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utensils in the municipality’s plastic bag ban instituted in 2019. And in 2018, Stone Harbor and Avalon passed laws prohibiting disposable plastic cutlery. Camden County began its ban on plastic utensils, stirrers, polystyrene food containers and singleserve disposable plastic water bottles at county facilities and county-sponsored events in 2020. – Julie Lange Groth Parsippany screens American River film The Parsippany Environmental Advisory Committee together with the Parsippany Green Team and Wildlife Preserves, a nonprofit land conservation corporation, hosted a free screening of the awardwinning film American River, which documents the history of the Passaic River. The May screening brought 80 people together on a Saturday at the town library to learn about the sordid history of this infamous river. The Passaic, which starts from a pond in Mendham, travels through eight counties before ending up in Newark Bay. Parsippany sits in the Passaic River Basin and has the Whippany River and Rockaway River running through the Township. The documentary, produced by Scott Morris, chronicles the adventures of Mary Bruno and her guide Carl Alderson on the Passaic River. Bruno, author of the book, An American River: From Paradise to Superfund, is also a journalist and biologist. The pair set out by kayak on a four-day, 80mile journey starting along a quiet, treelined stream in Morris County and carrying them along many diverse habitats to the industrial, contaminated waters in Newark Bay. In the film Bruno talks about her childhood growing up near the polluted section of the River in North Arlington as she sets out to discover what has become of the River since her youth. Pastor John Algera, who runs a company called Urban Wilderness Renewal that conducts paddling expeditions on the Passaic River, spoke at the screening, about his experiences taking kayakers out on the River. Consensus about the film was very positive, with residents walking away with an appreciation and understanding of this exploited water body. They were also left with hope knowing that the federal Environmental Protection Agency has recently approved a final cleanup of the lower 8.3 miles of the River. For more information on the American River documentary, visit www.americanriver.film/. – Michele Gaynor Poster for American River film 8 ANJEC REPORT – Autumn 2024