Eight Towns Achieve Sustainable Jersey® Certification

Trenton, NJ (October 20, 2011) – Sustainable Jersey representatives announced today that eight additional towns have achieved the Sustainable Jersey certification, bringing the total up to 82 municipalities that have been certified since the program was launched in 2009. The certified communities are leading the way as many more New Jersey towns are actively working on becoming certified. Sustainable Jersey's 350 participating communities represent over half of the state's municipalities and nearly 75 percent of its population.

The list of newly certified towns includes West Milford Township in Passaic County. Mayor Bettina Bieri was pleased to achieve the certification; she said "I have always been supportive of our Green Team and their sustainable initiatives, so I am very proud of their accomplishments. The volunteers should be commended for their proactive approach in furthering the goals of a sustainable community. West Milford is a community that boasts an abundance of natural resources, including diverse wildlife, and a citizenry that predominantly
encourages its protection and preservation. Achieving Sustainable Jersey certification emulates those basic philosophies."

The eight Sustainable Jersey newly certified towns are:
1. Mullica Township (Atlantic County)
2. Ocean Township (Monmouth County)
3. Old Tappan Borough (Bergen County)
4. Park Ridge Borough (Bergen County)
5. Princeton Borough (Mercer County)
6. Princeton Township (Mercer County)
7. West Milford Township (Passaic County)
8. Wyckoff Township (Bergen County)

The program is voluntary, but achieving certification is not easy. Each Sustainable Jersey municipality that is certified at the Bronze level must submit documentation to show it has completed a balance of the program sustainability actions, meeting a minimum of 150 points. Typically a town will select 10-12 actions from a potential list of over 117 actions that include areas such as a commitment to environmental stewardship,community gardens, supporting local businesses, conservation of energy and water and waste reduction and recycling.

In addition to reaching the required points, each community has to create a Green Team and select at least two of the seven priority actions that include energy audits for municipal buildings, a municipal carbon footprint, a sustainable land use pledge, a natural resource inventory, a water conservation ordinance, a fleet inventory,and/or Energy Star Portfolio Manager.

“It’s quite an accomplishment to become Sustainable Jersey certified,” said Pam Mount, Interim Chair of the Sustainable Jersey Board of Trustees. “The certified towns have joined a first rate group of municipalities that are leading the way with impressive sustainability initiatives in New Jersey while providing a model for towns across the United States.”

The award winning towns will be recognized at the annual Sustainable Jersey awards luncheon on Tuesday, November 15 at the New Jersey League of Municipalities’ conference. In addition to the award presentations at the luncheon, key note speakers will include James Florio, the former New Jersey Governor and Trustee of the Sustainable Jersey Board of Trustees and project partners Joseph Fiordaliso, Commissioner of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and Michele Siekerka, Assistant Commissioner, Economic Growth and Green Energy, at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

3rd Annual Sustainable Jersey Awards Luncheon: Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel
THE CROWN BALL ROOM, 2ND FLOOR
12 noon to 1:30 pm (Doors open at 11:30 am) 
For more info on the luncheon, click here.

For full press release, click here