$14,000 Awarded to Seven Towns for Community-Based Sustainability Activities in NJ

Trenton, NJ – Today the non-profit Sustainable Jersey® announced that $14,000 has been awarded through the Sustainable Jersey Small Grants program funded by Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. Seven local governments were awarded a Sustainable Jersey Capacity-Building Grant. The $2,000 grants are intended to assist community Green Teams as they lead and coordinate the sustainability activities of their community. Since 2009, Sustainable Jersey has distributed over $795,000 in grants to New Jersey municipalities to help towns make communities more livable, environmentally friendly and prosperous.

“Over the past few years, through Walmart’s sponsorship of Sustainable Jersey grants, municipalities across New Jersey have taken on the task of making their communities greener and more sustainable,” said Jennifer Hoehn, Walmart senior manager of public affairs for the state of New Jersey. “Walmart is proud of the success of this program and we look forward to continuing to make a difference in the state through these grants.” Bill Dressel, executive director of the New Jersey League of Municipalities (NJLM) added, “As a founding partner of Sustainable Jersey, the NJLM is pleased with the leadership that Walmart is showing by sponsoring the green grants.”

The Sustainable Jersey grants are intended to help local governments make progress toward a sustainable future in general, and specifically toward Sustainable Jersey certification. Currently, 67 percent of New Jersey’s towns and cities (378 towns across all 21 counties) have registered to become Sustainable Jersey certified. “The impact that these projects will make in New Jersey is incredible,” said Pam Mount, Chair of the Sustainable Jersey Board of Trustees. “Aiding towns and Green Teams to achieve their sustainability goals by funding green initiatives will have a ripple effect that will benefit us all.”

2012 Recipients of $2,000 Sustainable Jersey Project Grants funded by Walmart