Politics & Government
Fanwood Seeks 'Sustainable Jersey' Certification
The borough will have to complete
The borough of Fanwood is taking the first steps toward becoming a part of the "Sustainable Jersey" program, an initiative that aims to spur municipalities to make more decisions in the best interest of the environment.
The council announced Tuesday night that the borough will create a "green team," made up of about 12 to 15 residents, as part of the effort to steer Fanwood in the right direction.
"This is a holistic approach for the community, including municipal government, to go green," said Council President Donna Dolce.
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According to the program's Web site: "Sustainable Jersey is a certification and incentive program for municipalities in New Jersey that want to go green, save money, and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term. Sustainable Jersey will have required and elective 'actions' that municipalities can implement to receive the certification."
Achieving the certification does not mean a municipality is "sustainable," the site says. Rather, it connotes that the municipality has taken the first significant step on a long journey towards sustainability.
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The certification would present the town with the chance to trumpet its environmental credentials, while also placing the town at the front of the line for certain environmental grants should the need arise.
Patricia Ruby, a project coordinator for the New Jersey Sustainable State Institute, which is administering the program on behalf of a group of partners, said towns that complete the certification process would reap several benefits, the first being the public relations aspect of being able to say they have been certified as being sustainable. Ruby said the public relations aspect will help the town with applying for other grants in the environmental field.
In addition to assisting with grants from outside groups, Ruby noted the towns registered with the program will receive priority with state related grants. She said the state Board of Public Utilities, which founded the program with several other groups, has a program which would offset the cost of a municipal energy audit. Currently, the BPU funds all towns, which request the money, but the registration could help in the event the regulatory agency changes the rules.
The program bases itself on a point structure. A town needs to gather 100 points in order to qualify for certification from the Sustainable Jersey organization.
The certification comes from various items on a check list provided by the Sustainable Jersey organization. Below is the complete check list and the assigned point values for each item.
Community Partnership and Outreach
Create Green Team - 10 points
Community Education and Outreach - 10 points
School Programs and Partnerships - 10 points
Green Challenges and Community Programs - 10 points for each action
Green Fairs - 10 to 20 points
Diversity and Equity
Diversity on Boards and Commissions - 10 points
Incorporate Environmental Justice in Planning and Zoning - 10 points
Energy Efficiency
Energy Audits for Municipal Facilities - 30 points
Energy Star Buildings - 10 to 30 points
Green House Gas
Municipal Carbon Footprint - 10 points
Community Carbon Footprint - 10 points
Climate Action Plan - 10 to 30 points
Green Design
Green Design Commercial and Residential Buildings - 10 to 30 points
Upgrade and Retrofit Municipal Building - 10 to 30 points
Health and Wellness
Mayors Wellness Campaign - 10 to 20 points
Anti-Idling Education and Environment Program - 10 to 20 points
Land Use and Transportation
Sustainable Land Use Pledge - 10 points
Sustainability Master Plan Element - 10 to 20 points
Complete Streets Program - 10 points
Local Economies
Local Food Production and Gardens - 10 points for each action
Buy Local Programs - 10 points
Green Business Recognition Program - 10 points
Green Jobs and Economic Development - 10 points
Natural Resources
Natural Resource Inventory - 10 to 20 points
Natural Resource Protection Ordinances - 10 points for each action
Water Conservation Ordinance - 10 points
Environmental Commission - 10 points
Tree and Woodlands Management - 10 to 20 points
Operations and Maintenance
Green Purchasing Program - 10 to 20 points
Grounds and Maintenance - 10 to 20 points
Green Fleets - 10 to 30 points
Sustainability Planning
Community Asset Mapping - 10 points
Community Visioning - 10 points
Sustainable Community Plan - 10 to 40 points
Water Reduction and Recycling
Recycling - 10 points for each action
Waste Reduction - 10 points for each action
Innovation Demonstration Projects
Alternative Energy - 10 to 30 points
Water Infiltration Techniques - 10 to 20 points
Other - 10 to 20 points
The first step is for the mayor and council to pass a resolution to register for the program. Mahr said she would like to see the "green team" appointed by January.
Editor's Note: Westfield Patch Editor John Celock contributed to this report.
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