County of Union

 

Union County, NJ – Union County business owners and managers are invited to attend “Union County Means Green,” a free breakfast networking session and seminar with leading companies designed to share new green strategies for attracting customers and boosting the bottom line. The event is scheduled for Monday, March 7, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon at the Donald R. Conklin Conference Center at the Kean University STEM building, 1000 Morris Avenue in Union Township.

Union County Means Business is free but pre-registration is required online at ucnj.org/ucmb.

“The Union County economy is growing, and part of that growth is being fueled by a commitment to sustainability, including waste reduction, renewable energy and smart growth,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “If you own or manage a business in Union County, I encourage you to come to the seminar and learn how you can engage with this new trend while helping your business grow.”

Union County Means Green provides an opportunity to meet and hear from representatives with leading companies in the sustainability field including Covanta Energy, which is sponsoring the event in partnership with the Freeholder Board, Office Depot, Cox Printers of Linden, state-based community partners such as the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry and Rutgers University, and other experts in waste management, stormwater management, green purchasing, and more.

Municipal agencies, non-profits and other civic groups are also encouraged to attend.

“Leading employers in Union County and beyond have been deploying green strategies to improve their operations and appeal to today’s customers,” said Bergen. “This is a great opportunity to learn from experienced members of the business community and other stakeholders.”

Union County Means Green includes an informal breakfast networking session, two panel discussions, and time for more networking after the panels. Informational displays by businesses and community partners are also included.

Union County Means Green is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, sponsored by Covanta Energy as part of the Freeholder Board’s ongoing Union County Means Business series. For more information visit ucnj.org/ucmb or email the Union County Office of Public Information, info@ucnj.org.

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

Connect with Union County on social media:

Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen spoke at a news conference held by Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senator Nicholas Scutari in Linden to call attention to the importance of a renewed Transportation Trust Fund to support critical infrastructure projects such as a new interchange in Linden that would provide a direct connection to Tremley Point, directing traffic out of residential communities. They were joined by Assemblyman Jerry Green, Assemblyman Jim Kennedy, Linden Mayor Derek Armstead, Freeholders Christopher Hudak and Bette Jane Kowalski and Linden Councilman Ralph Strano. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

Connect with Union County on social media.

Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen and Freeholders Linda Carter and Alexander Mirabella presented a resolution to Union County Vocational-Technical Schools Superintendent Peter Capodice, National Future Farmers of America (FFA) advisor and horticulture instructor Bonnie Baldasare, FFA member Aaron Etienne and FFA president Emiliano Chirigliano designating the week of February 20, 2016 through February 27, 2016 as National Future Farmers of America Week in Union County. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

All Union County veterans and their families are invited to attend a series of free classes covering all aspects of healthy living from nutrition and fitness to cooking, yoga and tai chi. Come and discover new, fun, and interesting strategies for improving your overall wellness and helping your children to make healthy choices, too. 

The series kicked off on February 1 and it will take place twice weekly at the Cranford VFW, at 479 South Avenue in Cranford, until June 29. All classes and workshops start at 6:30 p.m. and last 1-2 hours.

No need to pre-register, just drop in and enjoy!

Trinitas Regional Medical Center is sponsoring the series. For more information, contact Trinitas at 908-994-7278.

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that the Union County Means Green seminar is scheduled for Monday, March 7, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon at the Donald R. Conklin Conference Center, Kean University STEM Building, 1000 Morris Avenue in Union Township.

Union County Means Green is a free breakfast networking and information event connecting local businesses and commercial property owners with information about environmental programs, goods, and services that can help engage customers and boost the bottom line.

Municipal agencies, environmental commissions and non-profits are also welcome to attend.

Full details and pre-registration information will be available soon.

Union County Means Green is sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders with the generous support of Covanta Energy.

For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

Connect with Union County on social media.

Focus on Families Community Conversation will be next Wednesday, February 17th from 6 PM- 8 PM at Abraham Clark High School in Roselle.

Residents, Businesses and Community Stakeholders are welcome.

There will be giveaways and a light dinner. Come and join an important conversation to make change happen.

CRANFORD, NJ – Do you like working with artists, teachers and students? The Union County Teen Arts Festival provides an opportunity for volunteers to get involved.

The Union County Teen Arts Festival is a two-day celebration of the arts. It is held annually at Union County College in Cranford and is sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders through the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs in the Department of Parks and Recreation.

This year’s Teen Arts Festival is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, March 23 and March 24. The event is open to all students from public, charter, private and parochial middle and high schools in Union County.

“Nearly 3,500 students participate in performances, critiquing seminars, master classes and workshops with a staff of 55 professional artists in every discipline – visual art, music, creative writing, theater and dance,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen.

“Volunteers are needed to assist artists with workshops, manage performance sites and staff information stations,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, who serves as the Freeholder Liaison on the Cultural and Heritage Advisory Board. “Volunteers get to see some of the great work our kids are doing. It’s really a lot of fun!”

If you are interested in any of these activities, contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs at 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07202. Telephone: 908-558-2550; NJ Relay Users call 711. Or e-mail us at: culturalinfo@ucnj.org.

The U. S. Small Business Administration announced today that due to a steady decrease of activity, the Recovery Centers located in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties will cease operations on Feb.  11.  The Centers located in Atlantic, Monmouth and Ocean counties will remain open until further notice.  However, in observance of Presidents’ Day, the Centers located in Atlantic and Ocean counties will be closed on Friday, Feb. 12 and Monday, Feb. 15; the Monmouth County Center will be closed on Feb. 15 for the holiday. 

SBA’s Customer Service Representatives are available at the Centers to answer questions from businesses and residents affected by Superstorm Sandy about the disaster loan program and help survivors complete their applications. 

The following Union County location and hours of operation are as indicated below: 

Union County
Union County Administration Building
2nd Floor, Department of Human Services Suite
10 Elizabethtown Plaza
Elizabeth, NJ 07207
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday – Friday
Closing Thursday, Feb. 11

Anyone unable to visit a Center may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Businesses and individuals may also obtain disaster loan information and application forms by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.  Loan applications can be downloaded from www.sba.gov/disaster.  Completed applications can be returned to a center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road,
Fort Worth, TX 76155.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Dec. 1, 2016.  The deadline to return economic injury applications is Dec. 1, 2016.

Union County, NJ – It’s never too early to start planning ahead for the gardening season, and you can get a head start on a successful harvest by attending the fourth annual, “Get Your Vegetable Garden Growing” workshop on Saturday, February 27, 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Union County Vo-Tech Schools campus, 1776 Raritan Road in Scotch Plains.

All gardeners are welcome, with or without experience, including backyard gardeners and persons interested in starting a school or community garden.

A nominal fee of $25.00 includes lunch, materials, and a full day of workshops and seminars conducted by Rutgers agriculture experts.

More details and a brochure with a registration form are available at the Union County website, ucnj.org.

To register online, visit tinyurl.com/schoolgardenconference by February 17. Registrations are also accepted by mail. To request a brochure and registration form by mail, call the Extension office in Westfield at 908-654-9854.

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County is a program of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, supported in part by the Freeholder Board. For more information other Extension programs including 4-H, Master Gardeners and Master Tree Stewards, visit ucnj.org/rce.

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

Connect with Union County on social media.

Photo credit: Ali Eminov via flickr.com, creative commons license.