Past Events

Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs! 2025

On Saturday, August 9, 2025, the Environmental Committee participated in the 26th Annual “Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs” event sponsored by the LBI Fishing Club and the Borough of Harvey Cedars. This event invites children and their families to experience the joys of surf fishing while promoting a positive and healthy lifestyle. The landing of a helicopter on the field, instructional exhibits, fishing tips, lunch, door prizes and awards were all a big hit with everyone on this sunny day!

Judy Bouton, Claire Hennig, Sonia Hughes, Mary Wilding and new member Marge Selfridge joined Chair Helen Comba in distributing green zippered pencil pouches to the young anglers. Prior to this event Judy Bouton, Linda Kragie, Judy Lipton, and Kathy Steppacker met with Helen Comba to stuff the pencil cases with items such as our garden club brochure, as well as environmentally friendly messages including “I AM the solution to plastic pollution.”

Our “Choose Bubbles Not Balloons” recipe for homemade bubble solution was another message included in the pencil pouches. Committee members wielded our new larger bubble blowing machine to attract participants around the park to our table display. A batch of DIY bubble solution in a repurposed milk container along with a large cup of trash collected on beaches helped to emphasize the importance of keeping  the harmful effects of plastics, particularly straws and balloons, out of our oceans.

Barnegat Bay Day 2025

The Environmental Committee took part in the 17th Barnegat Bay Day at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences in Loveladies. Committee members Mary Wilding and Karen Martinez welcomed attendees, providing them with informative materials and engaging in discussions about eco-friendly gardening techniques that promote native plantings. They also exchanged ideas on minimizing chemical usage for weed and pest management and addressed concerns regarding the Spotted Lantern Fly. A significant focus of the Environmental Committee’s ongoing efforts is to encourage the reduction of plastic usage. Additionally, a display was showcased, highlighting the detrimental impact of balloon releases on our coastal environments.

Children who visited had a great time crafting mini garden flags using stamps, guided by Gail McGratten, Margery Selfridge, Marge Girardo, Judi Bouton, and Kathy Gronostajski.

Additionally, Judi Bouton designed an impressive display featuring creative ideas for setting up a bee bath in their gardens!

Garden Club Green Ideas! January 2025

Submitted by Kathy Gronostajski 

The Environmental Committee of The Garden Club of Long Beach Island provides residents with information on the protection, preservation, management and restoration of the natural environment of LBI and beyond.

Kathy Gronostajski, chair of the committee, said, “We encourage everyone to be effective stewards. It’s surprising how one small step can have such a huge effect on the environment of LBI.”

The club suggests a few green ideas to start the New Year. Gronostajski said a reusable water bottle is a good place to start and a small change to make. “In the U.S. alone, more than 60 million plastic water bottles are used every day,” she said. “Many end up in our ocean and bay.”

Some other green ideas include:

• Plant a garden. A home garden cuts down on grocery bills. It reduces the energy consumption of producing, packing and shipping of food that can be easily grown.
• Plant shade trees. Planting trees close to a house can cool things down naturally. More trees, less energy, less summer heat.
• Plant perennials and native plants to welcome birds, bees and butterflies.
• Set up a rain barrel. Collect rainwater to water a garden, free of charge.
• Start composting. It’s easy to get a small bin and start saving eggshells, coffee grounds and vegetable scraps that will enrich garden soil.
• Rethink food scraps. Brown bananas make great banana bread. The ends of vegetables go into soups. Many seemingly useless scraps can be repurposed and turned into delicious dishes.
• Reduce water consumption. From shorter showers to energy-efficient washing machines, it’s easy and efficient to reduce a family’s water consumption.
• Fix leaky faucets. It’s surprising how much water can be saved by sealing leaks and stopping drips.
• Make cleaning supplies. Water, vinegar and a few drops of essential oils or citrus juice make up an eco-friendly solution for most household cleaning tasks. Less costly and also eliminates plastic bottles.
• Change the light bulbs. LED bulbs are 75% more efficient than fluorescents. Switching to LED bulbs reduces a home’s energy footprint while lowering electricity bills.
• Go paperless. Most banks and utility providers offer online e-statements. Save trees by using less paper.
• Go paper towel-less. It’s easy to use a whole roll of paper towels cleaning a house. Make reusable rags from old clothes and towels instead.
• Turn trash into treasure. “Upcycling” is turning a used object into a new, improved one. Egg cartons make great seed starters. Decorated food cans make great planters and vases for flowers.
• Shop locally. Shopping close to home reduces packaging, production and transportation costs.