By Donald Gilpin

Looking to make your home or yard or business more sustainable? Want to learn more about heat pumps, energy-efficient rebates and incentives, solar panels, managing stormwater on your property, transforming your yard with native plants, and even building a sustainable ADU (accessory dwelling unit) on your property?

Solutions to those challenges, abundant information on all sorts of sustainability issues, and answers to your questions will be provided at Sustainable Princeton’s second Sustainable Home Expo on March 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will take place in the Princeton High School gymnasium in a larger venue than last year’s event with space to accommodate a bigger audience, more vendors, and more classrooms.

On site for the four-hour event will be members of the Environmental Commission and the Shade Tree Commission to answer questions, along with an array of vendors, vetted home improvement contractors, solar installers, landscapers, and a variety of other sustainability-oriented organizations.
There will be free educational seminars and demos throughout the day on planting for pollinators, energy efficient homes, solar panels, sustainable ADUs, stormwater management, and electrifying everything.

“Buildings, including our homes, are the largest portion of greenhouse gas emissions in our community,” said Sustainable Princeton Executive Director Christine Symington. “Part of our mission is to encourage residents to decarbonize their homes by making them more energy efficient, considering rooftop or community solar, and managing their yards more sustainably. It can be overwhelming to get started.”

She continued, “The Expo educates people about their options, connects them to local professionals, and helps them take advantage of the state and federal incentives.”

Sustainable Princeton Program Manager Alex Dill emphasized, “The Expo is for everyone,” pointing out that in addition to homeowners, renters and owners of commercial buildings would find abundant resources to improve sustainability.

Noting that 42.3 percent of emissions come from commercial buildings in town, according to Sustainable Princeton’s 2022 greenhouse gas inventory, Dill stated, “There are energy efficient programs and incentives just for commercial buildings that we want to connect local business owners and property managers to. I want our local business community to know they can meet us at the Expo or contact our office anytime. We can help point them in the right direction.”

Renters, Dill pointed out, can take advantage of free home energy assessments, free energy-efficient light bulbs, and smart power strips. They can also create a pollinator-friendly space, no matter the size; subscribe to a community solar project; and receive a discount on electric bills.

Other organizations in attendance at Expo 2025 will include HVAC specialists, electricians, builders, architects, and a number of landscaping companies, as well as The Watershed Institute, NJ Clean Energy Program, Master Gardeners of Mercer County, NJ Native Plant Society, and more.

Also at this year’s Expo, participants can bring used clothing and shoes for recycling with Helpsy, a new Jersey-based textile recycler.

Children are welcome at the event, and there will be a supervised activity room with sustainable crafts, coloring, and games. Ficus will be on site serving sandwiches, salads, and bubble tea. Participants are urged to bring their own reusable bottles for water and mugs for coffee.

Sustainable Princeton is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire the community to develop and implement solutions that positively impact the environment. For more information about Sustainable Princeton and the 2025 Sustainable Home Expo, visit sustainableprinceton.org/events.