Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

Molly de Aguiar, Program Associate

Last week, the tenants of 14 Maple Avenue proudly celebrated the grand opening of the building alongside its owner, the Morristown Parking Authority, with all of our friends, grantees, supporters, and the public.

For those of you who weren’t able to join us, we’d like to extend an invitation to come visit us and take a tour of the building. In the meantime, have a look at some pictures from the day.

As you can see, we couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather, as we gathered for the start of the day-long festivities.

Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello and the tenants of 14 Maple Avenue participated in a “vine-cutting” ceremony.

Organizations at 14 Maple Avenue include:

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Molly de Aguiar, Program Associate

You can find this spectacular mural, Life as a Delicate Fabric Stretched Between Two Eternities,  in our office, thanks to its artist Newton Meyers. Feeling a connection between the painting, which he completed in 1993, and Dodge’s commitment to green design, Mr. Meyers graciously allowed us to host his work.

The mural, explains Mr. Meyers, “Depicts the birth of the earth in a gigantic galactic explosion morphing into C-shaped tides which radiate out of this chaos, bringing warmth and lush green life. Most of this is shown on a huge curtain that sweeps across the mural, dipping into the waters below, where life began. This evolving fabric stretches on past melting icebergs and the death of species to the other eternity, represented by the planets, that life will eventually inhabit.”

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When you arrive by elevator on the 4th floor of our new office, you are greeted by this beautiful and unique wood wall:

What’s unique about it?

It’s made of wood beams from the former Epstein’s department store, which previously existed on this site. The beams were identified and salvaged by CitiLog, a New Jersey-based firm which specializes in reclaiming and recycling wood, such as trees knocked down by storms, or wood from soon-to-be-demolished buildings.

After Citilog removed the beams from the site, they sent it to Mifflintown County, Pennsylvania, where an Amish group repurposed the wood into two decorative woods walls for our office.

As the folks at Citilog will tell you, building material reuse diverts tons of waste from landfills and reduces the amount of raw materials that must be extracted and processed for use in construction.

According to Scientific American, our homes and offices account for more than one-third of all greenhouse gases caused by human activity (most of it from heating and air-conditioning). Their “How to Green Your Office” in-depth report gives tips and information on new, easy and sometimes quite cheap ways to make our home and work environments more eco-friendly.

Don’t miss their slideshow, “A Magnificent Seven,” of green buildings from around the world.

Pictured above is a London skyscraper that uses 50 percent less energy than a conventional skyscraper through solar heating and natural ventilation. It also consists of materials that can be easily recycled.

Hey! Our Biowall was featured in Sunday’s Star-Ledger, and online with this accompanying video.