Sustainable Jersey representatives announced that Berkeley Heights has met the rigorous requirements to achieve Sustainable Jersey Certification. Berkeley Heights is one of 34 towns out of the 240 registered municipalities that have attained certification in the first year of the program. Berkeley Heights was honored at the Sustainable Jersey awards luncheon on Tuesday, November 17 at the Sheraton Hotel in Atlantic City with Environmental Commissioners Robin Callaghan and Deborah Plotnik accepting the award.
"The members of the Environmental Commission and the seven sustainability teams have done a lot of hard work," said Berkeley Heights Mayor David Cohen. "And they are to be congratulated for the many volunteer hours they have put into this project. But what we have done so far is just the start of a journey because each year Sustainable Jersey will raise the bar to encourage municipalities to become more energy efficient, reduce their carbon footprints and develop sustainable land use and water conservation practices – and save money in the process."
To become Sustainable Jersey certified, Berkeley Heights submitted documentation to show it had completed a balance of the required sustainability actions, meeting a minimum of 100 action points. In addition to reaching 100 points, each community had to create a Green Team and select at least 2 out of 4 priority action options. Berkeley Heights did 2 of the 4 priority actions by completing a sustainable land use resolution and starting the process for an energy audit of municipal facilities.
"The 2009 certified towns are the Sustainable Jersey pioneers that can forever boast that they were the first, having achieved certification in year one of the program," said Fred Profeta, Maplewood’s Deputy Mayor for the Environment and Chair of the New Jersey League of Municipalities’ Mayors Committee for a Green Future.
Certified towns excelled in areas such as improving energy efficiency and health and wellness, smart land use and transportation, reducing waste, sustaining local economies, protecting natural resources, and addressing diversity and equity. "These are exceptional towns with outstanding programs that set an example for all of us because they have taken the responsibility to cultivate a better environment," said Randall Solomon, Sustainable Jersey program partner and Executive Director of the New Jersey Sustainable State Institute at Rutgers University. Sustainable Jersey program partner Donna Drewes, of the Municipal Land Use Center at The College of New Jersey, congratulated the certified towns. "Our winners are municipal leaders that are making extraordinary contributions toward the long-term goal of a sustainable New Jersey and world."
New Jersey is the first state in the nation to have a comprehensive sustainability program for communities, which links certification with strong state and private financial incentives, and a fully resourced program of technical support and training.
The Township of Berkeley Heights, located in Union County, NJ, has a population of around 13,000. Nestled in the Watchung Mountains, Berkeley Heights is a community of comfortable homes, quiet tree lined streets, which provides the ideal setting for raising a family and enjoying life. It has an excellent school system consisting of four elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Residents enjoy spacious parks and outstanding recreational programs for all ages. In July 2007 CNN/Money Magazine named Berkeley Heights as one of the top "100 Best Places to Live" in the United States.
About Sustainable Jersey
Sustainable Jersey is a certification program for municipalities in New Jersey that want to go green, control costs and save money, and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term. The innovative new program is an initiative of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities’ Mayors Committee for a Green Future, the Municipal Land Use Center at the College of New Jersey, the New Jersey Sustainable State Institute at Rutgers University, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Rutgers Center for Green Building, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, and a coalition of New Jersey non-profits, state agencies, and experts in the field. To learn more about the Sustainable Jersey certification visit www.sustainablejersey.com. Program sponsors include the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, PSEG, Church and Dwight, New Jersey Natural Gas, Covanta Energy, Nautilus Solar, the Smart Energy Group and Xerox.