L’Oreal Donates Rain Barrels For Watershed Association Workshops

L’Oreal Franklin recently donated rain barrels, such as this one, to the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association. Photo: Franklin Township Environmental Commission.

Submitted by the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.

The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association is happy to gain a new partner in its efforts to engage community members in its mission to keep water clean, safe and healthy in central New Jersey. L’Oréal USA Franklin generously donated 20 barrels to the Watershed Association for community rain barrel workshops this summer and has offered to continue this contribution moving forward.

These local events are essential to several programs at the Watershed Association, including its River-Friendly Programs and AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassadors, through which it educates the community about stormwater management, watershed health and environmental stewardship.

For the past 16 years, the Watershed Association has hosted a volunteer with AmeriCorps and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection through the Watershed Ambassadors Program. Since 2000, this program has hired 20 individuals throughout the state to volunteer in a “watershed management area” for a service term of about one year. These passionate individuals educate children and adults while completing stream assessments and community projects like rain barrel workshops and trash cleanups. In fact, a few of the Watershed Association staff is AmeriCorps alumni, including their Senior Naturalist, Assistant Science Director and River-Friendly Coordinator.

The River-Friendly Program is an opportunity for residents, schools, businesses and golf courses to earn certification through their land stewardship and environmental leadership. Started by the Watershed Association in 2002, these programs have been adopted by other local organizations in the central New Jersey area. Through baseline standards and guidelines, this program assists land owners in improving their practices and installing new projects that will improve wildlife habitat, conserve water and manage stormwater. Once again, rain barrels play an important role for the Watershed Association by helping schools, businesses, residents and golf courses reach River-Friendly certification.

Rain barrels are a fantastic way to teach individuals about their impact on local rivers and streams, while giving them the opportunity to create their own rainwater harvesting system. Typically a rain barrel can be expensive when you consider all of the components, but L’Oréal has helped to defray the cost of making your own. Disconnecting downspouts is a type of green infrastructure technique that is used all over the state to reduce pollutants and flooding caused by high levels of stormwater runoff. The visibility of this technique has the potential to be educational to students, employees, visitors and customers- not to mention the possibility for great works of art.

Though a large company and world leader in beauty products, L’Oréal feels it has the duty to contribute to the well-being the local communities in which it is present; by partnering with the Watershed Association, it is doing just that. Franklin’s Environment, Health and Safety Department has taken the initiative to work with the Watershed Association and they are very grateful to have L’Oréal supporting their community events.

Your Thoughts

comments