From left to right: Jack Theodore, Avery Albanese, Charlotte Stant, Michael Benedetto (President), Cassidy Cashion, Erin Kenney

SPOTLIGHT: Cassidy Cashion
Cassidy Cashion is a senior at Rumson Fair Haven High School and is a founding member of the Rumson Junior Green Team. She has experience as a Junior Beach Captain for Clean Ocean Action for the past two years, monitoring beach sweeps and attending educational meetings regarding the goals and progress for the organization. She also works as a hostess at Birravino and tutors. Next year, she will be attending Boston College where she will major in Economics and minor in Computer Science. Though she is not studying anything related to the environment, she currently takes a college level Environmental Science course, has created an Environmental Activism website, and plans to remain involved in environmentally based organizations.  

KRISTEN ROLFES HALL: In 2020, you helped form the Rumson Junior Green Team. Tell me a little about why you thought this would be a good organization to have in our town.  

CASSIDY CASHION: As I have become more environmentally conscious over the years due to my involvement in the Environmental Club at RFH and Clean Ocean Action, I have become much more aware of the environmental plights that our community faces. Especially with young adults, we are generally unaware of our practices which are damaging the environment, such as recycling incorrectly, idling, and failing to pick up after our pets. In recent years, I have become much more aware and concerned as I notice my friends, peers, and family members do these practices. The greatest obstacle, in my opinion, is a lack of education and awareness on the impacts of one’s actions. I think that the Rumson Junior Green Team is a great catalyst in promoting environmental awareness and sustainable practices as the young adults bring a new perspective in how to modify the behavior of locals to create a healthier environment.  

K R H: Are there any projects or causes that are particularly important to you?  

C C: I feel like an effective manner to approach creating a more sustainable community is introducing small changes to one's everyday behavior. For instance, imploring for one to convert to a vegan diet is not realistic, while encouraging one to consistently pick up after their pets is easily achievable. Moreover, I have learned from my mother how important it is to separate caps from plastic water bottles (used only when necessary) because otherwise they will not be recycled. For this reason, I have proposed an invention for the STEAM Challenge at RFH that we create a prototype to manually remove the cap of water bottles. My main motivation through these environmental plights that I am most drawn to is to raise awareness of minimal changes that one can make which will have significant positive impacts on the environment.

K R H: I understand that you have been working on the issue of pet waste and how it contributes to water quality? Tell me a little about why this is important to you.

C C: Yes, though it may not seem like it, you contribute to pointless pollution when you neglect to pick up your pet’s waste. For example, when you leave your pet waste on the road, lawn or curb, rain washes it into the storm drain which leads right to our rivers.

K R H: Why does it matter if pet waste gets into the rivers?

C C: According to the EPA, dog waste causes oxygen levels to decrease in our waters, increases the growth of algae and is a source of harmful bacteria such as fecal coliform and E. coli. When we do not pickup our pet’s waste, it is deposited into local water sources and accordingly contaminates the water. Not only is the idea of feces infested water a gruesome thought, but also the concentration of this bacteria in our water can prove to be outright dangerous and unhealthy for our bodies. In 2015, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection released results of a study (https://www.nj.gov/dep/bmw/reports/docs/ne2_ss.pdf ) that found the Navesink River was polluted with these bacteria and recommended a downgrade in the water quality rating of our river.

K R H: What does it mean that the water quality rating has been downgraded?

C C: Swimming in contaminated waters or eating shellfish harvested in these waters can cause numerous illnesses. Partially because of the waters being contaminated with animal waste, the NJDEP officially restricted a 565 acre section of the Navesink River bordering Red Bank and Fair Haven from shellfish harvesting in 2016. Therefore, neglecting your pets waste has proven malignant environmental impacts in our local watershed and has the ability to impact your health!

K R H: What can we do to help with this problem?

C C: Clean up after your pet and tell all your friends and family why it is important. Admittedly, I have left my dog’s waste when I was younger on multiple occasions… but now that I realize that the introduction of toxins into the environment causes them to cycle through the ecosystems, I feel obligated to be prepared to pick up after my dog every time I walk him. Though it is undesirable and feels like a chore, pick up after your pet and hold others accountable for it as well for the sake of the local water quality and your own health!