, the borough’s environmental commission is looking to develop a core of representatives comprised of residents, schools, businesses, and government officials to develop an emission-reducing action plan. The plan would likely be implemented locally and also serve as a model for decreasing emissions in participating towns throughout the state.

The meeting is being held Thursday from 6 – 7 p.m. in the . All are invited to attend. The meeting is a first step in a process that’s expected to take the better part of a year to complete.

“We’re supposed to come up with recommendations that can change the way people think about driving, about air quality, about anything that produces emissions,” commission Chairwoman Laura Bagwell said.

The push to curb emissions isn’t a new one. Municipalities throughout the state, including Shrewsbury next door, are doing their part to educated residents of the benefits of turning off your engine. Just down Route 35, Shrewsbury’s council prohibiting idling while parked. The Shrewsbury Green Team is in the process of erecting 15 signs throughout the borough with the slogan: “No Idling. Young Lungs at Work.” The message is intended to help remind drivers to cut the engine when they aren’t moving.

With vehicle emissions tied to rising green house gasses, poor air quality and increased illnesses and physical maladies like asthma in children, it’s clear that there’s need for some type of solution. Though officials are asking for the public’s help in deciding what solution works best.

Red Bank Environmental Commission member Andres Simonson said it’s not necessarily about erecting signs and banning idling, but rather educating the public about emissions, what problems they pose, and how best to respond.

“This doesn’t have to just be anti-idling,” he said. “It could be about driving fewer miles, about riding a bike, it could be about any number of initiatives.”