For many years now, Yolanda L. Robinson, new author of her book, “Don’t Be Bitter Be Better,” dedicates herself to empowerment through her motivational speaking, writing and doing via her various platforms.
In fact, to motivate and empower others, Robinson, a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University, is also a mother, a community activist, a radio and television personality, and a dedicated lifelong learner. She is very busy trying to improve the lives of community members and applies a holistic approach to what she does.
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – A dedicated force, Noemi de la Puente, has networked with many individuals and groups in New Jersey and has eventually earned the attention of those who participated in Senate bill S-812.
De la Puente is a member of Sustainable Lawrence, where she started the initiative of trying to impose a .20 cents fee on single-use disposable shopping bags in summer of 2012. She even thinks that beyond a fee, we should ban these bags.
De la Puente has become influential in her efforts and is also using the movie, “Bag It,” to help educate viewers about her cause. Last year she said, “I [do not see] a lot of support on the state level for the mandatory fee on the disposable shopping bag.”
However, because of her networking, last December she was able to participate in a hearing on Senate bill S-812, which is known as the “Reduce Plastic and Paper Bag Usage Act,’’ sponsored by Sen. Bob Smith, district 17 (Middlesex and Somerset counties of New Jersey).
During one of her networking sessions with surf riders at the Jersey Shore, de la Puente learned about the bill, and was very happy to participate and bring attention to her initiative at Sustainable Lawrence.
Photo by Michelle Dryden
Members of Sustainable Lawrence and other friends of Noemi de la Puente gathered at her home Saturday to see the movie, “Bag It,” which supports eliminating or reducing the use of disposable shopping bags. From left to right are: Thairih Smith, president or director on the Board of Sustainable Lawrence; Ron Cohen; Patty Schorr; Noemi de la Puente; Ashley Pillsbury; Trish Verbeyst; and Don Pillsbury
The hearing for the bill was successful and it is now out of committee and Sustainable Lawrence now has a petition online for signatures to get the bill to the next level where consumers will reduce the waste and usage of single use disposable shopping bags.
Tahirih Smith, president on the board of Sustainable Lawrence, said that their efforts are to expand their reach about the issue. “At the same time with Sustainable Lawrence, we are expanding our liaison and our collaboration with other communities.” She added, “We are expanding to the greater Mercer County.”
Yesterday, the members of Sustainable Lawrence met for a showing of the movie, “Bag It,” where they invited their friends to watch it and tried to get additional signatures for their online petition.
De la Puente and Smith said that they want to meet with State representatives and senators to discuss the bags issues as soon as they have thousands of signatures to validate their cause.
Their mission, according to Smith, “ is to reduce the amount of waste and consumption that comes into our homes.” Last year, they also expressed that they are concerned about the effects of bags’ pollution on the environment.
Westminster Community Chorus teamed with the Westminster Choir College and offered a unique Christmas concert this year, called “De Colores.” The concert was held Friday and Saturday, Dec. 14 and 15, 2012. Every year the Community Choir presents a Christmas concert. However, this year the theme of the concert differed from previous years. In past years, the choir sang mostly traditional spirituals, European and American music. This year the music was from African-American and Latino musical traditions. And, there were “more soloists this year,” said a choir member, Deborah Kilmer.
Even though, New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie is expected to veto the minimum wage bill that is now on his desk, Sen. Shirley K. Turner contends that raising New Jersey’s minimum wage bill now is the right thing to do. As such, Sen. Turner has co-sponsored a piece of legislation that will have a resolution on the ballot for New Jerseyans to vote on to help decide on an increase in their wages. The Governor cannot veto this legislation, but workers will have to wait a bit longer for an increase in their wages, said Turner.
Darren Freedom Green has been working at The Trentonian for about two years as a community writer, trying to make a difference in the news that the community reads. Green also works with youngsters at BOYD, where he tries to build self-awareness, self-confidence and better self-esteem in young boys and girls. Green said BOYD stands for Building Our Youth’s Development and it was started by Bruce Boyd nine years ago. With his involvement in these areas of the community, Green is hoping to help to make a difference in the City of Trenton, that he says has great people. –Michelle Dryden
Black Friday, Nov. 23, 2012 is a hectic day at Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrenceville, N.J. The mall is crowded, noisy and busy. Each store has a sale of some kind. Shoppers hop from Macy’s to Forever 21, to Bath & Body Works, to Express, to Victoria’s Secret, and many other stores. Some shoppers seem to just be browsing until they find what they are looking for. Others are loaded with shopping bags of sale items. Customers seem happy and excited as they leave the mall.
Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012 was very busy at ShopRite supermarket in Ewing, N.J. As Hurricane Sandy threatens to arrive in the area, many residents of Ewing went shopping for last minute items. The supermarket was so crowded that shoppers could hardly find shopping carts to help them carry their items. Kelly and Crystal Wade were among the shoppers. “We are pretty much preparing for the hurricane, but we are not overdoing it,” said Mrs. Wade. “We are just getting some basic stuff just in case we lose power,” she said. The Wades said they were interested in getting water, bread, peanut butter and jelly, cereal, fruits, cakes, milk and batteries. They said they have a wood-burning stove, and would also prepare by getting money from the bank for a hotel if needed.
Kelly (left) and Crystal Wade (right), of Ewing, N.J. are at ShopRite supermarket Sunday afternoon, shopping for last minute items in preparation for Hurricane Sandy that should arrive Monday. – Photo by Michelle Dryden/The Media PubThe Wades are in the drinking water isle of ShopRite where they get the water supply that they will need when Hurricane Sandy arrives Monday. — Photo by Michelle Dryden/The Media PubWhile shopping at ShopRite supermarket Sunday, the Wades did not forget to pick up a box of cereal that is on their list of essential items that they will need when Hurricane Sandy gets here. – Photo by Michelle Dryden/The Media PubKelly (right) and Crystal Wade (left) are on their way to the checkout line at ShopRite, after shopping together Sunday for a list of items that they think they will need when Hurricane Sandy arrives. – Photo by Michelle Dryden/The Media PubThe Wades wait for their balance due to the cashier who is checking out their items. The twosome have just finished shopping for items that are important to them as they prepare for Hurricane Sandy that is scheduled to arrive in the area Monday. – Photo by Michelle Dryden/The Media Pub
LAWRENCE, N.J. – The non-profit organization, Sustainable Lawrence, is trying to find a way to ban single-use-disposable plastic bags that they think consumers abuse in quantity, said a board member.
Noemi de la Puente recently became a member of Sustainable Lawrence when she developed an interest in how consumers are using disposable plastic bags and where they end up in the environment when they dispose of them.
Noemi de la Puente is on the board of Sustainable Lawrence. She is currently advocating a 20 cents fee or a ban on single-use-disposable shopping bags. — By Michelle Dryden/The Media Pub
“A single-use-disposable bag is a single-use-disposable bag. We should be able to shop without them. You know, the question has always been paper or plastic? So, I am saying paper and plastic should both get fees,” says de la Puente.
She is making progress with her initiative. From the time it was an idea to today, she has brought it to the attention of many. Sustainable Lawrence has welcome de la Puente and three others to their organization to fight for the initiative of putting a mandatory fee on plastic bags or just to ban them.
De la Puente along with Pam Mount, Chair of Sustainable New Jersey, Jacquelyn Pillsbury and Christoph Ahlers, board members of Sustainable New Jersey, are all driving this initiative to the State level.
Photo by Michelle Dryden Pam Mount (left) is chairperson for Sustainable New Jersey. Jacquelyn Pillsbury (right) is a member of Sustainable Lawrence. They both support imposing a fee or a ban on single-use-disposable shopping bags.
De la Puente explains that it is difficult to pass ordinance to ban or put a fee on just plastic bags in one township, because consumers will either start using paper bags or just go to the next township to get free plastic bags.
“To be clear the last thing you wanna do is — and it’s an unfair thing to do to the plastic bag manufacturers — is to ban or put a fee on their bags and not paper bags,” says de la Puente.
Photo by Michelle Dryden Christoph Ahlers, a member of Sustainable Lawrence, talks about his role in helping to impose a fee or a ban on single-use-disposable shopping bags.
De la Puente explains that, “We don’t wanna create a gigantic market for the paper bags because that will create a lot of environmental burden. The paper industry is not famous for their cleanliness to the environment. And we don’t want to chop down a whole bunch of trees for something that use for half-an-hour.”
Todd Myers writes an article for the Wall Street Journal that opposes the ban or mandatory fee proposition on single-use-disposable bags.
Myers writes that, “ban backers cite impacts on marine life, but they consistently sidestep the actual data.”
According to Myers, “The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for one, says there are currently no published studies about how many marine mammals die because of marine debris.”
He also responds to the argument that plastic bags pollute the oceans and the environment. “As far as the pollution caused by plastic bags, consider a study by Ospar, the European organization working to protect the marine environment. The study found plastic shopping bags represented less than three per cent of marine litter on European beaches, a figure that includes scraps of plastic from shredded bags.”
Myers also said that studies that claim that plastic harm human health are found to be false or exaggerated by organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Pacific Northwest National Labs.
However, Mount supports de la Puente’s views. She said that Sustainable Lawrence and Sustainable New Jersey are trying to get consumers to reduce the use of them, to reuse them or to recycle them, where possible.
WEST WINDSOR, N.J. — A concerned resident appealed to Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders at their formal meeting last Thursday, to act on their behalf to re-open route 1 jug handles.
David C. Parris, curator of natural history for the State for New Jersey is a resident of Penns Neck Village near Route 1 in West Windsor, where there have been traffic troubles because DOT has closed jug handles to traffic. Photo by Michelle Dryden
David C. Parris, curator of natural history at the State of New Jersey, and resident of the troubled area, complained to the board that the citizens in the village of Penns Neck, a section of West Windsor Township, need relief from the chaotic traffic burden that the closing of the route 1 jugs handles has been causing them.
Parris said, “Our businesses are suffering.” He talked about “a community where we won’t have any businesses left soon.”
Parris is annoyed that the State Department of Transportation (DOT) closed two jug handles off the route 1 highway as a test or pilot to see if it would reduce traffic flow along the corridor.
Parris described his Penns Neck community as a rural, good, old-fashioned, right-angled street community with inner-circle businesses. He said it is good if people are going to retire and continue to live there and walk to everything. But even then, there could be accidents for pedestrians, he warned.
He said that the AT&T business has been suffering, because of the bad driving habits of drivers through the community, who use their driveways. He said there have been like two accidents in a day.
He along with other residents and businesses, have been affected by these closures. Instead of the community, which is in the Princeton/West Windsor area, having less traffic, there is a build up and a lot of illegal turnings.
Parris complained that drivers “think they can drive through the intersection turn into their drive way and drive turn out the other driveway immediately be headed into Princeton as long as there is no traffic backup.”
Both the State and West Windsor Township have to invest in police presence in the area to curb the illegal driving activities.
Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders holds their formal meeting on Sept. 27, 2012. Photo by Michelle Dryden
The residents of the affected areas do not believe that their voicing their concerns individually is effective. Therefore, they have organized a group they hope to get DOT’s attention.
“Forming a citizens group called Smart Traffic Solutions, the residents are rallying against a DOT test program that has shut down the Route 1 jug handles at Washington Road and Harrison Street temporarily,” writes Bridget Clerkin at The Times of Trenton.
Adekemi Bankole holds up her children’s book, “The Rain Beat Dance,” that was published in 2011. Photo by Michelle Dryden
TRENTON, N.J. – When Adekemi Bankole, Ph.D., set out to write a children’s book in 2010, she was just thinking about having fun with it.
Bankole completed her 31-page children’s book, entitled, “The Rain Beat Dance,” and published and copyrighted it by February 2011.
“The book was written based on my own childhood experiences, dancing in the rain, enjoying the rain and all the fun that comes with playing outside. Just like over here children play in the snow. Back in Africa, in Nigeria, children enjoy playing in the rain,” said Bankole.
Since the book is written from Bankole’s childhood experiences, she considers it a unique book. However, her book is not just unique because it is about children playing in the rain. It has a deeper message. It is the message of unity in diversity, said Bankole.
She believes in the idea that children from diverse backgrounds and different ethnic groups can enjoy nature by playing in the rain, just like she did as a child in Nigeria.
“So when I thought about writing the book, I thought it would bring a different perspective to children enjoying nature, “ said Bankole.
Bankole said she has seen books about the rain but they are not about children dancing in the rain, nor are they about unity and diversity of children from different parts of the world coming together to enjoy dancing in the rain.
During the interview, Bankole suggested that although her book has copyrights, she still wants people to get the main message of unity and diversity out however they choose to do so. In fact, she suggested fair use.
Photo by Michelle Dryden The copyright page from “The Rain Beat Dance.”
Bankole said, “to be honest, I wrote the book out of fun and also to get the message out. And as much as I don’t want anyone to write the exact book that I wrote, at the same time, I want that message of unity and diversity to be out. So, however people want to get that message out, the better for me.”
Therefore, fair use basically allows others to use limited parts of copyrighted materials by giving attribution. However, there can be legal and ethical issues about how much do you use even if you give attribution.
Photo by Michelle Dryden Front cover of “The Rain Beat Dance,” children’s book by Adekemi Bankole.
“It addresses the issues that haunt educators about what is legal, ethical and reasonable when it comes to students using someone else’s materials in their projects,” writes Jason Ohler in Digital Storytelling in the Classroom.
Bankole said her book is very popular in the Trenton public school system. It is geared toward preschoolers, but even the middle school students are reading it, she said. It has been “Book of the Month,” in one elementary school. And, teachers find that it is good for students with disabilities, because of the repetitive words and rhyming, she said. She also said there is a music CD that goes along with the book. “The Rain Beat Dance” is also available as an e-book at Amazon.com and other sites.
