Sunday, February 22
1-4 pm
Highland Park Community Center
Repair Cafes are community-organized events where volunteers come together to make small repairs to household items. We’ll have coffee, tea, snacks, and skilled people to help you repair your things. Learn more.
Sustainable Highland Park (SHP), the Borough’s Green Team, is dedicated to educating and implementing sustainable actions and practices that improve the quality of life for all those who live, work, and visit Highland Park, NJ. This includes environmental, economic, and social initiatives. In our capacity as the Green Team, Sustainable Highland Park aims to help the Borough maintain and advance our silver level Sustainable Jersey certification.
Do you have a broken lamp that you just don’t have the heart to throw out? Or jewelry that has lost a few chain links? Could your bike or your guitar use a little tune-up? Could some of your clothes or other fabrics use a little mending? Anything else that you’re holding onto that needs fixing?
Well, you’re in luck! Bring them to Highland Park’s first-ever Repair Cafe in February! Repair Cafes are community-organized events where volunteers come together to make small repairs to household items. We’ll have coffee, tea, snacks, and skilled people to help you repair your things.
Everyone is welcome to our hybrid meeting. Join us in person at Borough Hall or online.
Let’s come together to clean up our community. Gloves, buckets, and other supplies will be provided.
Attend our monthly meetings. See our meeting calendar.
Come out for an event.
Maintain a storm-drain through our Adopt-a-Drain Program.
Browse our resources and make a difference at home.
Follow us on social media and share.
Sign up for the SHP newsletter (below).
This month’s Sustainability Spotlight features Cleaning Outcha Closet, a local thrift market group based in Highland Park, focused on eco-friendly shopping. Founded in 2023, Cleaning Outcha Closet was inspired by the idea that everyone has great pieces sitting unworn in their closets, and that community-based thrifting can be just as exciting, accessible, and meaningful as traditional retail. By encouraging secondhand shopping, Cleaning Outcha Closet helps reduce waste and keep usable clothing out of landfills. Small, local choices can make a meaningful environmental impact.
In Highland Park, Cleaning Outcha Closet regularly hosts thrift markets, featuring a $1 Rummage Pile where shoppers can dig through last-chance finds and affordable pieces priced to keep sustainable fashion accessible for everyone. The rummage pile is designed as a fun, low-cost way to give clothing a second life rather than letting it go to waste. Through these events, Cleaning Outcha Closet promotes mindful consumption while offering a community-centered alternative to fast fashion and mass retail. While Highland Park is its home base, the market also collaborates with other venues and communities across New Jersey.
The next thrift market will take place on Saturday, March 7th at the Greenhouse Loft, so please join to shop fashionably and sustainably! Learn more & RSVP here.
Nominate a resident, business, or organization for an upcoming Sustainability Spotlight here.
View Sustainable Highland Park’s 2025 accomplishments presentation here
November’s Sustainability Spotlight features the Highland Park Native Plant Sanctuary. Read more.
Nominate a resident, business, or organization for an upcoming Sustainability Spotlight here.
October’s Sustainability Spotlight is Highland Park resident Will Payne and his Little Free Garden on North 2nd just north of Lincoln. Read more here.
Nominate a resident, business, or organization for an upcoming Sustainability Spotlight here.
SHP intends to join the international Repair Café organization. At Repair Cafés, people bring their damaged articles, such as clothes, jewelry, bicycles or small appliances, and skilled volunteers with tools help with the mending and fixing.
We are looking for volunteers to help make the SHP Repair Café initiative possible. Please contact John Caputo at johncaputo55@gmail.com for more information.
Also contact John if you would be interested in going together to the Repair CafĂ© in Summit – Sat, Sep. 27, 11 am – 3 pm, Christ Church, 561 Springfield Ave.
Mark Lesko has been running the cleanups twice a month for years and is looking for 2 dedicated volunteers to assist with setting up the check-in table, signing in volunteers, and breaking down the table/helping load his car after each cleanup. Cleanups are typically the 1st Saturday and 3rd Sunday from 10 am – 12 pm (9 – 11 am in the summer). He’s looking for one Sat. volunteer and one Sun. volunteer. You can also volunteer with a friend. The commitment is for a couple of hours each month. If interested, please email highlandparksustainable@gmail.com.