Sustainable Jersey Announces the 2018 Award Winners

Award recipients are Chatham Borough, Chatham Township, Glen Rock Borough (Mayor Packer), Hightstown Borough, Lambertville City, Madison Borough, Manville Borough and Woodbridge Township

Today, Sustainable Jersey announced the recipients of the 2018 Sustainable Jersey municipal awards. The announcement was made at the Annual Sustainable Jersey Luncheon held during the New Jersey League of Municipality Conference in Atlantic City.

The 2018 Sustainability Champion award recipients are (descriptions at the end):

• SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION (Large Category) with 1,175 points: Woodbridge Township (Middlesex County)

• SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION (Medium Category) with 620 points: Chatham Borough (Morris County)

• SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION (Small Category) with 350 points: Lambertville City (Hunterdon County)

The 2018 Sustainable Jersey special award winners are (descriptions at the end):

• MAYOR ART ONDISH LEADERSHIP AWARD: The Hon. Bruce J. Packer, Mayor of Glen Rock Borough (Bergen County)

• CREATIVITY & INNOVATION AWARD: Hightstown Borough (Mercer County)      

• ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD: Manville Borough (Somerset County)

• COLLABORATION AWARD: Chatham Borough, Chatham Township and Madison Borough (Morris County)

“We continue to be encouraged and inspired by the individuals, green teams and municipalities making a difference in New Jersey,” said Randall Solomon, executive director of Sustainable Jersey. “I’d like to congratulate the award winners for their efforts and dedication to their communities. Thank you for working, innovating and growing with Sustainable Jersey!”

ABOUT THE SUSTAINABLE JERSEY AWARDS

2018 Sustainability Champion Award:

The Sustainability Champion award recognizes municipalities that have scored the most points in the Sustainable Jersey certification program in three population categories: large, medium and small.

Woodbridge Township (Middlesex County) LARGE CATEGORY with 1,175 points. This is the ninth time that Woodbridge Township has achieved this honor since the awards began in 2009; the Township received the award from 2009-2014 and 2015-2018. Woodbridge was the first town to be awarded a Gold Star in Energy this year. Silver certified municipalities are eligible to earn Gold Star recognition for achieving high levels of performance in key dimensions of sustainability.

“Woodbridge Township is pleased to once again accept the prestigious Sustainable Jersey Silver-Level Re-certification Championship Award for the ninth time and, as importantly, thank Sustainable Jersey for bestowing the first-ever Sustainable Jersey Gold Star Standard in Energy award to Woodbridge Township. Sustainable Jersey serves as a benchmark for our sustainable initiatives, while providing the Township with additional resources needed to plan for our green future.  In the quest for our ninth Sustainable Jersey Championship Award, Woodbridge Township competed against 448 municipalities, including 210 Sustainable Jersey Certified Municipalities and 52 Silver-Level certified towns in the Sustainable Jersey competition, earning Sustainable points with 97 actions in 18 separate categories – scoring a record 1,175 points. And throughout, Greenable Woodbridge continued to advance many more sustainable initiatives and programs that serve to better manage the ways we use energy and other natural resources at work and home.  The Sustainable Jersey Program is an important vehicle by which our Township will continue to move into the future as a sustainable and environmentally-conscious community.” --John E. McCormac, Mayor, Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County 

Chatham Borough (Morris County) MEDIUM CATEGORY with 620 points. This is the third time that Chatham Borough has achieved this honor since the awards began in 2009; the Borough received the award in 2012, 2015 and 2018.

“I am very proud to be mayor of a community that is deeply committed to sustainable practices. It is a tradition that goes back decades, to our first voluntary recycling program, and has continued to this day. This amazing achievement - achieving Champion status for the third time - was made possible by a team of very dedicated volunteers on our Environmental Commission/Green Team who have done a tremendous job of educating all of us about sustainable living and who, together with dedicated employees, have implemented and documented these practices and made them part of the fabric of how we live in Chatham Borough. I sincerely hope that our efforts are passed down to future generations so that, wherever they may be, our young people can be ambassadors of sustainable living.” -- Bruce A. Harris, Mayor, Chatham Borough, Morris County

“I would like to thank Sustainable Jersey for establishing this program and giving people the opportunity to do something positive for the environment. There were many volunteers in Chatham Borough who enthusiastically did their part and made this happen.” -- Kate Murphy, Chairwoman, Chatham Borough Environmental Commission and Green Team, Morris County

Lambertville City (Hunterdon County) SMALL CATEGORY with 350 points. This is the first time that Lambertville City has achieved this honor since the awards began in 2009.

“No matter what is happening on the national level with regards to climate change, each city and borough can take action. Lambertville is committed to doing our part. Receiving the 2018 Sustainable Champion Award shows that we are working towards this important goal.” -- David DelVecchio, Mayor, Lambertville City, Hunterdon County

2018 Mayor Ondish Leadership Award: Mayor Bruce J. Packer, Glen Rock Borough (Bergen County) This award recognizes the leader of a model Sustainable Jersey town for providing its green team with ideas, policy support and the necessary resources to achieve significant success towards sustainability at the local level and to contribute to the statewide movement. Glen Rock Borough achieved silver-level re-certification this year. Mayor Packer makes sustainability a priority for Glen Rock and together with a very active green team, Mayor Packer encourages residents to live in a sustainable manner through innovative initiatives such as local campaigns to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam, renewable government energy aggregation and encouraging the use of electric vehicles. Mayor Packer was one of twelve New Jersey mayors that publicly committed to collaborate with Sustainable Jersey and make a significant effort to achieve the Gold Star Standard in Energy at the New Jersey Mayors’ Climate Summit this year. Mayor Packer also leads a Mayor Wellness Campaign with a “Walk with the Mayor” program.

“I am honored to have been chosen to receive this year's Sustainable Jersey Leadership Award. I am not being modest when I say that this award is the direct result of the incredibly hard work being done by the Glen Rock Environmental Commission and Green Team. While much of what we do follows the greatly appreciated guidelines and actions suggested by Sustainable Jersey, our team has shown a repeated ability to innovate and to bring things to a higher level thus creating a model that others can follow. With every accomplishment is a feeling that we can do even more as we understand that that is the only way to truly make a difference in the fight for long term environmental sustainability.” –Bruce J. Packer, Mayor, Glen Rock Borough, Bergen County

2018 Creativity and Innovation Award: Hightstown Borough (Mercer County): This award recognizes a forward-thinking municipality that supports a culture of creativity and innovation as it implements new approaches to solving problems. Hightstown Borough established the Hightstown Cultural Arts Commission to encourage artistic awareness, participation and expression. The Cultural Arts Commission developed a Public Art Master Plan and Hightstown’s Planning Board adopted it as part of the Borough’s Municipal Master Plan. Included in the plan is a requirement that a percentage of any redevelopment efforts be dedicated to the inclusion of public art. Over the past two years the commission has worked with the greater community to establish pop-up art galleries throughout the borough and dramatic arts and theater performances with children of all ages at the local parks.

“Hightstown is diligent in its efforts to be a sustainable community and I am very proud of the staff, residents, boards and committees, and businesses for their hard work to reach silver Sustainable Jersey certification. The Creativity & Innovation Award received from Sustainable Jersey is icing on the cake for the Borough and shows the dedication of the Borough to sustainability.” -- Lawrence Quattrone, Mayor, Hightstown Borough, Mercer County

2018 Rookie of the Year Award: Manville Borough (Somerset County): This award recognizes a municipality that remained committed to achieving certification despite challenges along the way. Manville Borough was certified for the first time at the bronze level this year with 175 points.

“The Borough of Manville is very proud to receive its bronze Sustainable Jersey certification and this special award.  Manville now has a team in place that is driven to find new and creative ways to be sustainable for the future of our generations to come.  We understand that being sustainable is more than just being “GREEN”; we need to find new ways to reduce stormwater runoff to protect those in our flood hazard areas, to protect our natural environment and to drive innovation.  Sustainable Manville has a core of citizens dedicated to this mission.” – Richard M. Onderko, Mayor, Manville Borough, Somerset County

2018 Collaboration Award: Chatham Borough, Chatham Township and Madison Borough (Morris County): This award recognizes municipal green teams that have advanced sustainability by building strong partnerships. These three municipalities are active participants in the Tri-Town 55+ Coalition. The coalition is a non-profit, community-based organization that in addition to these municipalities includes local businesses, non-profits and other public agencies. The mission is to help address the quality of life and diverse needs and interests of older adults and their families in the three towns. One of the first key initiatives implemented by the coalition is its Rides for Seniors Program that launched in April 2017. The goal is to help those 65 and older in the towns get to where they want to go, when they want to go, without a smartphone. This on-demand car service program not only serves residents but helps local organizations and businesses by enabling older adults to remain active in the community.

“Chatham Borough is delighted that Madison, Chatham Township and Chatham Borough are being recognized by Sustainable Jersey for their collaboration with the Tri-Town 55+ Coalition, whose mission it is, to help the quality of life, needs and interests of older adults in our three communities. Because of our close association on this and other programs and shared services, it makes it very easy for the Tri-Town 55+ Coalition to be the success it is.” -- Bruce A. Harris, Mayor, Chatham Borough

"We are very pleased to hear that Tri-Town 55+ Coalition is being recognized for its work in Madison, Chatham Borough and Chatham Township. The partnership started with a very successful Rides for Seniors which now has over 350 registered riders and has provided 2,800 rides since April 2017. The Tri-Town 55+ Coalition is improving our communities through a dedicated design strategy for life long living for seniors.” - Robert H. Conley, Mayor, Madison Borough