“Sustainability is the possibility that humans and other life flourish on the Earth forever.” — John Ehrenfeld
Fifty years ago, twenty million Americans took to the streets to protest industrial pollution and environmental destruction. It was the first “Earth Day,” a watershed event that gave ordinary citizens a chance to put their environmental concerns on the national agenda. Earth Day would eventually inspire the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with new laws protecting the air, land, water, biodiversity, and health of Planet Earth.
Now, I myself wasn’t there. On that day, the young Jeff Miller was probably goofing off in class and reading comic books under his desk! But the spirit of Earth Day did somehow set the tone for how we’ve built JAM Catering. Like many caterers, we bring great food and service to the table, and we put on a great party. But our business also supports the worthwhile missions of our many partner venues, from the preservation of open spaces by the Heritage Conservancy to the conservation efforts of the John J. Audubon Center and Tyler Arboretum. Our newest venue, Bishop Farmstead, is a lovely bit of New Jersey with a beautifully restored barn and native grasslands filled with wildflowers, birds, and butterflies. It’s a gorgeous place to have a wedding, and every wedding we do there supports efforts by the Pinelands Preservation Alliance to protect the region’s unique natural lands and waterways.
Partnerships like these have generated millions of dollars to support worthwhile, sustainability-minded missions. It’s just one of many things we do to make sure our business has a net positive environmental impact. We are grateful for that first Earth Day–and for all the Earth Days since and those to come–for pointing the way.
–Jeff Miller
