Sustainability in Action

The Glen Ridge Environmental Advisory Committee is implementing a comprehensive program to help Glen Ridge Borough reduce waste and increase awareness about the impacts. Using a $10,000 Sustainable Jersey Grant, funded by the PSEG Foundation, the Glen Ridge Environmental Advisory Committee created a public awareness campaign to increase participation in the Borough’s recycling initiatives, implemented projects to expand recycling options and hosted community webinars to raise awareness about what happens to Glen Ridge’s waste once it leaves the community. A recycling flyer, website page and e-newsletter articles provide options for freecycling goods, education to reduce contamination of recycled materials and information on how to recycle or properly dispose of other materials.

A food scrap composting program was developed through a partnership with Java's Compost, a locally owned business that acts as a micro hauler of food waste that is composted at a commercial compost facility. About 50 people participate in the residential food scraps pick-up service and nearly 30 subscribe to the residential food scraps drop-off program. Participants bring their food scraps to the drop-off location that has a locked storage shed enclosing toter bins. The initial results are promising--in just over a year, Glen Ridge residents have diverted 30,303 pounds of food scraps from the trash and turned it into beneficial compost.

The Glen Ridge Department of Public Works holds regular recycling events to collect polystyrene, electronics and rechargeable batteries and the environmental advisory committee promotes freecycling events to allow residents to give away usable but unwanted items to others instead of disposing of them. To increase recycling rates, new recycling containers were purchased and placed in the Glen Ridge Borough parks. Webinars educate residents on how to compost and reduce their waste. The Glen Ridge Environmental Advisory Committee collaborated with the Newark Green Team to present information on where the trash goes, sharing the process by which trash from Essex County towns goes to the Essex County Resource Recovery Facility located in Newark. Glen Ridge Borough is currently certified with Sustainable Jersey, and is documenting the progress it has made in waste reduction in their 2023 certification application with the actions: Recycling and Waste Reduction Education and Compliance and Food Waste.

This summer, New Jersey elementary, middle and high school teachers took time out of their busy schedules to expand their knowledge of climate change and connect with peers at one of three in-person professional development days held on July 25, 26 and 27.

The sessions offered participants a chance to review New Jersey’s Climate Change Education Student Learning Standards and share strategies for integrating climate change education into the classroom. After participating in the workshop, 72% of the teachers said they felt more confident about implementing the standards in the classroom.

The professional development days focused on how educators can connect climate change related topics within their existing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum and engage and empower students by using problem-based learning. The sessions included hands-on learning applications, such as how C02 effects the environment and ways to improve air quality. Participants also received a unit plan on Human Impact & Air Quality, developed by the Rutgers Center for Mathematics, Science, and Computer Education (CMSCE). The professional development sessions were made possible through funding from the New Jersey Department of Education and the partnership of Sustainable Jersey for Schools, The College of New Jersey and Rutgers CMSCE. Additional professional development workshops are planned to support educators and provide concrete examples and resources on how to integrate climate change into existing curriculum and instruction.

The teachers and staff at Taunton Elementary School transformed their computer room into an innovation Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) lab where students create, develop skills and learn how to be tomorrow’s sustainability problem solvers. The students named the space Soary’s STEAM Lab after the school’s Eagle mascot.

“We wanted to empower our students to be sustainable members of the community by creating an area in our school where they could develop ideas and think outside of the desk. It’s a place where collaboration, ideas and mistakes are encouraged,” said Jessica McPolin, Taunton Elementary’s Tech Educator. “Now our young learners are engaging in authentic learning activities that help bring sustainability concepts to life. We hope this space will motivate students to be future problem solvers who are aware of sustainability issues.”

Using a $10,000 Sustainable Jersey for Schools Grant funded by the New Jersey Education Association, the elementary school created a space for students with the materials necessary to engage in engineering, designing, exploring media and building to create solutions to real world problems. With a focus on reusing and recycling, some of the materials were gathered by members of the school community. The makerspace provides opportunities to explore concepts in a concrete way. For example, Taunton’s second graders explore famous landmarks, build historical places and then use the computer to go on flyover tours to perfect their building from different vantage points.

In 2023, Taunton Elementary, located in Howell Township Public Schools District achieved Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification at the silver-level and Digital Schools Star Recognition. The school also participates in the EmPowered Schools program.

Residents, businesses, schools and organizations in Ridgewood Village are stepping up to transform one-third of the township’s acreage by adopting more sustainable landscape practices. The innovative initiative, called Project 1000 Acres, was launched by Green Ridgewood with the goal is to convert 1,000 of the village's 3,600 total land acres into a healthier, more resilient area.

Ten actions were developed for landscape maintenance, including: planting natives, using electric yard equipment, fertilizing organic, using natural pesticides and herbicides, composting leaves and reducing water use. These actions align with the Environmental Protection Agency and Rutgers University/New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) guidance, the Ridgewood Village code and are supported by the Village engineering team and parks department. The comprehensive Project 1000 Acres website provides resources for Village residents and stakeholders to learn about sustainable land practices. Kristina Necovska, a GIS specialist at Ridgewood Water, created an interactive map where residents can register their property as sustainable if a minimum of five of the ten practices are adopted.

Mike Faherty, a member of Ridgewood Green Team and leader of Project 1000 Acres, said “We researched landscape best practices, consulted with experts and followed government guidance to create our "10 Actions Now" for greener property maintenance. We hope to address global warming, water and noise pollution, and promote a robust ecosystem, while bringing together our community to work toward this common goal.” The green team shared the project with the Sustainable Bergen County Hub, and Sustainable Jersey silver-certified Glen Rock Borough and Wyckoff Township are interested in a similar program for their towns. Ridgewood Village is certified with Sustainable Jersey at the bronze level and is working on a 2023 certification submission.

After the success of the pilot program, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) voted on August 16, 2023, to establish a permanent Community Solar Program. Since Governor Phil Murphy and Legislature created the Community Solar Pilot Program in 2018, the Board approved 150 projects totaling 243 megawatts (MW) of capacity. To date, 29 of those projects, totaling 50 MW, have reached commercial operation and provide over 6,000 New Jersey households the benefits of solar power, including financial savings. NJBPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso said, “At the heart of it, community solar is about unlocking access to clean energy for many residents, especially in low to moderate income communities and in urban areas where residential rooftop and ground mount solar are not possible.”

Residents interested in subscribing to a community solar project may search the Community Solar Project Finder for projects that serve their area. NJBPU is partnering with Sustainable Jersey on this initiative. The Community Solar Program is a great option for those who rent, lack control of their roof, live in multi-family building, do not have property suitable for solar or can’t afford the cost of solar installation. Currently there are 98 projects listed on the Community Solar Project Finder. Projects are located all over New Jersey, with project listings in each of New Jersey's electric utility service areas.

Learn more about community solar. Municipalities that support community solar can receive certification points under Sustainable Jersey’s Municipally Supported Community Solar action. Review the Community Solar: Sustainable Jersey How-To Guide to learn the multiple roles municipalities can take in supporting development of community solar projects.