Sustainable Jersey Receives 2015 APA–NJ Leadership Award

Award recognizes leadership of Donna Drewes and Randall Solomon

Today, the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-NJ) awarded Sustainable Jersey a 2015 Leadership Award. The Distinguished Civic Leadership Award was given to the Sustainable Jersey program recognizing the leadership of the co-directors, Randall Solomon and Donna Drewes. Randall Solomon and Donna Drewes accepted the award presented by Charles Latini Jr., president of the APA-NJ chapter at the organization’s annual conference at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick.

“I’m proud to receive this award for the Sustainable Jersey program and want to recognize the state, county, municipal and nonprofit organizations that have contributed their time and talents to help create this amazing program,” said Donna Drewes, co-director of Sustainable Jersey.  “Working together we have created a road map to guide New Jersey communities to create a more sustainable future for New Jersey.”

With this award, the Sustainable Jersey municipal certification program continues to attract national and state recognition; the program also won the national Ashoka/Community Matters Changemakers competition and received an Environmental Quality Award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2011.

Sustainable Jersey is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that provides tools, training and financial incentives to support communities as they pursue sustainability programs. Currently, 422 of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities are participating in the sustainability certification program.