Home
AboutNewsSupport UsContact UsHome
Search
Register
Sign in
Sustainable Jersey logo

Sustainable Jersey Certification Report

Download PDF Version

This is the Sustainable Jersey Certification Report of Egg Harbor City, a Sustainable Jersey bronze certified applicant.

Egg Harbor City was certified on December 13, 2021 with 210 points. Listed below is information regarding Egg Harbor City’s Sustainable Jersey efforts and materials associated with the applicant’s certified actions.

Contact Information

The designated Sustainable Jersey contact for Egg Harbor City is:

Name:Jodi Kahn
Title/Position:Chief Financial Officer / Egg Harbor City
Address:500 London Avenue
Egg Harbor City, NJ 08215
Phone:609-965-4683

Actions Implemented

Each approved action and supporting documentation for which Egg Harbor City was approved for in 2021 appears below. Note: Standards for the actions below may have changed and the documentation listed may no longer satisfy requirements for that action.

  • Arts & Creative Culture

    Establish a Creative Team

    10 Points

    Program Summary: SustainableEHC informally established its Creative Team in the fall of 2015 by enlisting the art class at Cedar Creek High School, led by teacher Erin Hoban, Students changed over the years, but the art classes have remained committed to supporting the green team's effort. Their lates contribution is decorating a rain barrel which will be installed at the historic Boy Scouts Log Cabin, which is in a highly visible location in the center of town.

  • Community Partnership & Outreach

    Create Green Team

    10 Points
    Bronze Required Silver Required

    Program Summary: SustainableEHC, the city's green team, which was first formed in September 2009, reorganized early in 2021 after reaching out to the community for new members, including residents, public officials and business owners. City Council passed a resolution on Jan. 24, 2021 updating the mission and appointing new members. See attached resolution for a list of current members. Meetings will be held on the 4th Tuesday of the month via the Zoom online meeting platform until further notice. Meetings were held on 1/26/21, 2/23/21, 3/23/21, 4/27//21, and 5/25/21 (see attached sample minutes). Also see attached email that was sent to members with updates in July 2021. Zoom meetings included setting goals for the year, discussions of Sustainable Jersey small grants, applications for forestry grants. Implementation of some of these plans have been delayed due to lack of funding. See attached agendas. EHC suspended activities during the summer months and will resume operations in September.

  • Diversity & Equity

    Lead Education & Outreach Programs

    10 Points

    Program Summary: Egg Harbor City is an older community with an aging housing stock, which includes a high number of rental properties some of which may contain lead based paints. The City's building department gives out a packet of information when they do their annual inspection of rental properties (approximately half of the City's housing is currently rentals). See attached flyers for information that is being provided. The building department personnel attended the Sustainable Jersey's Atlantic-Cape May Hub Lead Poisoning Webinar on July 17, 2020. See the City's website for information posted-http://www.eggharborcity.org/2021/06/lead-poisoning-education-information/. A video and links to more Information was also posted in June 2021 on our local cable access channel. Videos on lead education were also posted on the City's Facebook page. Our drinking water is tested annually and the drinking water quality report is made available to the public.

  • Energy

    Energy Tracking & Management

    20 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: With help from a Sustainable Jersey EDF Fellow and additional technical assistance, Egg Harbor City established an energy tracking & management system in 2021. Establishing this system involved taking energy usage/billing data provided by Atlantic City Electric (ACE) & South Jersey Gas and inputting it into ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (ESPM). This system will help the municipality understand energy usage better, and create a baseline to calculate estimated savings. Understanding energy usage and making upgrades will save the community energy and money. Please find the municipal building portfolio and 12 months of energy usage data, as well as Statement of Energy Performance's (SEPs) for every building uploaded. This documentation qualifies for 20 points. The energy tracking & management system will be updated and managed by municipal staff person Jodi Kahn. She will review the bills and input the energy usage into ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager monthly

  • Food

    Community Gardens

    10 Points

    Program Summary: In 2021 the City through it's Neighborhood Preservation Program grant and also with assistance from the Coalition for a Safe Community non-profit worked to rebuild the city's community gardens: a vegetable garden at the Senior Citizens Nutrition Site, and an herb garden and butterfly garden at Peace Pilgrim Park. The Coalition is also building a greenhouse where children will learn how to grow plants from seed. In 2021 the city also formed a Garden Club comprised of adults who will work to tend the gardens during the growing season, plan new gardens, educate members about the benefits of planting natives, sustainability and gardening, connect the community for a positive purpose and plan activities for children. In addition to encouraging members of the community to harvest the bounty, students will learn basic nutritional concepts and make healthy meals. The Garden Club also planted landscaping plants at the recently restored historic Boy Scouts Log Cabin. The green team is providing a rain barrel for the site. The rain barrel was decorated by the green team's Creative Team at Cedar Creek High School. It was installed at the end of the school year. The green team is providing support for these activities and will promote these programs via press releases to local media, posting on the SustainableEHC, City of Egg Harbor Facebook pages and websites, and share links from the Coalition and Garden Club social media. See attached Community Garden Questionnaire with documentation for 10 points.

  • Health & Wellness

    Building Healthier Communities

    20 Points

    Program Summary: EHC Mayor Lisa Jiampetti signed the Wellness Campaign Pledge and is working with several local community groups to ensure a healthy community. The mayor is planning to establish an east-west route for walkers and joggers, with line markings painted along the curb lines. See attached submission form for the General, Youth, and Employee population segments along with supporting documentation that explains the various activities undertaken by the City and its various volunteer groups. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Egg Harbor City is a member of the Mayor's Wellness Campaign. In addition, in 2016 the City joined the Coalition for a Safe Community. The Egg Harbor City Coalition for a Safe Community is comprised of residents, police officers, pastors, principals, teachers, business people, council members and the Mayor of EHC working together to create a safe and healthy community for all residents. Our Mayor is an active leader with the Coalition and regularly attends their meetings, events, and gives updates at our Council Meetings. The Egg Harbor City Municipal Alliance also holds events throughout the year for children, including the annual Municipal Alliance Olympics. Community - The Coalition holds many events for the community throughout the year.Seniors - Starting in 2016 and funded through the Egg Harbor City Municipal Alliance, a senior walking club was formed. Two volunteer certified physical education teachers meet weekly with a group of seniors for six weeks in summer to walk city streets and talk about health issues. Topics covered include nutrition, driving, alcohol, medications, unwanted medicine disposal, mindfulness, stretching, doctor visits/vaccines, benefits of exercise and staying active physically, mentally and socially. Usually the group consists of 15-25 people. Employees-all Community events are open to the employees of the City. Approximately 50% of employees are also residents. Events are regularly posted on the City Hall bulletin board for anyone to view and are on the City website and facebook page. The Mayor visits City Hall and lets employees know of events going on in the City. The City provides annual training in bloodborne pathogens for DPW, Utility, and Code Enforcement employees. We annually provide supervisors with a list of safety classes available through our Joint Insurance Fund that they can select for their departments, these classes are also available to all employees. Loss control bulletins provided by the JIF are also regularly distributed to departments.

    Smoke-Free and Tobacco-Free Public Places

    10 Points

    Program Summary: The City of Egg Harbor is concerned about the health of all its citizens and has implemented a no smoking ordinance for public parks. The city has banned the use of all tobacco products at Egg Harbor City Lake, where thousands of visitors enjoy the beach and lake nestled in the pines, all city parks, including those managed privately by non-profit organizations for youth recreation. The ordinance is enforceable by city police and carry fines up to $1,000. A copy of an article that was in the Press of Atlantic City is attached. Also attached is a picture of the signage placed at each of the parks.

  • Innovative Projects

    Innovative Community Project 2

    10 Points

    Program Summary: SutainableEHC joined eight other communities along the Mullica River watershed, with Go Green Galloway in the lead of the “Friends Along the Mullica” Educational Program. Go Green Galloway received a $3950 Sustainable Jersey Regional Hub Grant funded by the PSEG Foundation for this project. During the 18-month grant period, Absecon, Atlantic City, Brigantine, Egg Harbor City, Galloway Township, Hammonton, Mullica Township, and Port Republic partnered to educate the greater community about this shared resource and the importance of protecting the river, its tributaries and other associated water features. Because these communities share common challenges from climate change, elevations and flood risk, loss of wetlands, stormwater pollution, invasive plants, compromised wildlife management and habitat, litter/illegal dumping/marine debris, and damage from off-road vehicles, each will contribute field data/maps/photography related to these issues and the overall condition of the river/streams/wetlands in their footprint. The City provided a letter of support for this collaborative effort. EHC has identified the Clarks Landing area, an historic but isolated area frequented by fishers, as an area in need of continued maintenance. The city met with Galloway green team members to ascertain needs for this particular area, which is inaccessible during heavy rains. As a result, the city's Public Works crew agreed to grade the road to make it accessible for fishers and cleanups conducted by SustainableEHC members. Neighbors in Galloway had been conducting weekly cleanups in the area and asked for the EHC green team's assistance. A cleanup was planned and the road graded. New trash containers were placed in the area. At the request of the mayor, EHC PW crew assumed responsibility for regularly collecting trash left in bags by those who volunteer to maintain the area. Additionally, Egg Harbor City's Eryen Hafen group, which maintains forested lands in the northern section of the city, assisted in cleaning up areas near Clarks Landing, hauling away heavy debris. SustainableEHC, with assistance from the Cedar Creek High School Environmental Club, focused on cleaning up trash and debris at Clarks Landing during its annual Citywide Cleanup Day on the first Saturday in May. The Atlantic County Utilities Authority assisted with removal of trash and debris. Additional cleanups are planned. SustainableEHC also viewed a video created by our Galloway neighbors highlighting the historic nature and beauty of this Mullica River treasure and stand ready to support Galloway Township and other communities along the Mullica River with their projects on an needed basis. View the video here: https://youtu.be/9jh4P8NpBo4 Members of the Egg Harbor City green team, who are also members of the city’s Historical Society, were interviewed about the typography of the city and Landing Creek, which runs through the city and into the Mullica River. It also touches on the historic Clarks Landing area, where green team members work to clean up the area for the enjoyment of fishers and hunters.

  • Land Use & Transportation

    Sustainable Land Use Pledge

    10 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: The Sustainable Land Use Pledge was re-adopted at the 7/15/21 Council Meeting. Pledge was then forwarded to the Land Use Secretary for discussion at the August 2021 Land Use Board meeting. It was also forwarded to the green team chairperson. Public can view pledge on City website.

  • Natural Resources

    Water Conservation Education Program

    10 Points

    Program Summary: Due to new state regulations that require an annual financial investment in the city's water and sewer utility, the City of Egg Harbor agreed last year to investigate selling its newly built Water Treatment Plant and water and sewer infrastructure. Jersey American Water Company was selected as the purchaser of the utility. SustainableEHC has received a commitment from JAWC to conduct ongoing water quality and conservation education programs. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SustainableEHC held a water conservation program on 5/19/18 at the new Water Treatment Facility built in 2013. The program included a tour of the facility and a rain barrel making workshop. Utility Superintendent Jerry Gleason explained where the city's water originates, how it is treated and distributed to homes. SustainableEHC provided attendees with information about lead and other VOCs shared the annual Drinking Water Quality Report and ways to conserve water inside and outside the home. We partnered with the Watershed Ambassador for the Mullica River, who explained how rain barrels can held replenish the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer. Participants made 12 rain barrels using tools and fixtures purchased from a local plumbing supply business. We distributed aluminum water bottles, encouraging people not to drink from plastic bottles that pollute the environment. Water conservation information was also posted to the Sustainableehc.org website along with a video from the event. See the video here http://youtu.be/zPlcQUm0FSI

    Community Forestry Management Plan & NJUCF Accreditation

    20 Points

    Program Summary: The City of Egg Harbor contracted with Ron Farr, Farr Forestry Services, LLC to perform its third Community Forestry Management Plan, which is currently in effect. SustainableEHC is working to ensure the goals outlined in the plan are accomplished. Next up: Arbor Day planting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IN 2009 through a Community Forestry grant, the City created and adopted a 5 year Community Forestry plan that was approved by the State's Community Forestry Program. This plan was then updated for another 5 years in 2013 through another grant from the Community Forestry program and was again approved by the State's Community Forestry program, this plan will expire at the end of 2018 . The City has continued to meet the annual education requirements and maintain approved status for the plan. The City's green team, SustainableEHC, has adopted a tree cover goal at its October 27, 2015 meeting. An explanation of the current status of the City's tree cover and future goal is also attached. The city 3rd Community Forestry Plan grant was received and is currently being prepared by Ron Farr, Farr Forestry Services, LLC. I have attached the 2017 status report for Egg Harbor City. 2017 is the most recent report we have, as the report for 2018 has not yet been generated (no community would be accredited for 2018 yet, as reports are not due until Feb.)

    Tree Hazard Inventory

    10 Points

    Program Summary: See updated tree inventory completed by SustainableEHC team member Dick Colby. Mr. Colby attends the annual NJ Shade Tree conference and is an active member of the subgroup of Sustainable EHC known as the "tree huggers", which serves as the City's unofficial shade tree committee. From its founding in 1854 as a planned community, Egg Harbor City's orthogonal street pattern was intended and ordained to include a 10-foot easement in each frontage shade trees. The majority of street trees existing today are mature, planted every 30 feet probably in WPA days and sugar maples planted in the 1940s and 1950s. Street trees are appropriate in Egg Harbor City because utilities run through terraces behind homes, and street fronts are devoid of utility poles and wires. Several years ago, EHC community member and avid environmentalist, Professor Dick Colby of Stockton University volunteered to survey all of the city's roughly 3,000 street trees, recording in a spreadsheet their species identities, locations, states of health, conditions of sidewalk and curb, and property-owners. About 5 percent of the least healthiest trees were lost in the Derecho storm of June 30, 2012 and were removed, but most were not replaced. The inventory document was updated at that time. Prof. Colby will continue to periodically update his inventory. He also indicated that he has a download of iTree, but found it too cumbersome to use. His document attached is an Excel spreadsheet, which was updated in the first quarter of 2015. The city no longer has an active shade tree Committee, so the green team will advocate for homeowners to have new street trees planted on the easements or in their front yards where appropriate. SustainableEHC worked with the city to develop a list of pre-approved tree species that will not damage sidewalks installed during streetscape projects conducted by the city. A funding source is needed to help homeowners with the cost of replanting appropriate species.

  • Operations & Maintenance

    Recycled Copy Paper

    10 Points

    Program Summary: The finance office does all purchasing of copy paper. We only purchase copy paper with a minimum recycling content of 30%. See attached report from Edmunds and copy of the description of paper we purchase.

  • Public Information & Engagement

    Municipal Communications Strategy

    10 Points

    Program Summary: See attached checklist. A communications inventory was complied in the summer of 2021. The City maintains the following: -City website with daily updates on meetings, events, info, etc, and has contact info for all municipal departments, as well as copies of videos of Council and Land Use Board meetings, a link to City code book, and links to other social media outlets - City Facebook page - City Instagram account _ Channel 97 local cable access channel -uses the Blackboard Connect City wide calling system to share emergency and outreach info via phone, text, Facebook, and email - utilizes Hammonton Gazette, the Press of Atlantic City, and other newspapers as needed - shares information with EHC Coalition and SustainableEHC website & Facebook pages -City does annual mailing of Letter from the Mayor with tax bills -often distributes other mailings with quarterly utility billings - Posts notices on the City Hall bulletin board -Posts info at County library branch in the City

  • Sustainability & Climate Planning

    Community Asset Mapping

    10 Points

    Program Summary: Egg Harbor City is a small community of approximately 4,200 people, with a small business community, numerous churches and educational and recreational opportunities that are available to all residents. Access to these resources allow the community to obtain the services needed in an often underserved area of Atlantic County. To overcome these obstacles, the Green Team has created a living, breathing document that will educate the public about what's available in the community to enhance their lives. Students at Cedar Creek High School and the school's Environmental Club under the direction of teacher Erin Sharpe, have developed a Community Asset Map and updated the city's 2005 Community Resource Directory. A chapter of the directory on churches was submitted in Exel format, and others using Google Docs. Transferring the information provs to be challenging, and will be updated as a living document in an ongoing basis as new assets come to light. Another challenge we are facing is finding funding to print the directory, which will be accomplished when funding becomes available. Once printed, hard copies of the directory will be distributed to new property owners and tenants through the Code Enforcement/Building Department upon issuance of certificates of occupancy and apartment inspections. Nevertheless, the full contents of the directory is available on the city's website, eggharborcity.org, where residents are able to download a copy of the directory for printing at home. Employees at City Hall are also able to access the document when requests for information are received at City Hall. The purpose of the directory is to build community and familiarize exiting residents and new residents about the availability of services and cultural attractions in the city. A link to the asset map is included on the cover page of the document and can be accessed here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1YHXzkYX4jMjhuUHn-ePyaubInZR_9Jo3&usp=sharing

  • Waste Management

    Prescription Drug Safety & Disposal

    10 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: A permanent prescription drop off box was installed in August 2015 at the Police Department at City Hall at 500 London Avenue, Egg Harbor City, NJ 08215. This was done through the American Medicine Chest Challenge program. The box is accessible 24 hours a day and is in the lobby of the police department and is under video surveillance. A link on the City's website was also placed to increase awareness and provide a link to the national American Medicine Chest Program. Also if anyone searches on http://americanmedicinechest.org/ they can find the City's drop box information. The City has approximately 4500 residents so that is potentially the number of people served. However, the box is open to the public and anyone may dispose of their prescriptions there. The following are the removal dates that our Police Department has logged in 2020 and 2021:11/15/20 and 3/23/21. See attached reports on what was collected and disposed of on those dates. The officer who handles this is Sgt Jennifer Hurley and she takes the contents to Gerdau Ameristeel in Sayreville, NJ for disposal. There is no cost for the disposal.

    Community Paper Shredding Day

    5 Points

    Program Summary: Egg Harbor City and neighboring Mullica Township has continued its efforts to hold Paper Shredding Day at a convenient location in Egg Harbor City. The event was held Friday, Nov. 6, 2020. Flyers were distributed in the community and posted on the SustainableEHC and Egg Harbor City websites and FB pages. A press release announcing the event was sent to local news media outlets. The event was held from 9am-12 pm in the parking lot of the old Crossfire Bar and Grill on the corner of 1st Terrace and the White Horse Pike in Egg Harbor City. SustainableEHC promoted the event on its website and Facebook page, and sent press releases about it to the local media. . Attached is a flyer for the event. The amount of material was 1,575 lbs. of paper. Approximately 10 businesses and 30 households participated.

    Non-Mandated Materials Recycling

    10 Points

    Program Summary: Until December 1, 2020 Egg Harbor City had instituted bulky rigid plastic collection at the Public Works Yard. Unfortunately as of December 1, the ACUA stopped the collection and pickup of these items. Prior to this residents were informed that hard plastic items could be dropped off at the public works yard where a dumpster was located. The ACUA picked up the dumpster whenever it is full, estimated to be 3-4 times per year. Instructions on how to recycle hard plastic were contained in the Clean the Stream recycling flyer distributed to the community and posted at City Hall, and on the SustainableEHC website. Flyers were posted on the City Hall bulletin board and extra copies were available on the counter. The flyer was also posted on our website and Facebook pages. See attached 2020 ACUA calendar which shows that we had an active program for 2020. On 4/25/19 ACUA collected 0.46 tons (ACUA ticket #1411859) from our dumpster. See attached email from ACUA.

    Reusable Bag Education Program

    5 Points

    Program Summary: SustainableEHC will continue its reusable bag education campaign ahead of the statewide plastic & paper bag ban going into effect in early 2022. If small grant funding is received this year, SustainableEHC will conduct an art contest to develop a logo and purchase a supply of reusable bags that will be distributed in the community. The team posted photos on our Facebook page and on EHC website. On May 4, a year before the bill takes effect, members of the green team distributed reusable bags from the ACUA to dinner hour shoppers at the local grocery store. Shoppers were given a bag on the way in and told if they fill it, they would get a gift on the way out. Those who did use the bag, received a free pair of LED light bulbs. Photos and information about the bag ban & give away were posted on the SustainableEHC and Egg Harbor City Facebook pages. Another bag give away is planned in June. Additional postings on social media will continue throughout the year. The EHC Council May 27, 2021 also passed a resolution supporting NJ's Bag Up campaign.