By: Najla Alexander
Hi, RLS Media friends and family. In celebration of Earth Day, the Borough of Carteret once again gathered families, friends, and loved ones for a fun, eco-friendly event!
The Earth Day Celebration took place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, in Carteret Park on Carteret Avenue at Cypress Street.
For a moment, the weather looked too gloomy to host such a lovely event, but then the sun came out and gave us another taste of the many beautiful days to come this summer.
The Third Annual Carteret Earth Day Celebration was a popular event that featured a wellness expo with a dozen vendors selling holistic, organic products or providing wellness services, including physical therapy, chiropractic care, health screenings, yoga, and exercise classes.
“The best way to take care of the planet is to take care of ourselves,” the Honorable Mayor Daniel J. Reiman said.
“For that reason, the Annual Carteret Earth Day Celebration now includes a wellness expo that will feature a variety of vendors who have Carteret residents’ best interests in mind.”
Wellness Expo participants will include:
Amway-manufacturer and distributor of nutrition, beauty, personal care, and home products
Garden State Therapy-multi-disciplined practice based in downtown Carteret that will offer physical and occupational therapy
Healthier Middlesex-diverse, multi-sector, community-focused consortium comprised of a wide variety of stakeholders, including community organizations, academic institutions, and health departments
OlmedoSoul- New Jersey family-owned small business that handcrafts jewelry made with healing crystals, including bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces, and keychains
Rahway Refillery- local No Waste Marketplace that provides bulk items for the kitchen and home, often within recyclable containers, as well as community education about a No Waste lifestyle
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway Community Outreach- a local medical center that will provide free health screenings, such as blood pressure and blood sugar, as well as mental health resources
RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center at Carteret- multi-faceted Borough-based fitness and wellness center that will be offering a Zumba class in the park
Savvy Fit Soaps- all-natural soaps, body butter, lotions, and deodorants made from 100 percent plant-based ingredients
World of Wellness- practice based in downtown Carteret that will demonstrate its various services, which include chiropractic, pain management, sports rehab, hormone replacement therapy, IV infusions, and physical therapy
Zaro Sports- Borough-based strength training studio that will offer a demonstration of services
Zentimacy- Borough-based yoga studio that will provide yoga and massage therapy
Officials stated that storytimes with Carteret children’s author D.J. Duvalsaint were also part of the wellness expo, and she read from her three books – “Sky’s First Swimming Lesson,” “A King of Chess” and “Victor Discovers the Violin” – throughout the event.
Children enjoyed bouncy houses, a community art project led by the Central Jersey Arts Council, and the live interactive band Bash the Trash, which plays environmentally-minded songs on instruments made of recycled materials.
Bash the Trash, a fantastic band I had the honor to hear, is actively teaching kids the importance of treating the Earth with respect and how to practice recycling, reducing, and reusing items meant for waste to create something as beautiful as music, you could see touched a lot of kids.
Noticing the bright smiles on their faces when learning about using the resources they have around them to not only make music but also help the Earth live longer, you could feel the excitement from the kids wanting to join in on the fun and make their own recycled instruments.
You can never go wrong with food trucks, especially tacos! The birria tacos from ‘The Best Taco Food Truck’ were so unique that they left me wanting more.
It's a good thing there was an ice cream truck to cool my mouth down after all those amazing spices!
Hearing live music and the laughter of children and people enjoying having fun together outside under the warm sun lets you know Carteret is gearing up for the summer. It was wonderful to see so many out and enjoying what the community has to offer from local businesses and the resources available.
One booth, in particular, included a presentation by Savnoor Kaur, a Carteret High School junior recently chosen to participate in Monaco’s Junk Kouture sustainable fashion contest with a recyclable gown of her own design, officials say.
“We are extremely proud of Savnoor and her amazing accomplishment representing Carteret at such a prestigious event,” Mayor Daniel J. Reiman said.
Kaur said that being one of 10 U.S. high school students chosen to compete in Junk Kouture was an unbelievable honor.
It marked the first time she had modeled, and she said it was daunting to do so on the fashionable French Riviera.
Officials stated that Junk Kouture challenges students ages 13 to 19 worldwide to create original couture made entirely from recyclable waste.
“Lost Beauty” was chosen from more than 1,600 entries from students in 20 nations on six continents, officials said.
“‘Lost Beauty’ is an homage to my culture’s traditional Indian lehenga,” Kaur said.
"But instead of the floor-length skirts, decorative blouses, and shawl-like scarfs called dupattas that usually makeup lehenga, I used old plastic bottles, bags, table covers, twigs, dried leaves, recycled cardboard, and paper, including pieces of old homework and textbooks and pieces of old clothing and shoes. It took three months to complete, so it was challenging but also fun to design and complete.”
Officials said cleanup volunteers gathered at 10 a.m. in Carteret Park, an hour before the event opened to the public.
Officials said volunteers were needed throughout the celebration for Carteret Park's annual spring cleanup and the Borough's Adopt a Park program, which coordinates a town-wide fall park cleanup.
From live music to park cleanups, bouncy houses, and tasty food, this celebration had it all! There was something for all ages to do, whether it was checking out a local high school artist, shopping for some handmade crystal jewelry, or volunteering to clean up your local park. People were out enjoying the company of one another as much as they could.
RLS Media is always looking forward to what the wonderful people at Carteret are planning for the people in their community. If this is the first preview of summer, then I cannot wait until the summer festival season begins!