WEST MILFORD Sustainable West Milford is up and running. A non profit group, they are dedicated to meeting the needs of current residents without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The group, now only in its third month of existence, made its public debut at the Autumn Lights Festival by providing information on a variety of sustainability practices including; solar power, green building techniques and materials, rainwater irrigation, energy efficient lighting, and recycling. In addition to proving information, the group also conducted surveys on sustainability practices with visitors to the fair. “We were very happy with the interest level shown by residents and pleasantly surprised to find out many residents already follow many sustainable practices,” said the groups founder, Dave Watson-Hallowell. For example, over 75 percent of the residents that were surveyed use at least two energy savings light bulbs in their homes and 67 percent reuse their grocery bags at home or for shopping. Sustainable West Milford had an organic cotton shopping bag at their booth for a $15 donation. Watson-Hallowell. said, “We are so excited to see some of the bags around town this week as people begin to use them. It is so great to see folks leading by example’.” The group already has projects underway that include a community garden, free tire pressure check, business recycling, and reusable organic cotton grocery bags. Sustainable West Milford’s next meeting is Oct. 23, from 7-9 pm at Mountain Lake Yoga Studio on Union Valley Road. All interested of any age are welcome to join us and learn more about sustainability and how you can help make it happen. For more information, visit their web site at www.sustainablewestmilford.org