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What’s Happening in New Jersey?

Atlantic County

Galloway Township ( 217kb) is one of the few NJ municipalities to enact an ordinance facilitating the installation of both small wind and solar energy systems. The ordinance is intended to enable clean, renewable energy resources be utilized in a cost-effective and timely manner.

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Bergen County

Ridgewood is installing Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) on Grove Street. The "green" paving alternative is relatively new to the United States, but has been in use for a decade in Europe. It produces fewer emissions and consumes up to 30 percent less fuel during processing while extending the paving season in northern climates.

Westwood has begun a trial to fuel some of its recycling trucks with biodiesel containing used cooking oil from area restaurants. The township expects the cost of the fuel will be $2.88 per gallon, saving Westwood residents 31% on diesel prices or about $31,000 annually and reducing emissions by 67%.

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Camden County

Camden County has prepared a 2008 County Green Initiative Action Plan, which makes recommendations for implementing the 12 objectives, as adopted by the County Freeholders in 2007, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the County's endorsement of the U.D. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement.

Cherry Hill Township has had an innovative project to recycle leaves. For the last two years leaves collected from home owners have been distributed to farmers, who use the compost for natural fertilizer. In 2007 this project kept 75,000 cubic yards of waste from the landfills, while saving the Township $225,000 in dump fees. Cherry Hill has also significantly increased its recycle rate by implementing RecycleBank. RecycleBank provides households with large containers to be picked up weekly by a computer-equipped truck with a mechanical arm. After scanning the container for an embedded barcode, the truck computes its weight. Based on that weight, residents accrue credits redeemable at retail businesses. Cherry Hill estimates that implementation has saved the township $300,000 and raised weekly recycling tonnage to over 200 tons.

Collingswood Borough has developed a unique bike-sharing program using unclaimed bicycles from police storage. Volunteers paint the bikes lime green and maintain them. The program operates like a library, enabling residents to borrow the bikes for short or extended periods.

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Cape May County

Cape May Point Environmental Commission published a block-by-block tree survey documenting the forested nature of the Borough and the importance of trees to the town's annual "world-class migration spectacle."

Dennis Township recently adopted a pesticide-free zone policy to eliminate the use of toxic pesticides on Township-owned land.

Ocean City awarded a contract to developer to build a $4 million solar system under a Power Purchase Agreement. The system is expected to produce a total of 550,000 kilowatt-hours of energy in four community buildings. The first phase was installed in November 2008 and has already reduced CO2 emissions by 45 metric tons. It is also striving to reduce City emissions by focusing on transportation. Ocean City recently became the first community in the county to switch to biodiesel fuel for all its diesel vehicles. The city has also developed a plan to use recyclable products in reconstruction of parks and playgrounds and implementing integrated pest management practices. The city's recycling program has been expanded to include old telephones, computers, metal, batteries, wood and yard waste.

West Cape May Borough passed an ordinance making small wind and solar systems a permitted use in all zones.

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Essex County

Livingston: When the old municipal building was demolished after a new one was erected, the township recycled much of the debris, including asphalt, concrete, bricks, slate roofing, metal and paper. The new building has a white roof to mitigate the heat island effect, and energy efficient lighting with automatic controls to turn lights off when occupants leave a room.

Maplewood: Residents helped to develop an innovative jitney service to get commuters to the Manhattan train instead of building an expensive parking structure. By providing frequent and direct public transit to commuter railway stations, residents no longer need to drive their cars, thereby reducing traffic congestion, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Maplewood has also made a commitment to a 20% community-wide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2015 (from 2006 levels).

Millburn Township won a Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for its Millburn Green Challenge, a series of 20 green challenges designed to increase environmental awareness and sustainable behavior in the community.  Over 700 attendees assigned 1700 pledges to make specific environmental changes in their lives.


Montclair( 50kb): The council endorsed the environmental commission’s Sustainable Planning Guide and has:

Newark formed its new environmental commission in March 2009. Among its sustainability accomplishments:

The West Caldwell Township Environmental Commission is leading the effort to preserve a piece of Township history. The 125 year old cucumber maple, which is part of the community seal, is coming to the end of its natural life span. The grafting of more than 150 saplings will produce cucumber magnolias with the exact genetic make up of the original tree.

West Orange is encouraging residents to go on an “Energy Diet” through a grassroots campaign that has included an Energy Diet Fair, a town-wide, giant light bulb display, and getting residents to sign a pledge to reduce their energy consumption by 20%.

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Gloucester County

Woolwich Township recently passed an ordinance to increase the proportion of construction and demolition debris recycled rather than disposed of at land fills.

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Hudson County

Bayonne Board of Education: The east coast’s largest combined installation of photovoltaic (PV) roof panels at the city’s high school and eight elementary schools is expected to produce savings to taxpayers of more than $500,000 yearly on energy costs.

In October 2011, the Secaucus Environmental Commission proposed that Styrofoam be eliminated from schools, restaurants and small businesses and the Secaucus Council passed a resolution banning it in the town.  The ban has already met a positive response.  The manager of the Outback Steakhouse in Secaucus attended the meeting at which the ban passed and a no-Styrofoam policy has been implemented at the steakhouse and its Bone Fish Grill affiliate.  The high school and middle school in town also responded quickly to the Styrofoam ban. Although they found that biodegradable products were more expensive to use than Styrofoam, they somehow found it in their budget to switch to paper plates and trays after a meeting with the Mayor and Council members.

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Mercer County

Hamilton: Winner of the 2006 Green Town award from New Jersey Environmental Lobby (NJEL), Hamilton has developed a building energy management plan for township buildings and has switched the town’s truck fleet to bio-diesel fuel. The town is using advanced road de-icing technology to reduce use of salt and other chemicals and is considering an alternative fuel vehicle for public works. Hamilton expanded its recycling program and increased the types of materials recycled, saving about $500,000 in municipal costs through a new grass clipping recycling program. The town is planning to install solar panels on municipal buildings, financed under a power purchase agreement arrangement.

Hopewell Township’s sustainability initiatives include a master plan and zoning based on “water balance”, solar panels for its public works building and retrofitting the lighting in its municipal buildings. The township currently has funding from the Board of Public Utilities to develop the “EQ Challenge” that aims to encourage energy conservation in local households by inviting residents to show their “energy intelligence.”

Lawrence: A volunteer task force has declared its intention to create an “eco-municipality” and established a lively web site to stir up public awareness and support. A local school converted the dining hall”s used frying oil to bio-diesel fuel and plans to soon operate the school's boiler and all its diesel vehicles on a bio-diesel blend.

Princeton: The Joint Princeton Environmental Commission of the Township and Borough of Princeton has created a Guide to Fall Leaf Management. The guide encourages residents to use leaves to naturally support their yards rather than placing them in the street for pick up. The Princetons are also actively developing a Sustainable Princeton Plan.

West Windsor Township: The Sustainable West Windsor Plan 2007 was created by the town's Environmental Commission to provide a roadmap for evolving West Windsor into a more environmentally

West Windsor Township passed a resolution on August 1, 2011 supporting New Jersey's continued participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which implements the state's 2008 Global Warming Response Act.

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Middlesex County

Highland Park: A range of global actions includes:

The borough estimates that its award-winning green savers program has saved approximately $14,000 a year, with the photovoltaic (PV) roof system saving approximately 25 percent. The town has implemented many green community initiatives, including:

For the third year in a row, Woodbridge Township has earned Sustainable Jersey’s Sustainability Champion award in the large municipality category. Among the initiatives that led to the award were the development of a Community Sustainability Plan and, under its Greenable Woodbridge Program, a $7 million project to install solar panels on municipal buildings. Woodbridge has started up a Green Business & Technology Center that encourages green businesses to locate to its green business incubator; and is integrating fuel efficient hybrids and bio-fuels into the municipal fleet.

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Monmouth County

Belmar has created an action plan that combines the objectives of a clean environment, affordable housing, and quality of life in the shore community. Entitled Sustainable Living by the Sea: Belmar’s Blueprint for Building a Livable, Affordable and Inclusive Community, the plan’s key strategies include:

Long Branch has achieved over 772% of its goal in the Energy Star Change-A-Light; Change the World program by collecting pledges leading to actions that would avoid more than 8 million pounds of emissions. As part of its green initiative, the city’s web site now has Green Pages offering tips to residents and businesses on saving energy and going green.

Middletown Township has voted to implement a Green Initiative, which is designed to contain energy costs, emissions and environmental impacts. The initiative will feature the use of hybrid vehicles, the purchase of Energy Star equipment and a free shuttle service operating from the railroad station.

Monmouth County Freeholders have created an advisory committee to perform a greenhouse gas emissions inventory for county operations and to encourage energy conservation by the county and municipalities. A series of luncheon seminars hosted by the Freeholders has been educating county and municipal leaders on energy conservation, green building technologies and other environmental topics.

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Morris County

Chatham Township volunteers have initiated a Back2Tap campaign designed to reduce the number of plastic bottles that litter parks and playing fields. An educational video for schools has been developed by Back2Tap, LLC.

Morris County plans to convert a small number of county public works trucks and a para-transit system bus to biodiesel fuel using a mix of soybean based product and regular diesel fuel. This six-month pilot program will compare fuel mileage, emissions and maintenance records of the converted vehicles and the regular fleet.

The Morris County Improvement Authority recently detailed its proposed countywide renewable energy initiative, which is being offered to all towns, public school districts and local authorities in the county. The program, which has the support of the Morris County Board of Freeholders, calls for renewable energy sources such as wind devices or solar panels to be installed, where possible, on buildings or on the grounds of program participants. The improvement authority would absorb all debt service payments, which would be funded through the resale of the electricity generated by the alternative energy sources. Additional information about the renewable energy initiative may be obtained by calling the Morris County Improvement Authority at (973) 285-6020.

Morristown EcoCenter is designed to convert a former automobile dealership into a center featuring many facilities, including an organic restaurant, rooftop greenhouses, a food hub, a creative arts venue and an incubator for sustainable businesses.  The restaurant, the major tenant, is expected to offer fresh, local, organic and healthy food; some of the produce will be grown in the center’s rooftop greenhouses.   

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Ocean County

Ocean Gate Borough became the first New Jersey municipality to pass a wind energy ordinance and will install a 50-kilowatt turbine that will generate most power needs for its municipal building.

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Passaic County

West Milford Township has a citizen's initiative called Sustainable West Milford that sponsored the Highlands Green Fest, native plant and medicinal plant gardens and the Buy Local-Be Local Campaign. An attractive web site keeps residents informed about sustainability matters.

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Somerset County

The Somerset County Improvement Authority and Somerset County have created a renewable energy program for local governments and public schools.  Under a power purchase agreement the developer builds, owns and operates the renewable energy system.  Local entities are solely responsible for paying their electric bills, which be lower as a result of the renewable energy production. 

Bernards Township Green Team has developed an online resource to help residents make positive changes at home. The Green Guide also recognizes the green efforts of local community and nonprofit organizations and businesses and highlights measures the town is taking to protect health and the environment. For example:

Bridgewater is working on a variety of green initiatives, including constructing a LEED-certified municipal building and maintaining pesticide and fertilizer free parks and open spaces.

For over a year Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District has been operating "Schools for Energy Efficiency", a Hallberg Egineering, program for K-12 schools to save energy and money by changing behavior throughout the district. At the end of its first energy tracking year it reached its target of a 10% energy reduction accomplished cost reduction of over $314,000. A strong component of the program is the support of the students in each school, who check that electrical appliances are turned off when not in use. As a byproduct, some parents have been influenced to reduce their home energy use.

Hillsborough joined with the New Jersey Sustainable State Institute and the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association to create a Sustainable Community Plan. The initiative is reaching out to all segments of the population through its web site. Hillsborough have approved an ordinance that will allow the use of small windmill systems to generate renewable power on 10-acre lots in specific areas of the town.

 

Union County

Union County Freeholders have introduced a “Go Green” Initiative aimed at applying LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building standards in all county construction and renovation projects. The county is replacing retired vehicles with hybrids and distributing individual recycling bins in offices and cubicles. At a green expo for county employees on Earth Day 2008, attendees received compact fluorescent light bulbs and reusable tote bags, along with a wide variety of information on green actions. The County is developing an Energy Master Plan, and its new “Green Connection” web site is designed to inform and educate residents about cost-effective ways to go green at home and in commerce.

Cranford is the first New Jersey city to adopt a green building ordinance requiring Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™ (LEEDs) standards for new construction and major renovations of municipal buildings and encouraging redevelopers to do likewise. Also see Cranford’s LEED ordinance. In November 2008 with the assistance of Project Porchlight over 75 volunteers distributed more than 1,500 free compact fluorescent light bulbs achieving the Environmental Commission's goal of showing people how to easy it is to save money and help the environment by making simple changes.

The Commission's lively new web site features tips, information, resources and a link to Cranford's EnergyStar Pledge.

Summit Environmental Commission completed a sustainability plan in 2008 and has enrolled more than 2% of residents in BPU’s Clean Power Choice Program. The city-wide cleanup each Earth Day collects several tons of recyclables. Summit’s compact, walkable downtown has two new LEED-certified commercial buildings, and a pharmaceutical company’s Summit campus is installing the country’s largest rooftop solar array. For the second year in a row, Summit has earned Sustainable Jersey's Sustainability Champion Award in the medium municipality category.

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