Person of the Week: Troy Farley

Who wouldn't want to protect this?

To many people, small waste on a day-to-day level may not seem like a big deal.  Leaving the lights on after leaving the room does not faze us.  Keeping the car running while going into that convenience store to buy a gallon of milk does not hurt anything, some say.  The more materials used to package items purchased is better, right?

Eleven years ago, Troy Farley purchased his first home. Soon then after, he began to take notice of how much waste was created on a daily basis.  There had to be a better way, he thought.  From that point on, he would live a life based on sustainability and responsible living.

“When you live on your own, it is easier to realize how much waste we create individually,” Farley said.

Farley, 32  of Riverside, is avidly devoted to the protection of the environment.  He was beginning to think about the environment at a time in which it had not fully integrated into the mainstream thinking of America.

Early on, Farley made some basic changes to his lifestyle.  He switched to more efficient light bulbs.  He recycled more cans and paper.  While this would represent the majority of what many would do for the environment, Farley began to seek to make changes that would not be so obvious to the casual environmentalist.

One of the first major changes Farley made was discontinuing use of potentially hazardous household cleaners and products.  Many household cleaners and products contain strong chemicals and when some are used for their designated purpose, such as pouring Draino down the drain to clear clogged pipes, create a hazard for the water supply because they contain toxic ingredients.  He began to research the ingredients of these common products and discovered a brand called “Seventh Generation”, which manufactures safe cleaners that do not create a health hazard.  Most standard household cleaners are available in a non-toxic equivalent.

Of everything Farley did to lighten his impact on the environment, “I’m proudest of going with the natural cleansers and household products,” Farley said.

Farley has made tons of other changes to his lifestyle to create a more sustainable way to live.  He groups his trips to minimize the amount of driving he has to do.  Farley has taken to buying fruits and vegetables locally because of the large amounts of resources needed to ship them to chain-style supermarkets.  In addition to cutting back on carbon emissions, they are fresher when purchased locally and help support the local economy, he added.

While making a change in lifestyle can seem difficult in our modern world, Farley has been able to take it in stride.

“It was not a huge impact on your day-to-day life because you are just making little changes here and there, and you can still do much of what you did before,” said Farley.

Farley’s brand of environmentalism has reformed the way he eats and treats his body.  Farley’s family, consisting of his wife Sandy and son Max,  eat out much less not only because of the large amount of waste it creates and the expense, but because often it is simply not healthy for you.  He checks the ingredients in shampoos, lotions, and sunscreens because many of them contain chemicals that can enter your body through your skin.

Farley’s concern for water quality has eliminated the use of bleach in his laundry. To further save resources, he only washes clothes using cold water, which eliminates the use of more resources to heat the water.  Furthermore, he does not buy products that use significant amounts of hard plastic, which many municipalities do not accept in their recycling programs.  Farley works as an electronic salesman at Staples in Mount Holly, and has said that although there is still plenty of waste associated with consumer electronics, some companies are taking notice to the environmental movement by using less.

“You see some of the manufacturers are going to packaging which uses less plastic, and we have seen a shift towards using less packaging materials in some of the products we sell and I hope this continues,” said Farley.

In his home, Farley is concerned about the indoor air quality.  As a result, he says all of his future home painting will be done in zero-VOC paint, meaning it does not release toxic fumes into the air.  While today’s standard latex paint is much less harmful than the lead and oil-based paints of previous eras, Farley says his family will soon be expanding, and wants to establish these good habits now.

While he does not miss his old lifestyle, Farley says there are a few things that have been tougher to adjust to.  As a result of his family’s improved eating habits, he says he eats much less red meat, which is healthier but not as tasty.  He says that with a healthier diet and more whole grains, your food selections are not as great.  The green cleaning products he uses cost a little more than their non-green counterparts, but Farley has no objections paying a little more for their benefits.

Eventually, Farley would like to replace all of his home appliances with more energy efficient models.  He is researching the possibility of acquiring non-gasoline powered lawn equipment, as lawn tools represent a sizable portion of pollution produced despite their small size.  For his next vehicle, he would like to purchase a hybrid car if electric automobiles are not yet feasible.

John Noon, a longtime friend and Medford resident, said that Farley’s enthusiasm for the environment is contagious.

“He definitely has made me think about my own lifestyle, and I can attribute some positive changes to his influences,” Noon said.  In recent years, Noon has increased the amount he recycles and used caution when using products for his lawn because he uses water from a well.

For anyone interested in living a more green and healthier life, Farley recommends reading “Living Green: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability” by Greg Horn.  Farley said that the book changed his perspective.

Farley insists that environmental responsibility must be more than a fad.  To make this possible, people must always be committed to doing the right thing. He used the price of gas to demonstrate the attitude of some towards the environment.

For a while, people were only concerned about gasoline usage when the price reached high levels, Farley said.

“Cost is important, but waste reduction is more important,” Farley said.

While others are gradually giving more attention to environmental protection, Troy Farley has shown he is years ahead of mainstream society on the issue. One day, he hopes, we will all live a truly sustainable lifestyle.

Talk about leading by example.

Election Day 2009

The ballots have been counted and the results are in.  New Jersey’s Gubernatorial race garnered national attention, and was one of two governors races (Virginia being the other) in an otherwise quiet election year.  Republican Chris Christie, running on his reputation for prosecuting corrupt public officials and promising to reduce New Jersey‘s large tax burden, won the election with 49% of the popular vote compared to 44% for the incumbent Governor John Corzine.  Independent candidate Chris Daggett took 6% of the vote.

I posed the following question: “What issues mattered most to you in the gubernatorial election?“  This election season, taxes were the main thing on New Jersey voters minds.  Nathan King, 25, of Riverside, New Jersey, said that the candidates stand on taxes weighed heavily on his decision.

“The residents of this state are being taxed to death,” said King.  “Jon Corzine has shown he cannot lower taxes, so hopefully now Chris Christie will deliver on his promises and give us some relief.  I would like to believe Christie will rid New Jersey of corruption, and make some of the difficult decisions that need to be made to make our state a better place to live.  I am happy with the results of the election.”

Nicole Siddell, 29, originally of Riverside,  was not optimistic about the prospects of taxes being lowered.

“My Homestead Rebate was reduced by the Corzine administration,” said Siddell. “It really does not matter that Christie won this election because the tax issue is not going to go away.”

Because of the perceived  inability of both major parties to solve these problems, Siddell said she was unable to vote for Corzine or Christie.

Terri Harper, 53, of Riverside, agreed that taxes were too high, but would go a step further.  She says overall government waste is the most pressing issue facing the state.

“Government spending is out of control,” said Harper.  “There are too many state workers, and the fact is many of those jobs could be eliminated because they are not truly necessary.  I think it is nearly impossible for the state to maintain the pension system as we know it, and something has to be done about it.”

Christie’s pledge to reduce the size of the state workforce and cut overall spending was a key factor in winning her vote, Harper said.

A little more close to home, there was an election in Riverside for two spots on the township committee.    The Democratic incumbents, Thomas Polino (1,055) and Lorraine Hatcher (1,046), defeated Republican challengers Charles Hilton (578) and Dana Entwistle (553).  Once again, I posed a question: “what issues mattered most to you when voting for Riverside township committee?”

This question generated a far wider variety of responses.  King was mainly concerned about public works and redevelopment.

“Many of the roads are in poor condition, therefore they are a safety hazard and can damage your car,” said King. “The Golden Triangle area and the old Taubel mill site still have not been developed, but that can be attributed to the struggling economy.”

The Taubel mill was once a prominent manufacturer of hosiery in the early 20th century.  In 2006, it was demolished to make way for several new condominium developments, but this project  has yet to take form.  The Golden Triangle refers to an area bordering the Rancocas Creek and River Line tracks that has long been a potential redevelopment area for the town.

Harper likes the potential of the redevelopment plans for the revenue possibilities.

“If the old Taubel mill land was developed, along with the Golden Triangle and even where the old Zurbrugg hospital used to be, we could have businesses and establishments that would generate tax money that the township could collect.” said Harper.

Harper would have liked to have seen Hilton and Entwistle win, because “It is time to give someone else a chance,” said Harper.  “The Democrats have had their opportunity and nothing significant has changed the last three years.”

For Siddell, the candidates stance on immigration was very important to her.  As a lifelong resident of the town, she has seen how the impact of illegal immigrants has strained the resources of the town.

“Riverside has quite a few residencies with a large number of people living there,” said Siddell.  “They are registering their cars in Pennsylvania, and are getting off  very easy compared to residents who are paying into the system.”

During the last township committee election, Riverside was engulfed in scandal because of their newly created law aimed at curbing illegal immigration by punishing landlords who rented to them and businesses who hired them.  The law was ultra controversial, and thrust Riverside into the national spotlight.

In 2006, Polino and Hatcher ran on a platform that they would attempt to have the law repealed as the cost to defend it in court would have been greater than what the law would have provided.  The law suffered from being difficult to enforce.  Hatcher and Polino won the election, and the law was quietly written off the books.

King agreed illegal immigration is still a problem for the town.

“If they (immigrants) are going to come here, they should make an attempt to come legally,” said King. “I felt the Republican candidates for township committee would have been able to fix the problem unlike the Democrats who were reelected.”

Last year, Election Day made history.  This year, there were still plenty of passions stirred up, just going to show you that no matter how big or small the race, every vote does in fact count.

Hello Everyone!

My name is Robert Harper. I am 23 and from Riverside, New Jersey.  I have lived in Riverside for all of my 23 years on this beautiful earth.  There are alot of issues going on in Riverside, ranging from immigration to development, and I truly look forward to taking a deeper look into my hometown.  Until next time, thank you and so long!

 

-Rob