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Recordings for the fall, 2024 series and archived sessions are below. See you in the spring, 2025!
The Winds of Change: Environmental Impacts from an Altered Climate.
Climate change is predicted to have far-reaching impacts beyond modified weather patterns. A changing climate is expected to alter habitats causing wildlife and plants to migrate into new areas as ‘invasive’ species and to increase the impact of coastal hazards on beaches and estuaries. In our fall webinar series we continue our collaboration with the Marine Extension Program Seminar Series (MEPSS), to learn about these changes in response to climate change and what we can do to mitigate these issues.
Live, one hour webinars start at 6:30pm and are provided via Zoom.
Missed a webinar? Recordings are posted within a week of the live session. Click on the title for the recording.
October 8 – Nothing endures but change: invasive species, climate change, and conservation. Dr. Julie Lockwood, Rutgers University. Nothing endures but change’ is attributed to the philosopher Heraclitus, who viewed the world as always ‘becoming’ but never ‘being’. Echoes of this 2000 year old philosophy are found in scientist’s modern understanding of the Earth — including its climate and living residents – as being constantly in flux and evolving. What we face today, however, is change so out of the ordinary that it has few, if any, precedents. This change emerges from globalized travel and trade, massive land use change, and accelerating climate change. In this video, Dr. Lockwood explores the response of terrestrial invasive species to a warming New Jersey climate as an example of the complexity we face as environmental conservationists. Also explored is the ‘levers’ available to us to reduce the impacts of invasive species under climate change and better conserve our natural heritage.
October 15 – Food Waste and Climate Change. Dr. Amy Rowe, Rutgers University 60 million tons of food are wasted in the United States each year and that wasted food generates more than 170 million tons of CO2 equivalents in greenhouse gases each year. Food waste, its climate change impacts, and what you can do to mitigate those impacts are discussed during this presentation.
- How Climate Change affects Coastal Hazards in New Jersey. Dr. James Shope, Rutgers University. Dr Shope will be discussing sea-level rise and how stronger storms can increase coastal flooding and erosion on the New Jersey shoreline. Dr. Shope will discuss historic trends and the science underlying sea-level rise and the potential for more destructive coastal storms in New Jersey with implications for our coastal communities.
- Help Document our Changing Coast with MyCoast: New Jersey. Amanda Archer, Rutgers University New Jersey is a platform for communities to learn about climate-related flood risks and document coastal changes over time. Various tools on the website or mobile app allow community users to share photos and stories that document impacts of flooding and changes to shorelines due to higher tides, storms, and erosion. MyCoast fetches background data on location, weather, and water levels to add scientific context to each report. The submitted MyCoast reports inform state agencies, local governments, and community organizations and gives your community a voice in future climate and coastal resilience planning efforts.
October 30 – Trees of the Living Dead: How to Remove Aggressively Sprouting Invasive Trees. Jean Epiphan, Rutgers University. Have you ever cut down an invasive tree just to get 50 more in its place? Learn which invasive trees species do this and the properly timed steps to prevent zombie trees from sprouting back to life.
November 4 – Invasive Insects Update: Spotted Lanternfly, Emerald Ash Borer and Hornets. New Jersey’s forests, farms, and residents face invasive insect pests including spotted lanternfly and emerald ash borer. Join Dr. George Hamilton, Rutgers Extension Specialist in Pest Management, for an update on efforts to combat these pests, as well as a discussion on some of the large wasps we may — or may not — encounter in the Garden State: European hornets, cicada killer wasps, and the newsworthy Asian giant hornet.
November 12 – Changes in South Jersey Estuaries: Influences of Climate Change, Invasive Species and Human Modifications. Dr. Ken Able, Rutgers University. Our coastal estuaries in southern New Jersey have experienced many impacts from climate change, including shifts in the animals and plants found both under and above the water. Join us to learn more about the observed changes in a wide range of species, including changes in the fish species found locally and rising sea levels impacting coastal marshes and forests. Dr. Ken Able (Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University) is our featured speaker and has more than 45 years of experience studying New Jersey’s estuaries.
Our Earth Day, Every Day webinar series focuses on steps everyone can take to protect the environment. We can all do our part to take actions that make our homes more sustainable, from environmentally-friendly lawn care, to recycling, to conducting a home energy audit. These actions, more than ever, start at home.
Webinar Archive
Click on the category titles below to view the YouTube archives for all of our webinars.
Climate Change
Changes in South Jersey Estuaries: Influence of Climate Change, Invasive Species and Human Mods
Recorded November 12, 2024
Featuring Dr. Ken Able, Rutgers University.
Our coastal estuaries in southern New Jersey have experienced many impacts from climate change, including shifts in the animals and plants ...found both under and above the water. Learn more about observed changes in a wide range of species, including local fish species and rising sea levels impacting coastal marshes and forests. Dr. Ken Able (Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University) has more than 45 years of experience studying New Jersey’s estuaries.[+] Show More
Featuring Dr. Ken Able, Rutgers University.
Our coastal estuaries in southern New Jersey have experienced many impacts from climate change, including shifts in the animals and plants ...found both under and above the water. Learn more about observed changes in a wide range of species, including local fish species and rising sea levels impacting coastal marshes and forests. Dr. Ken Able (Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University) has more than 45 years of experience studying New Jersey’s estuaries.[+] Show More
Changes in South Jersey Estuaries: Influence of Climate Change, Invasive Species and Human Mods
Recorded November 12, 2024 Featuring Dr. Ken Able, Rutgers University. Our coastal estuaries in southern New Jersey have experienced many impacts ...
New Jersey Coastal Hazards and Using MyCoast Online Tools
Featuring Dr. James Shope and Amanda Archer, Rutgers University Recorded on October 24, 2024 How Climate Change affects Coastal Hazards in New ...
Nothing endures but change: invasive species, climate change, and conservation
Featuring Dr. Julie Lockwood, Rutgers University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources. Nothing endures but change’ is ...
Planning For The Unplanned: Preparing For Marine Debris Response In New Jersey
Featuring Jessica Conway, NOAA Marine Debris Program. Recorded on November 21, 2022 As we learned from Superstorm Sandy-responding to disaster ...
Strategies To Minimize the Impacts Of Coastal Flooding And Salt Water On Agricultural Lands
Featuring Chris Miller, USDA- NRCS. Recorded on November 14, 2022 Managing the impact of saltwater inundation will require farmers to use more ...
Living Shorelines in the Decade Since Sandy: Lessons Learned and Implications for Future Design
Featuring Jon Miller, Stevens Institute of Technology. (Recorded on October 24, 2022) Superstorm Sandy both affirmed the effectiveness of beaches ...
Adapting to Climate Change in Your Community with Tanya Rohrbach, NJ Future.
Featuring Tanya Rohrbach, NJ Future. Recorded on October 17, 2022 As the impacts of climate change become increasingly evident, we are learning ...
Beyond Recovery From Sandy: Setting The Stage For Future Community Resilience
Fearturing Dr Tom Herrington, Monmouth University's Urban Coast Institute. The significant damage generated by Superstorm Sandy exposed New ...
From One Extreme To Another: Climate Change Driven Storm Events And What To Do About Them
Featuring Dr. David Robinson, NJ State Climatologist. Since Superstorm Sandy, New Jersey has faced its share of storm events described as ...
The Cost of Climate Change
Climate change is causing more intense heat waves, more intense rainfall, and higher coastal flooding, causing economic harms around the world, ...
Energy
What's An Energy Audit And Do you Need One? | View the recording
Many homes use more energy than they actually need. The solution is a home energy efficiency assessment (aka audit). An energy efficiency assessment does more than help you save energy—it ...increases your personal comfort, makes your home healthier/safer and increases the value of your home. Join Sandi Eisner, the Outreach Account Manager with New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program™ to learn the what, how and why of a home energy efficiency assessment as well as how to save energy and money[+] Show More
What's An Energy Audit And Do you Need One? | View the recording
Many homes use more energy than they actually need. The solution is a home energy efficiency assessment (aka audit). An energy efficiency ...
Overview of Energy Use in NJ and Renewable Energy’s Role in Carbon Reduction Goals
New Jersey may be a small state, but it uses a lot of energy. Dave Specca, Assistant Director of the Rutgers EcoComplex, provides a summary of ...
September 25, 2023: Residential Rooftop Solar for a Greener Garden State
Dr. Dunbar Birnie with Rutgers University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, sheds light on the technical, financial, and policy ...
What’s Happening with Offshore Wind Off New Jersey?
Dr. Douglas Zemeckis with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, and Dr. Josh Kohut with Rutgers University, Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, ...
Bioenergy/Biofuels as a Renewable Energy Source in New Jersey
Dr. Serpil Guran, Director of the Rutgers EcoComplex, discusses renewable energy resources such as solar, wind and offshore wind play an ...
Winterizing Your Home for Energy Efficiency
Winter months are often an energy consumption and budget strain. There are lots of reasons why our energy usage and bills can be higher during ...
Reeling in Community Scientists for Fisheries Monitoring of Offshore Wind Development
In this seminar we dove into the ocean realm as offshore wind development continues off the New Jersey coast, many are concerned about potential ...
Offshore Wind for New Jersey: the Opportunities and Challenges
For the air element, our featured speaker was Kris Ohleth who has more than 20 years’ experience working in the offshore wind sector. The ...
Food
Food Waste and Climate Change
Featuring Dr. Amy Rowe, Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Recorded October 15, 2024
60 million tons of food are wasted in the United States each year and that wasted food generates more than ...170 million tons of CO2 equivalents in greenhouse gases each year. Food waste, its climate change impacts, and what you can do to mitigate those impacts are discussed during this presentation.[+] Show More
Recorded October 15, 2024
60 million tons of food are wasted in the United States each year and that wasted food generates more than ...170 million tons of CO2 equivalents in greenhouse gases each year. Food waste, its climate change impacts, and what you can do to mitigate those impacts are discussed during this presentation.[+] Show More
Food Waste and Climate Change
Featuring Dr. Amy Rowe, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Recorded October 15, 2024 60 million tons of food are wasted in the United States each year ...
Food Systems and Climate Change
Hear from Xenia Morin, Associate Professor with the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health (IFNH) to learn how our food systems are ...
Reducing Food Waste
Thirty to forty percent of all food produced in the US is wasted. This talk will define food waste, its environmental impacts, and will provide ...
Insect & Pest Management
Invasive Insects Update: Spotted Lanternfly, Emerald Ash Borer and Hornets
Recorded on November 4, 2024
Featuring Dr. George Hamilton, Rutgers University.
New Jersey’s forests, farms, and residents face invasive insect pests including spotted lanternfly and emerald ash borer. Dr. George ...Hamilton, Rutgers Extension Specialist in Pest Management, provides an update on efforts to combat these pests, as well as a discussion on some of the large wasps we may — and may not — encounter in the Garden State: European hornets, cicada killer wasps, and the newsworthy Asian giant hornet.[+] Show More
Featuring Dr. George Hamilton, Rutgers University.
New Jersey’s forests, farms, and residents face invasive insect pests including spotted lanternfly and emerald ash borer. Dr. George ...Hamilton, Rutgers Extension Specialist in Pest Management, provides an update on efforts to combat these pests, as well as a discussion on some of the large wasps we may — and may not — encounter in the Garden State: European hornets, cicada killer wasps, and the newsworthy Asian giant hornet.[+] Show More
Invasive Insects Update: Spotted Lanternfly, Emerald Ash Borer and Hornets
Recorded on November 4, 2024 Featuring Dr. George Hamilton, Rutgers University. New Jersey’s forests, farms, and residents face invasive insect ...
Beech Leaf Disease and the Teeny Tiny Pest With BIG Impacts. April 17
Join Jean Epiphan, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Morris County Agent and Assistant Professor, to learn about a new invasive pest that has hit NJ ...
An Update on the Spread and Management of Spotted Lanternfly in New Jersey.
The invasion has begun! Dr. George Hamilton, Chair of the Department of Entomology and Extension Specialist in Pest Management at Rutgers, will ...
Ticks and Lyme Disease
Protect yourself from ticks and Lyme disease by learning about the tick life cycle, tick removal, and differences between a variety of tick ...
Native Plants
Collecting Native Seeds: Sow Much to Know!
How do you get started incorporating native plants into your yard? One easy way is to collect native seeds and overwinter them to start your own plants. Join ...Angela Monaghan, Rutgers Master Gardener Coordinator for Middlesex County to learn the ins and outs of native seed collection and sowing seeds for next year's garden.[+] Show More
Collecting Native Seeds: Sow Much to Know!
How do you get started incorporating native plants into your yard? One easy way is to collect native seeds and overwinter them to start your own ...
Plant This Not That – Avoiding Invasives in Your Yard.
Some popular ornamental plants are actually garden "bullies" invading local ecosystems and destroying natural wildlife habitats. Learn about the ...
Starting a Native Plant Garden 1
New to native plant gardening? Not sure which native plants will thrive where you live? Angela Monaghan, Master Gardener Coordinator for ...
Trees, Wonderful Trees
Celebrate Arbor Day with us! With over 100 species of trees in NJ, it can be challenging to decide what should be in your yard and where to find ...
Natural Resource Management
Fire’s Role in Ecosystem Health
Featuring Jeremy Webber with the NJ Forest Fire Service. Recorded on April 15, 2024.
This session explored how prescribed fire not only aids in protecting life and property from the ...catastrophic wildfire, but also how it supports ecosystem health. Prescribed fire used appropriately can benefit habitats for both flora and fauna, while also supporting hazardous fuel and invasive plant species mitigation efforts. Lastly, we explored the unfamiliar benefits of how a wildfire essentially promotes habitat diversity and natural environmental processes.[+] Show More
This session explored how prescribed fire not only aids in protecting life and property from the ...catastrophic wildfire, but also how it supports ecosystem health. Prescribed fire used appropriately can benefit habitats for both flora and fauna, while also supporting hazardous fuel and invasive plant species mitigation efforts. Lastly, we explored the unfamiliar benefits of how a wildfire essentially promotes habitat diversity and natural environmental processes.[+] Show More
Nature Therapy
Infusing EcoTherapy Into Your Life
Are you stressed out with today's daily challenges? Let nature help you hit the reset button! Learn how the outdoors can help you find focus, clarity, better sleep, maintain presence, ...and add much needed calm in our busy lives. Come learn about the role of nature and the outdoors in creating mindfulness, as well as some practices you can easily do on your own at home to keep you in a healthy balance. Join Joanne Kinsey, Associate Professor and FCHS Educator with Ocean and Atlantic Counties, as she leads us on the road to better well-being.[+] Show More
Plastics
Microplastics: Tiny Particles with Major Impacts. April 24
Dr. Judith Weis with Rutgers University will discuss all aspects of microplastics - how diverse they are, where they come from, how they are distributed in the environment, what effects ...they have, and what can be done about them - including what you can do.[+] Show More
Microplastics: Tiny Particles with Major Impacts. April 24
Dr. Judith Weis with Rutgers University will discuss all aspects of microplastics - how diverse they are, where they come from, how they are ...
RU Ready for NJ's New Plastic Pollution Reduction Law
Starting November 2021, NJ's new plastics law goes into effect to help reduce the amount of single-use plastics and protect our natural ...
Earth Day, Every Day Basics of Recycling, November 2, 2020
Despite what you may have heard about changing global markets and challenges to the recycling industry, recycling remains as one of the easiest ...
Reducing Plastic Waste
Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans. Learn about the impact plastic is having on our environment and the steps you ...
Soil
Down to Earth Soil Management
For the earth element, we were joined by Bill Errickson, County Agent with Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County to look at soil health and how it is defined as ...the continued capacity to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. Maintaining soil health is an essential component of a productive and thriving garden that is more resistant to disease and abiotic stress. This presentation will highlight the important ecological roles of soil organisms as they relate to the physical and chemical properties of soil in home-scale and community gardens. Topics will include proper methods of soil testing, optimizing soil fertility, and practices to support soil organism biodiversity through increasing soil organic matter. Recorded on May 20, 2024.[+] Show More
Down to Earth Soil Management
For the earth element, we were joined by Bill Errickson, County Agent with Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County to look at soil ...
Safe Soil for Urban Gardening
The soil in older, urban neighborhoods can be contaminated with lead. Gardening in the city can be done safely, but there are steps everyone ...
Get to the Root of Soil Compaction
Soil compaction is a major problem that can impact your lawn, garden, and cause rainwater runoff. Come learn about what causes compaction, how to ...
Volunteering
YOU Can Be a Citizen Scientist!
Did you know YOU can be a volunteer scientist! There are so many exciting opportunities for volunteers to contribute to the collection of scientific data at home or in your ...community. Be it collecting rainfall data, tracking invasive species, assessing the nightime sky, or tracking monarch butterflies, there is a project for you. Join the #E2D2 team to learn how you can contribute as well specifics on a few New Jersey based projects that need your help![+] Show More
Water
Let's Stop As-Salting Our Streams The Impacts of Road Salt on Freshwater
New Jersey is applying more and more salt on its roads every winter - and its freshwaters are becoming saltier too. Join Erin Stretz, Assistant Director of Science at The ...Watershed Institute and coordinator of the New Jersey Watershed Watch Network, to discover the ecological consequences of road salting on freshwater streams and lakes and how you can help put your watershed on a reduced-sodium diet. You will also learn more about our community science effort to measure chloride levels across the state. Join up and contribute to freshwater salinization research this winter![+] Show More
Let's Stop As-Salting Our Streams The Impacts of Road Salt on Freshwater
New Jersey is applying more and more salt on its roads every winter - and its freshwaters are becoming saltier too. Join Erin Stretz, Assistant ...
Combined Sewers and Their Impact on Water Quality
Combined sewer overflows (CSO's), have been in use since the middle 1800's in many large American cities including 21 cities in New Jersey. ...
How Does a Rain Garden Grow?
We'll take a deeper dive into the design and installation of rain gardens as fall is a perfect time to get them in the ground. Amy Rowe, ...
From Rain Gardens to Rain Barrels; Protecting Watersheds at Home
What we do on our home landscapes impacts water quality in local streams, rivers, and lakes. Everything from fertilizer to pet waste becomes ...
Responsible Stewardship of New Jersey’s Marine Resources
From March 15, 2021 Earth Day, Every Day webinar session. The Jersey coast and all that it has to offer ‘shore’ could use your help! We need to ...
Earth Day, Every Day Ten Ways to Adapt to Coastal Flooding October 19, 2020
Ten Ways to Adapt to Coastal Flooding. Government agencies and other organizations are helping coastal communities prepare for sea-level rise and ...
Understanding the 2019 Harmful Algae Blooms in NJ
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) plagued many aquatic waterways in 2019. This talk will cover what it is, what to look for, health effects, and how ...
Exploring Your Watershed
We all live in a watershed and you can navigate yours from your computer. Learn about free online platforms and mapping websites that provide all ...
Wildlife
Urban Humpback Whales: Coexisting With Our Charismatic Neighbors
For our spirit element, we were joined by Danielle Brown, Rutgers University, Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, and Director of Marine Mammal Research for Gotham Whale. Danielle ...discussed how the Humpback whales have become an exciting part of the coastal ecosystem in NJ and NY, what we have learned about humpback whale ecology over the last decade, and how we can best coexist with whales in our region. Recorded on June 3, 2024[+] Show More
Urban Humpback Whales: Coexisting With Our Charismatic Neighbors
For our spirit element, we were joined by Danielle Brown, Rutgers University, Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, and ...
The Influence of Personal Experiences on Perceptions of Black Bears in New Jersey
In this seminar Dr. Joseph Paulin, Rutgers University explores how over the past 30 years, people have more regularly interacted with black bears ...
RU Wildlife Wise Successfully Navigating the Urban Wild
Join us to discover the wild animals that ‘go bump in the night’ this Halloween with Kathleen Kerwin, Program Associate with Rutgers Cooperative ...
RU Wildlife Wise Spring Babies! Tips for Helping Injured or Orphaned Wildlife
As the days grow longer and the temperatures rise, spring will emerge chock full of newborn wildlife! In the spring, it is common to come upon ...
Let's Not Pass the Buck Deer Management in New Jersey
Most of us have been impacted by deer overpopulation issues in NJ: vehicular accidents, Lyme disease, losses in agricultural crops, and damage in ...
RU Wildlife Wise Demystifying Iconic Halloween Animals
Halloween is known for wildlife that many find scary, such as bats, ravens, snakes, and others. How and why did these animals become associated ...
RU Wildlife Wise Defensive Driving to Avoid Wildlife Vehicle Collisions
Caution animal crossing! Drivers in New Jersey are all too familiar with the interaction between vehicles and wildlife. Come learn the ecology of ...
Creating Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard
All creatures need to eat, drink, hide from predators, take cover from harsh weather, and safely raise their young. Hear from Kathleen Kerwin, ...
Yard Care
Trees of the Living Dead: How to Remove Aggressively Sprouting Invasive Trees
Recorded October 30
Featuring Jean Epiphan, Rutgers University.
Have you ever cut down an invasive tree just to get 50 more in its place? Learn which invasive trees species ...do this and the properly timed steps to prevent zombie trees from sprouting back to life.[+] Show More
Featuring Jean Epiphan, Rutgers University.
Have you ever cut down an invasive tree just to get 50 more in its place? Learn which invasive trees species ...do this and the properly timed steps to prevent zombie trees from sprouting back to life.[+] Show More
Trees of the Living Dead: How to Remove Aggressively Sprouting Invasive Trees
Recorded October 30 Featuring Jean Epiphan, Rutgers University. Have you ever cut down an invasive tree just to get 50 more in its place? Learn ...
Fall Lawn Care the Earthwise Way
Fall is a critical time to reinvigorate your lawn the environmentally friendly way. Fertilizing, overseeding, and top dressing with compost are ...
Backyard Composting 101
Starting home composting is one of the easiest ways to reduce waste while improving your soil. Learn how to turn your kitchen scraps and yard ...
Home Vegetable Gardening For Food, Fun and Stress Management
Growing your own food can be physically and mentally rewarding. There are important tips to consider when starting a home vegetable garden such ...
Environmentally Friendly Lawn Care
Want to reduce chemical use on your lawn and garden? Bill Hlubik will focus on earth-wise land care practices everyone should use including using ...