Maplewood Eco House & Yard Tour

What is the Eco House and Yard Tour?  The free Eco House and Yard Tour will showcase 19 local yards/gardens and homes that demonstrate sustainability.  

Learn about green living by visiting real life examples in your own neighborhood. Solar Panels, energy saving insulation, water saving drip irrigation, organic gardening, native landscaping, rain barrels, composting, reel mowers and back-yard chickens are among the green projects that will be on view. Homeowners will share their personal experiences and knowledge. Select houses will have experts on hand to answer technical questions.

Why are we doing an Eco-Tour?  The Maplewood Green Team will showcase money and planet saving sustainability projects in practice.  By visiting a house or garden that has adopted eco-friendly features, tour goers will:

• Look at a compost bin in action and see that compost doesn’t stink but will produce nutrient rich garden soil.

• Watch yard plants get watered by themselves and learn that drip irrigation is affordable and easy to install.

• Push a “reel mower” around the yard and try it out.  Reel mowers are easy to use, even on hills.

• Talk to homeowners about green technologies like solar installations and blown-in insulation to learn how much energy these elements are producing and/or saving.

• Ask questions about organic gardening and native landscaping.

• See this interactive map for full list of green living examples that will be featured on the tour.

Who is putting this together?  The Maplewood Green Team’s mission is to promote sustainability throughout the town by implementing plans and programs that support the mission. Maplewood Township is a recognized environmental leader in New Jersey. Maplewood is a model town in the state-wide Sustainable Jersey program and has been certified since 2009.