Sustainable Jersey Wins 2012 Sustainability Award from the Economic Development Association of NJ

Trenton, NJ – Sustainable Jersey representatives announced today that Economic Development Association of New Jersey (EDANJ) selected Sustainable Jersey as the recipient of the 2012 Sustainability Award. The award will be presented at the EDANJ Annual Meeting and Awards ceremony on Friday, December 14, 2012 at The Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset, New Jersey.

“On behalf of Sustainable Jersey's 378 participating communities and Board of Trustees, we are pleased to receive the EDANJ 2012 Sustainability Award,” said Donna Drewes, Co-Director of Sustainable Jersey. The EDANJ Sustainability Award recognizes innovative programs that engage citizens in building sustainable communities.

EDANJ is a non-profit professional association that promotes the best use of New Jersey’s resources in meeting today’s economic growth challenges. “Like EDANJ, Sustainable Jersey works with diverse stakeholders to promote public-private collaborations that will enhance New Jersey’s economy,” said Adam Farrah, President-Elect of EDANJ and Vice President of UCEDC. “We are proud to recognize Sustainable Jersey’s consensus oriented, science-based, politically relevant effort to align the interest and resources of all actors from state and local, to public and private, for the common purpose of achieving a sustainable New Jersey and world.”

“The Sustainable Jersey certification program encompasses the three equal, interrelated components of sustainability—environment, economy and social equity," added Randall Solomon, who co-directs the Sustainable Jersey program with Ms. Drewes. “One focus of this award is the work we do to enable New Jersey towns to support their local economy and use community resources." Sustainable Jersey has a set of actions designed to improve the local economy that towns complete in order to achieve certification. The local economy actions include developing buy local and green business recognition programs and implementing green jobs and economic development initiatives.