Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • February 8, 2012 Mahwah Grant sought for solar-powered school zone signs by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Council has endorsed the submission of an application to the New Jersey Department of Transportation for a grant to fund the installation of solar-powered school zone signs. Those signs would be installed along Ridge Road in the vicinity of the elementary and middle schools, and along Fardale Avenue in the vicinity of the George Washington School. The council wants signs on those roads to discourage motorists from speeding so walking and bicycling to school can be safe, routine activities. The board of education has already passed a resolution of support for the grant application. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about half of all students walked or bicycled to school in 1969. Today, fewer than 15 percent of all school trips are made by walking or bicycling, one-quarter of those trips are made on a school bus, and over half of all children arrive at school in private automobiles. The NHTSA claims this decline in walking and bicycling has had an adverse effect on traffic congestion and air quality around schools, and on pedestrian and bicycle safety. In addition, the NHTSA claims there is a growing body of evidence that has shown that children who lead sedentary lifestyles are at risk for a variety of health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Safety issues are a big concern for parents, who consistently cite traffic danger as a reason their children do not bicycle or walk to school. According to professional engineer Michael Kelly of Boswell McClave Engineering, the township’s engineering firm, the grant is competitive, but it would not require matching funds from the township. He advised, however, that the township would have to agree to take ownership of the solar signs and maintain them over the 20 years during which they are guaranteed. Kelly said there would be six signs on Ridge Road and two on Fardale Avenue, and the maintenance of those signs involves batteries that must be replaced every five to seven years at a cost of about $1,000 each. He noted that the township would have to budget 1,000 to $1,500 per year to maintain the signs. The council passed a second resolution accepting that responsibility so the grant application could be submitted. The Safe Routes to Schools Program is a Federal-Aid program of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. The program makes funding available for a wide variety of programs and projects, from building safer street crossings to establishing programs that encourage children and their parents to walk and bicycle safely to school. That funding to the states is intended to substantially improve the ability of elementary and middle school students to walk and bicycle to school safely. The program also encourages a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age, and facilitates the planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution within two miles of primary and middle schools. “Empowering Women as a Prerequisite for Global Peace and Sustainable Development,” will be held at Ramapo College on Feb. 9 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in SC-219. Guest speaker Carla Sunshine Koppell will present the program, which is the first in a series of six presentations to be held this spring. The six-part lecture series, “Creating a Sustainable World: Voices of Key Practitioners,” is being sponsored by the Masters of Arts in Sustainability Studies program and was organized by Professor Michael Edelstein, director of the Institute for Environmental Studies. “A sustainable world requires peace and prosperity,” said Edelstein. “Koppell provides this focus clearly. As a prerequisite for sustained peace and prosperity, gender equality and women’s empowerment is not simply a question of human rights and women’s rights. Rather, it reflects recognition that women bring different skills, perspectives, and relationships to the table, changing dynamics and raising new ideas and approaches to addressing the needs of today’s families and communities while asserting the rights of future generations. New perspectives are needed to meet emerging security threats like global climate change, diminished food and water supplies, and resource-driven violence and conflict.” Koppell is the senior coordinator for gender equality and women’s empowerment and senior advisor to the adminis- First of ‘sustainability’ lectures to be held this week at Ramapo trator at the United States Agency for International Development. She works to foster gender equality and women’s empowerment globally. Koppell previously directed The Institute for Inclusive Security and the Washington, D.C. office of Hunt Alternatives Fund, where she worked to involve women and civil society in peace processes around the world, and most specifically in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sudan. Earlier positions included heading the Conflict Prevention Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, where she authored “Preventing the Next Wave of Conflict: Understanding Non-Traditional Threats to Global Stability.” She also served as deputy assistant secretary for international affairs of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, as special assistant to the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and director of the USAID climate change program. Earlier in her career, she worked for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The event is free and open to the public. However, off-campus attendees will require a parking permit at the security booth at the north entrance. To make an advance request for a parking pass or for more information, e-mail Professor Edelstein at medelste@ramapo.edu. Ramapo College is located at 505 Ramapo Valley Road in Mahwah.