Jersey Trash Clothing and Gary’s Boards are partnering up for a grand opening in Wildwood New Jersey this Memorial Day weekend. We are excited to see Aj’s idea become reality.  Well of course we are! That is the basis of JTC.  Think it then make it happen!  This past year has been absolutely crazy and having time to update the site seemed a distant thought… but by Sunday evening we will have a couple new designs up.  Well thats if we are coherent! Memeorial Day weekend is a party at the Jersey Shore and I plan on partaking!  Along with the new designs I may post some of the weekends craziness to help market Gary’s Boards; Togas? midgets on tricycles? or maybe just a half naked chick jumping up and down? They all sound good to me!  So, check back Sunday night.  In the mean time check out Gary’s Boards at http://www.garysboards.com

I got Stickers! You want some? E-mail us at jerseytrashclothing@gmail.com and we will have them out asap! If you see a Jersey Trash Sticker take a picture and e-mail it to us and we will throw it on the blog!  Be creative people!

So, this has been one hell of a last few months.  We currenlty have some talented graphic designers working on our new shirt designs.  That being said, we are also re-doing our whole website to make it more appealing, search engine friendly and more interactive for YOU! We have scouted out some great talent in this field and are pleased to have these people working for us. Our Graphic artists have worked for Volcom & Airwalk. Our web designers are both MIT students!

So, we are going to try our best to have the new stuff up soon along with our newly revamped website… in the mean time… just chill out!

Hey Guys at NJ Trash Clothing,
Let me just say thanks for sponsoring me, this experience in New Zealand
is by far the best I’ve had my whole life. It’s true when people say NZ
is the adrenaline capitol of the world, I’ve already been bungee jumping
off the second highest in the world (Nevis), and snowboarding at
Treblecone amongst the clouds in the Southern Alps, but what I’ve taken
from this trip so far is more intangible than all of those exciting
things. The character I’ve built while here, more than anything else
prior, has made me a better student, friend, citizen, and most
importantly had made me grow as a young man.

During my two week conservation project (Kuaka) near Tauranga has made me realize what can be achieved by teamwork. I’ve been on sports teams my
whole life, and am in a fraternity as well, which both up until now have
made me appreciate team work. The work I’ve been doing here, however,
exceeds all other teams or groups I’ve participated in. Our biggest
achievements were at Tect Park where we all worked to plant 1200 native
plants in the park that includes; 4×4 trails, mountain biking trails, an
ecological reserve, and recreation areas. All of these activities
included in one park demonstrates the balance between nature and
recreation that the people in NZ hope to achieve in an effort for
conservation.

So what is conservation about in NZ and why is it so important? NZ was
created by the convergence of two tectonic plates (Pacific and
Australian), which has made it famous for its natural beauty. This
convergence also made the original ecology of the Islands very unique;
with no mammalian predators birds became the land dwelling animals. These islands were so safe for the birds the Kiwi Bird, NZ’s iconic symbol, has evolved to have no breast plate to protect its organs because it was not
hunted. When the first humans came to NZ, only 1000 years ago, they
brought with them predators. This lead to a cascade of problems for the
plants and animals of the Islands. Before human inhabitation 90% of NZ
was covered by bush, now only a mere 20% of that land is left due to
deforestation. As a result many of the birds who have co-revolutionized
with these bush and trees have become nearly extinct.

The introduction of invasive species in NZ by humans is the root of the
problem and the reason why I’m here doing conservation work. It might
sound weird, but what conservation means in NZ is extermination (of
invasive plants and animals)and regeneration of native species. Most of
the work I have been doing is regeneration.

The phrase often used in NZ is “Appreciation leads to Conservation” and I
have learned to thoroughly understand the meaning of this in my time here.
The Dept. of Conservation being the most underfunded department in the
nation means a lot of the conservation work done is completed by
students, like myself, who have come from all parts of the globe to help
regenerate this beautiful place. People I’ve worked with clearing and
planting plots of land are: elementary school children for Greenpark
Elementary, elderly folk from The Village, and mentally challenged from
The Avalon. These three experiences working with this wide range of
people was the most character building experience of my life. If these
groups who are, for the most part, physically incapable of completing some
of the work, are willing to help me out just shows the commitment this
country has to conservation. This really opened my mind and motivated my
group to put in our greatest efforts. The rewards were priceless as well as
spending time with these people.

With this knowledge and experience behind me now, I’m currently traveling
the country with the rest of the Kuaka group to the sickest places in NZ.
Without the first two weeks bonding with my group and learning about
conservation and NZ culture these final two weeks would have meant
nothing. This trip had helped me to realize just how beautiful life can
be and how doing what seems to be so little can make such a difference to
the people around you. Once again thank you for your contributions.

Peace and Love,Colin Mossbrucker 

I would like to start this entry by saying big ups to the guys at Jersey Trash Clothing for sponsoring me on my trip to New Zealand. It is Tuesday morning two days, fifteen hours, and fifty-five minutes until my flight to New Zealand, currently in LA with my college roommate, waiting to embark on what many of my friends and family say will be experience of a lifetime. Thursday night at eleven forty-five I’m scheduled to meet up at LAX with the other members of the Kuaka group from the International Student Volunteers (ISV) for my flight to Auckland, New Zealand. Upon arrival, we will travel to our quarters, the Aongatete Lodge, where we will be staying for the duration of our conservation project.

Let me explain how ISV operates so you guys can get a better understanding of what I will be doing in New Zealand. ISV sends out former participants to colleges internationally throughout the school year to recruit new participants for the summer’s projects, meanwhile in the various host countries, such as New Zealand, Costa Rica, Australia, Thailand, etc., there are ISV representatives finding work for the projects. There are two categories in which one may choose when accepted to travel with ISV: social work, and conservation. I chose conservation because I am an environmental science major and felt it relevant to my studies.

My conservation project will be planting native plants (shrubs, trees, etc.) where there is deforestation, and thus danger of soil erosion and species depletion. Last year the participants worked in a new home development, where the land has been cleared and the soil exposed, planting various plants. Needless to say development can destroy an ecosystem, so ISV has us volunteers restoring the ecosystem with native plants so native animals can move back into the area, preventing them from migration into habitats where they are not well adapt. This is an attempt to prevent species competition, which could lead to extinction along with preventing water run off into the local water estuary.

Eliminating water run off is important in conserving the water cycle for a number of reasons. One it prevents pollution from directly running into main water systems, such as rivers, that all species use for drinking. Planting shrubs retains the polluted water and filters it into the soil, a filtration system created by nature that cannot be replicated by modern technology. Reason two, for the sake of weather patterns. Without a shrub line more water than normal will directly enter the rivers, resulting in more water in the larger bodies of water, which means more rain, and in turn more extreme weather.

I hope this helps you understand what I will be doing in New Zealand and why conservation of native plants is important in micro ecosystems and even in global climate.

Sincerely,

Colin Mossbrucker