Fired Activist Gets the Last Laugh: NJ Environmental Congress Honors CEO Who Took on Artificial Turf!
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A story of local activism and environmental irony played out this week as Amy McCambirdge, a Ridgewood resident and CEO of the Unbridled Heroes Project, was honored at the prestigious ANJEC Environmental Congress.
The recognition celebrates her passionate and tireless efforts to oppose the installation of artificial turf at the Schedler property in Ridgewood, NJ—the very campaign that allegedly led to her being let go from her position with Maroon’s soccer.
An Award for the Fight Against Plastic Grass
McCambirdge was recognized by the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) for her leadership and dedication to preserving natural resources and promoting a healthy community. ANJEC is New Jersey’s leading non-profit organization dedicated to empowering environmental commissions and promoting conservation across the state.
The honor highlights a compelling, and arguably frustrating, narrative: an individual allegedly penalized at the local level for taking a strong environmental stand, only to be celebrated for that exact stand by the state’s foremost environmental organization.
The NJDEP Commissioner and the Irony
Adding a sharp layer of irony to the event was the presence of NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, who served as the keynote speaker.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), which Commissioner LaTourette leads, is the state agency directly responsible for reviewing and ultimately approving the environmental permits necessary for the installation of the artificial turf at the Schedler site.
McCambirdge’s award for fighting the very thing the Commissioner’s agency approved creates a powerful juxtaposition, shining a spotlight on the often-challenging relationship between local environmental activism and state regulatory action. It serves as a stark reminder that the battle for local green spaces is often fought against both municipal decisions and state-level approvals.
This recognition not only validates McCambirdge’s efforts but brings statewide attention to the health and environmental concerns surrounding artificial turf—concerns that many residents, including those in Ridgewood, continue to raise.
The Maroons fired her for fighting against artificial turf that could be harmful to children and that is known to be harmful to the environment and our climate. The fact that this organization can do this is unreal. They should be the ones fighting for the health of our residents, but it is all about playable hours and program expansion to make money. Maroons should be renamed to “Morons”
Amy is so strong and confident in her delivery and her passion for our Ridgewood residents health and our environment and preservation of nature is truly commendable. It is really a shame that our very own council is so misdirected in their approach to the actual health and wellness of our community.
Parents of the maroons soccer club should have rallied around and supported her. WE are living in a community where people with money and influence want turf and don’t really care about the health and safety of kids. Parents like Alex F. and several others parents got together and campaigned for her to be released and allegedly made it a political witch hunt if she didn’t sign documents and a contract that forbade her to speak publicly. They should be ashamed of their behavior, it is so self serving and wrong and to try to strong arm someone to not speak out for something she believes in should be illegal. They took livelihood away, and she is a veteran. This is the Ridgewood we are living in,
NJDEP is supposed to safeguard the health of New Jersey residents and yet is okay with artificial turf. I thought La Tourette was concerned with drinking water and the planet but he seems to be non plussed by a little plastic grass here and there.