Sustainability in Action

On May 7, 2023, over 100 bikers of varying abilities and ages enthusiastically participated in the Tour de Cranbury. Working in partnership with Cranbury Township and the Cranbury Chamber of Commerce, Tyler Cenci, a Life Scout in Boy Scouts of America Troop 52 and a sophomore at Princeton High School, led the Tour de Cranbury as his Eagle Scout service project.

Tyler mapped out three separate biking routes for cyclists. The 10-mile route, for experienced riders, travelled through the scenic village and farms of Cranbury on open roads. A shorter 3.5-mile route, for riders of all skill levels, went from Village Park to Millstone Park along residential roads. The Trikes Ride was a short ride, safe for anyone, that started and ended at Cranbury-Millstone Park. The routes used for the event come from the Cranbury Township Bicycle Network Plan. The Township of Cranbury participated in the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority Complete Streets Technical Assistance (CSTA) Program in 2020. The CSTA Program selected eight municipalities to receive up to $10,000 in technical assistance to advance complete streets projects. Sustainable Jersey and the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University provided technical assistance with support from North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority.

Township of Cranbury Committee Member Barbara Rogers, a champion for the Cranbury Township Bicycle Network Plan and a Sustainability Hero, presented the idea of the bike tour to Cenci. She said, “Tyler did an outstanding job with the bike tour. In addition to being a fun event, the ride showed the important link between our Village, our history and our agriculture.” Cenci also created riding passports for the tour. The passports detailed all three bike routes and gave the history of Village Park, Cranbury Public Library, Dr. Wonder Comic & Collectibles, The Cranbury Inn, Barn Park and Millstone Park. These were the six destination stops each rider could collect a passport stamp if they visited. Cranbury Township achieved Sustainable Jersey bronze-level certification in 2013, 2016 and 2019, and silver-level certification in 2022.

The Memorial Elementary School population is comprised of a high percentage of racial and ethnic minority groups (40%) and students with disabilities (30%). Recognizing that the school’s library did not reflect these growing populations, a few teachers set out to find a solution.

With the help of a $2,000 Sustainable Jersey for Schools grant funded by the PSEG Foundation, the school added a “Windows and Mirrors” collection of books. The print and digital texts the school added are designed to immerse students in mirrors of their own cultures, families and realities as well as windows into the lives of others.

Erin Lowman, an instructional coach for Memorial Elementary said, “Now our readers are building a positive personal identity as they can see their family’s culture and values represented. It fosters a sense of belonging. As educators we want the inclusive collection to truly personalize learning.” Lowman is a past recipient of the New Jersey Department of Education’s Exemplary Educator Recognition Program.

The book collection in the school’s library is displayed alongside QR codes and is also accessible using an interactive website. Jennifer Stenard, a media specialist at Memorial Elementary said, “The collection reaches the whole community through our students. Readers borrow books and share them at home with their families.”

In 2022, Memorial Elementary School, located in the Howell Township Public School District, was certified with Sustainable Jersey for Schools at the silver-level and earned a Digital Schools Star. The school also prioritizes Social Emotional Learning and completed Sustainable Jersey’s action, Social Emotional Learning Integrated Unit. Memorial Elementary School has received a total of $24,000 in funding from the Sustainable Jersey Grants Program.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have your community’s natural resources all in one place and available to the public? Readington Township has taken its planning capabilities to the next level with the creation of a natural resources and sustainable features map located on a web-based geographic information system (GIS) platform.

The interactive Sustainable Readington Assets Map has a layer showing the species and location of trees in the township streets and parks with an additional layer of 15 different types of assets, such as historic sites, managed fields, parks, streams, trail heads, the location of bat houses and more.

Robert Becker, a member of the Readington Planning Board and the Environmental Commission, explained, “The idea germinated from a meeting of the Open Space Trails Committee. Conversation would ultimately lead to a question like, ‘Where is that trail?’ or, ‘Is there a meadow on that property?’” Meetings were held with township organizations to advance the idea, and eventually, with the help of a $2,000 Sustainable Jersey grant funded by the PSEG Foundation, the map became a reality.

Many people provided input into the map, including members of the Readington Township Open Space Advisory Board, Environmental Commission, Historic Preservation Commission, Parks and Recreation Department, WaterWatch Advisory Committee, the Township Committee and more. The map is dynamic and will be updated when new geospatial points of sustainable interest are developed. Becker reports that the map has already enhanced planning and will hopefully increase community participation in sustainable activities.

In 2022, Readington Township was certified with Sustainable Jersey at the silver-level and is one of only two municipalities in New Jersey to achieve the Gold Star in Water. The township has received over $33,000 in funding from the Sustainable Jersey Grants Program. Readington Township received 10 certification points for completing the action: Community Asset Mapping.

Need a use for that old library card catalog? Turn it into a lending seed library! With the help of a Sustainable Jersey Grant funded by the PSEG Foundation, the Mountain Lakes Green Team partnered with the Mountain Lakes Library to expand their seed library and offer free seeds to the community. They also created a new permanent collection of more than 75 environmentally themed movies. Residents can borrow a movie and pick up a seed pack of sunflowers, basil, thyme, peas, lettuce, parsley and more. Seed libraries are a great way to educate residents and students on local agriculture, bring new plants into circulation and promote biodiversity.

As part of this effort, a Children’s Garden was created at the library and seeds were distributed to the fifth grade students at Wildwood Elementary School and to students at Briarcliff Middle School to grow in their science classroom as part of an environmental curriculum. Students planted okra, radishes, cucumbers, beans, peas and native plants in the school garden. The Mountain Lakes Library also partnered with the St. Joseph’s School for the Blind and distributed seed packets to their students.

Marnie Vyff, member of the Mountain Lakes Green Team, Shade Tree Commission and Environmental Commission said, “Community partnerships were key with this project. The green team’s relationship with the schools, particularly the teachers, helped to engage the students and the library’s relationship with The St. Joseph’s School for the Blind helped open an avenue to pursue accessible gardening for the visually impaired.” In 2021, the Borough of Mountain Lakes was certified with Sustainable Jersey at the silver-level. The borough has received $6,000 in funding from the Sustainable Jersey Grants Program.

If your school or municipality is planning a new construction project or the substantial renovation of an existing building, New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program offers various financial incentives for building owners, designers and architects to adopt cost-effective, energy efficient design choices. By providing incentives to support design beyond the minimum efficiency required by building codes, New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program aims to produce the most efficient buildings in the nation.

Learn more about new construction energy efficiency programs: www.NJCleanEnergy.com/CI. For assistance with your facilities or to spread the word to developers in your community by having brochure information available in your planning and permitting offices, contact a New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program energy advisor. Email Outreach@NJCleanEnergy.com or call 866-657-6278. Municipalities and schools that address energy efficiency in their facilities can receive certification points under Sustainable Jersey’s Energy Efficiency for Municipal Facilities action or the Energy Efficiency for School Facilities action.