32 New Jersey Towns Win Sustainable Jersey® Grants; $175,000 Awarded for Sustainable Projects Funded by Walmart

Trenton, NJ – Today Sustainable Jersey announced that $175,000 has been awarded through the Sustainable Jersey Small Grants program funded by Walmart. Thirty-two local governments will accept green grants for sustainability projects at the Annual Sustainable Jersey Awards luncheon on November 15, 2011 at the New Jersey State League of Municipalities’ conference in Atlantic City. This is the third year that Walmart has funded the grants program, bringing their total contribution to $595,000.

“Over the past few years, through Walmart’s sponsorship of the Sustainable Jersey Small Grants Program, 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.”

The 11 winners of the $25,000 and $10,000 grants have proposed projects that provide sustainable solutions to everyday challenges.  Wind turbines, electric vehicle charging stations, school food composting, community gardens and more have been added to the list of initiatives that the Sustainable Jersey Small Grants program is funding.

THE 2011 SMALL GRANT WINNERS ARE:

 

• Three $25,000 Grant Winners: Marlboro, West Windsor and Woolwich Township.

 

 

• Eight $10,000 Grant Winners: Berkeley Township, Cape May City, Frelinghuysen, Hardyston, Secaucus, South Orange, Teaneck and Washington Township.
• Twenty-one $1,000 Capacity-Building Grant Winners: Burlington City, Burlington Township, Chester Township, Chesterfield Township, Eatontown, Elsinboro Township, Galloway Township, Glen Rock, Green Brook, Haddonfield, Hawthorne, Jackson Township, Livingston, Maplewood, Milltown, Morris Plains, North Plainfield, Norwood, Pequannock, River Vale and Wyckoff.

 

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, 62 percent of New Jersey’s towns and cities (350 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. “Funding green initiatives at the community level will have a ripple effect that will benefit us all.”

In applying for a grant, each municipality submitted a proposal describing its local sustainability initiative and described how it would relate to the Sustainable Jersey actions.  A total of 86 proposals were reviewed and scored by a neutral Blue Ribbon selection committee composed of uncompensated experts and public figures.

A WORD FROM THE 2011 GRANT WINNERS:

West Windsor is delighted that Sustainable Jersey and Walmart have awarded the Township a $25,000 grant to help
develop a Climate Action Plan. Implementation of the plan will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from municipal
operations and from the community in general, benefiting taxpayers and reducing our carbon footprint.
Congratulations to the West Windsor Environmental Commission and Green Team for preparing the winning
application. -- Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, West Windsor Township

Councilman LaRocca and the Green Team have been working diligently to keep Marlboro a sustainable community.
We are honored that Sustainable Jersey has recognized our community and excited to implement our project with the
assistance of this grant. – Mayor Jonathan Hornik, Marlboro Township

Receiving these grant funds not only allows Woolwich Township the opportunity to promote its sustainable goals, but it
also allows us to partner with our school district, and assist with the education of its students about the educational
aspects of composting, reducing food waste and achieving multiple sustainable goals. --Mayor Sam Maccarone,
Woolwich Township

Berkeley Township is very pleased to have received this grant from Sustainable Jersey and thanks its grant sponsors
for providing the funding. We see this new Environmental Resource Inventory as an opportunity to inform our
residents and our decision-making boards regarding the precious natural resources in our community, but more
importantly, to raise awareness of the impact of stormwater runoff on the delicate estuary that is the Barnegat Bay,
the most critical environmental and economic resource in Ocean County. We are hopeful that our effort to map
existing stormwater collection and drainage infrastructure in the Township as a part of the ERI will provide insight into
how we can make wise investments in the future in retrofitting our infrastructure to reduce or remove the nutrients
that are adversely impacting the Bay. We also hope that it will serve as a valuable model for other Barnegat Bay
municipalities. – Mayor Jason Varano, Berkeley Township

The Cape May City Green Team submitted this application to complete a demonstration project at the Cape May
Elementary School to install a small wind turbine to reduce the energy costs of the school, provide a new educational
component for the school’s growing sustainability curriculum, and extend the City’s use of alternative energy. We
thank Sustainable Jersey and Walmart for making this funding opportunity available. -- Mayor Ed Mahaney, Cape
May City

As Mayor of Frelinghuysen Township, I consider it both my privilege and my duty to embrace the tenets of the
Sustainable Jersey program. I fully support our Green Team in their work to weave sustainability into the fiber of our
local government and, as well, of our community overall. We in Frelinghuysen truly treasure the rural nature of our
Township. And aligning with hundreds of other New Jersey communities in pursuing Sustainable Jersey certification
spawns confidence that we can indeed achieve environmental stability for generations to come. Especially with support
from the folks at Walmart! Our Green Team has designed a project to promote safe sharing by pedestrians and
cyclists and motorists, of thirteen miles of roadways which center on our Town Hall as a community hub. Where some
bits of the project would be possible via local funding and volunteerism, our Walmart Sustainable Jersey Small Grants
award facilitates complete execution. We thank Walmart and the Sustainable Jersey program for empowering and
inspiring us in our sustainability efforts. –Mayor Thomas Charles, Frelinghuysen Township

The Township of Hardyston would like to thank the Sustainable Jersey Small Grant review committee for selecting our
project. I, the Township Council, and Township staff are extremely excited to be the recipient of a $10,000
Sustainable Jersey Small Grant to help fund the creation of a community garden at the Township Municipal Complex.
The Township is anxious to achieve Sustainable Jersey Certification and feels the community garden is key to including
the community in that process. Hardyston is a firm believer in the value of wellness programming for both staff and
the community as a whole and believes the garden is the perfect complement to their wellness initiative. The
Township’s Green Team, local non-profits, and the YMCA are excited to start work on the garden. -- Mayor Stanely
Kula, Hardyston Township

We are extremely grateful to Walmart and the Sustainable Jersey staff for their time, effort, and generosity in creating
such an opportunity. Environmental stewardship is a high priority in Secaucus – it’s a responsibility that we all must
bear. Not only in this town, but in every town, everywhere. This project will help us continue to promote that
message and, in the process, complete some really important work with our municipal trees. -- Mayor Michael
Gonnelli, Secaucus

Between the midtown direct train line, plentiful bike routes and a growing jitney/transit service, South Orange already
has great - and green - ways for residents, students and shoppers to get around town. We're excited about the
possibility of adding electric charging stations so we can do our part to help encourage cutting-edge green transit
options, not only setting an example for other towns but providing our community with cost-effective and sustainable
means of transportation. We hope you'll come grab a bite to eat, catch a show or hop on the midtown direct train, all
while charging your electric vehicle in one of our parking lots! -- Alex Torpey, Village President, South Orange

The Township of Teaneck is honored and privileged to have received Walmart’s charitable donation to further educate
our youth about the importance of sustainability. Teaching the importance of sustainability early on is crucial for the
welfare of our environment. The Township of Teaneck strives to become a benchmark sustainable municipality and
this grant is an excellent start. – Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, Township of Teaneck

Washington Township is very thankful for receiving this grant. We have always been very conscious of our natural
resources and beauty. The Township has been a leader in pro-active measures to protect our environment. The
Township Committee, Planning Board, and Environmental Commission spend numerous hours developing
environmental ordinances and taking proactive measures for enforcement. This grant will allow us to expand our
monitoring program and provide for a better quality of life for our residents and those in the surrounding communities.
-- Ken Short, Mayor, Washington Township

2011 GRANT RECIPIENT TOWNS

2011 Recipients of $25,000 Sustainable Jersey Project Grants

2011 Recipients of $10,000 Sustainable Jersey Project Grants

2011 Recipients of $1,000 Sustainable Jersey Capacity-Building Grants

1. BURLINGTON CITY, Burlington County
2. BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP, Burlington County; Sustainable Jersey Certified
3. CHESTER TOWNSHIP; Morris County, Sustainable Jersey Certified
4. CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Burlington County
5. EATONTOWN, Monmouth County
6. ELSINBORO TOWNSHIP, Salem County
7. GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP; Atlantic County, Sustainable Jersey Silver Certified
8. GLEN ROCK, Bergen County
9. GREEN BROOK, Somerset County
10. HADDONFIELD, Camden County; Sustainable Jersey Certified
11. HAWTHORNE, Passaic County; Sustainable Jersey Certified
12. JACKSON TOWNSHIP, Ocean County
13. LIVINGSTON, Essex County; Sustainable Jersey Certified
14. MAPLEWOOD, Essex County; Sustainable Jersey Certified
15. MILLTOWN, Middlesex County
16. MORRIS PLAINS, Morris County
17. NORTH PLAINFIELD, Somerset County
18. NORWOOD, Bergen County
19. PEQUANNOCK, Morris County
20. RIVER VALE, Bergen County; Sustainable Jersey Certified
21. WYCKOFF, Bergen County