By Randall Solomon
Sustainable New Jersey
2011 Sustainability Champion Ingredients:
Dedicated leader, hardworking Green Team, balanced sustainability program and over 400 certification points in the Sustainable Jersey municipal certification program.
Each of the 28 towns that have just achieved Sustainable Jersey certification is impressive; but we have three champions that deserve high praise.
Sustainable Jersey’s Sustainability Champion awards recognize municipalities that have scored the most points in the Sustainable Jersey certification program in three population categories.
The 2011 Sustainability Champion award winners are:
- Woodbridge Township (Middlesex County) in the Large Category with 625 points
- City of Summit (Union County) in the Medium Category with 420 points
- Cape May City (Cape May County) in the Small Category with 410 points
Woodbridge Township
For the third year in a row, the Sustainability Champion award winner in the large municipality category is Woodbridge Township. The township was certified with a record high of 625 Sustainable Jersey points. In addition to the strong support of Woodbridge Township Mayor John E. McCormac, this municipality is lucky to have a dedicated leader. Caroline Ehrlich, Chief of Staff for Woodbridge Township and the Executive Director of the Woodbridge Redevelopment Agency has overseen the completion of a long list of sustainability actions for the town.
Photo: L.E. McCullough
“Sustainable Jersey serves as a benchmark for our sustainable initiatives, while providing the Township with additional resources needed to plan for our green future,” said Woodbridge Township Mayor John E. McCormac.
“As a result, Woodbridge has implemented many sustainable initiatives and programs that serve to better manage the ways we use energy and other natural resources at work and home.
Woodbridge ribbon cutting for restoration of 120+ acres of environmental wetlands along the Raritan River and construction of the future Woodbridge Waterfront Park. Photo: John Hagerty.
In the quest for our third Sustainable Jersey Champion Award, Woodbridge Township, through the Greenable Woodbridge program, has implemented new and innovative sustainability initiatives, including a $7 million project to install energy-producing solar panels on municipal buildings; start-up of a Green Business & Technology Center that encourages green businesses to locate to New Jersey’s only green business incubator; creation of a ‘green’ business recognition program; automated trash collection and single-stream recycling that dramatically increased recycling and decreased the amount of waste going to the county landfill; implemented energy-saving audits at municipal buildings and facilities; integrated fuel efficient hybrid vehicles into the municipal fleet; and the designation of Woodbridge as a Mayor’s Wellness community, among many other initiatives,” Mayor McCormac added.
City of Summit
For the second year in a row, the Sustainability Champion award winner in the medium municipality category is the City of Summit.
“Year after year, the community as a whole – residents, elected officials and City staff alike – recommit themselves to the goal of making Summit more environmentally conscious and reducing the City’s carbon footprint.
Our citizens have a profound collective impact on the environment and it only benefits society to lessen the burden when possible through sustainable practices. Summit understands that the health of the environment influences the health of the individual and respects the role that sustainability plays in all of our lives,” said City of Summit Mayor Jordan Glatt.
Learn More about Each Town’s Sustainability Initiatives
You can review the different programs and initiatives that each of these towns did by looking at the Sustainable Jersey Participating Communities Map. Find the green pin for Woodbridge, Summit and/or Cape May. Click on the town’s green pin to see a full certified report listing of the sustainability actions each town completed.
Sewell Point in Cape May
For more about Sustainable Jersey:
Sustainable Jersey staff and partners are regular contributors to the Dodge blog.