Serving Hillside, Elizabeth, and all Essex County communities—except Livingston, Millburn and Roseland
The Gateway Group was organized in January 2011. Please contact any of the leaders if you are interested in joining our campaigns to protect the environment. There are several Gateway Group positions open.
The Gateway Group invites YOU to join in the activism and asks your support as we strive to address the many issues facing the urban as well as suburban communities.
Follow us on Facebook at gatewaygroupsierraclubnj
Do you ever wonder if the plastic containers you put out at the curb for recycling actually get recycled, or do they end up floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
In January, the Gateway Group of the Sierra Club published a major study of what actually happens to the bottles, cans, and paper collected from Essex County residents. Danielle Rapsas, a sophomore at Barnard College and a graduate of West Caldwell High School, completed the study as a summer intern with the Gateway Group. She is also a member of the Gateway Group Executive Committee and the political chair for the Group.
Her research found conclusive evidence that recycling is considerably cheaper than sending solid waste to be incinerated in Newark, and includes 9 specific recommendations for Essex County towns and municipalities to follow to increase recycling rates.
Copies of the report are available for download here: Essex County Recycling Report
Gateway Group Events
2026 July 4th Parade
2026 was the third year that the Gateway Group participated in the annual July 4th Parade in Montclair. Joining the Gateway Group as always were fellow environmental organizations including the NorthEast Earth Coalition, Interfaith Climate Action representing area churches, synagogues, and mosques, and the NJ Chapter of the Electric Vehicle Association. A parade of 6 electric vehicles rode behind the marchers and banners and signs promoting “Freedom From Fossil Fuels” and protecting pollinators from mosquito spraying.
In addition to handing out candy to children along the route, 300 individual envelopes containing Black Eyed Susan seeds were handed out to adults to help them start pollinator gardens in their yards. Pictures from the parade are attached.
Getting Ready to March. Left to Right: Stan Jaracz (NJ Electric Vehicle Association), Noemi Giszpenc as Lady Liberty (Bnai Keshet/Interfaith Climate Action), Autumn Wagner (Sierra Club), Collumb Mahoney (Sierra Club), David Wasmuth (Northeast Earth Coalition), and David Korfhage on his electric bike (Montclair Climate Action). Picture taken by Bill Beren.
Nearing the end of the March. Left to right: Autumn Wagner, Columb Mahoney, Bill Beren (Gateway Chair), David Korfhage, Nancy Taiani and David Wasmuth (NEEC), and Noemi Giszpenc (behind David). Photographer unknown, downloaded from Secret Montclair Facebook page.
EV Lineup: Stan Jaracz showing off the lineup of the 5 EVs participating in the parade. From right to left: Hyundai Ioniq 5, BMW, Rivian, Smart Car (hard to see), and Kia EV9. Picture taken by Stan Jaracz.
Montclair Earth Fest
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 12 - 4 pm
The Gateway Group celebrated Earth Day at Montclair’s 3rd annual Earth Fest. The fair was held Sunday, April 26th on South Park Street in downtown Montclair from 12 noon to 4 PM.
The Club once again sponsored a Drive Electric Earth Month event – six Electric Vehicles were on display along with an electric school bus. Our adjoining table displayed literature promoting Sierra Club programs and policies and visitors were encouraged to test their environmental knowledge by spinning our gaming wheel – prizes for children included stickers, crayons, and bubbles.
JoAnn Katzban talking to a mother and daughter about the environment. Picture taken by Bill Beren.
Lineup of some of the EVs displayed by their owners at Earth Fest 2026. Picture taken by Bill Beren.
David Kim of Hillsboro NJ displaying his Hyundai Ioniq 5 with portable solar panels that can help charge the battery and run accessories. Picture taken by Bill Beren.
Outings – Jersey City Birds & Beer
Sunday, March 29, 2026 at 2 pm
On Sunday, March 29th, we had the Birds Beer & Brats outing in Jersey City in conjunction with the Montclair Bird Club. The birding started at 2 PM and is a good introduction to birding for beginners, but experienced birders will also find this to be a rewarding experience. We took a leisurely walk along the paved Hudson River Walkway in Liberty State Park, followed by an early dinner at the nearby Zeppelin Beer Hall, featuring a large selection of domestic and imported beers and German sausage and American BBQ entrees. Look for details in the outing listings and on the state and Gateway calendars.
Climate and Environmental Advocacy in These Times
Thursday, September 11, 2025
Location: 1 Pine St, Montclair, NJ
Nationally recognized waterfront and climate activist, Vivien Li, will speak about "Climate and Environmental Action in These Times" on Thursday night, September 11th, 7 p.m., at the Montclair Fire Department Headquarters, 1 Pine St. Montclair., 2nd Floor Training Room. The meeting is free and is open to all Sierra Club members and the public at large.
Free parking is available next door to the Fire Dept headquarters in the Bay Street Station Parking Deck. The facility is also accessible by public transit via NJ Transit Rail Boonton Line Bay St Station and NJ Transit bus lines 11, 28, 29 & 34.
Vivien Li began her environmental activism shortly after the first Earth Day in 1970 while a student at Ridgewood HS. While a student at Barnard College, Li worked part time as an environmental planner in the administration of Newark Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson. She was elected to the Sierra Club Board of Directors from 1986 to 1992, chaired the Club's newly established Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Task Force from 1990 to 1994, and led The Boston Harbor Association from 1991 to 2015 as an advocate for a clean, alive, accessible, and climate resilient waterfront.
After graduating from Barnard with a degree in environmental management, Li became a community fellow in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning from 1976 to 1977. Li was conference coordinator for City Care, a national conference on the urban environment held in 1979 in Detroit, Michigan, which brought together 700 environmental and civil rights activists associated with conference sponsors the Sierra Club, National Urban League, and the Urban Environmental Conference and Foundation.
Li served as the Sierra Club's New Jersey Chapter Chair and Regional Conservation Committee Chair prior to her election to the Club's Board of Directors. In 1983, she earned a Master's of Public Administration and Urban and Regional Planning from Princeton University. Li went on to work for the Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner and as senior staff to Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.
Li received the Sierra Club's Walter Starr Award in 2015 and has continued her Sierra Club involvement on the Club's Finance and Risk Management Committee and its Investment Advisory Committee.
Montclair's Earth Fest
April 27, 2025
Montclair's EarthFest 2025 (held on April 27th) was an opportunity for the Gateway Group to sponsor a Drive Electric Earth Day event and interact with pedestrian's in downtown Montclair. EVs displayed at the event included an 2025 Ioniq 5, A Rivian ST1, and a Honda plug in hybrid. Our table was staffed by member Maegan Kuhler, our Group Secretary, Columb Mahoney, and Executive Committee member Steve Yafet. Stopping by to chat with us were Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, State Senator John McKeon, Montclair Mayor Renee Baskerville, and Montclair Sustainability Officer Lisa Johnson.
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