MAPLEWOOD, NJ — At an event held recently in Cranford, Sustainable Jersey announced the 32 New Jersey municipalities selected to receive a Sustainable Jersey small grant funded by the PSEG Foundation. Four $20,000 grants, eight $10,000 grants and 20 $2,000 grants were distributed to fund a variety of projects including reclaiming paved surfaces for community gardens, protecting community tree cover, water conservation, green infrastructure, natural resources protection, park revitalization, promoting healthy lifestyles and green team capacity building.
“These grants support green teams and municipalities working to bring innovative sustainability projects forward that will shape the future of their residents for years to come,” Donna Drewes, who co-directs Sustainable Jersey with Randall Solomon, said in a press release. She extended her congratulations to all of the towns that received grants. “The grants we’re awarding today will also help build capacity as municipalities move sustainability programs forward.”
The PSEG Foundation has contributed more than $1 million in funding to the Sustainable Jersey Small Grants Program. “Environmental, social and economic issues are the cornerstone to the PSEG Foundation’s support and we are committed to leading the communities in which we serve towards a more sustainable future,” PSEG Foundation President Ellen Lambert said in the release. “These projects will have a lasting impact to neighborhoods throughout New Jersey.”
Grant proposals were evaluated by an independent Blue Ribbon Selection Committee. The Sustainable Jersey grants are intended to help municipalities make progress toward a sustainable future in general, and specifically toward Sustainable Jersey certification. Currently, 77 percent, or 434 of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities are participating in the municipal certification program.
Recipients of $20,000 Sustainable Jersey project grants:
- Fort Lee will create recreational gardening plots and provide space for communal educational gatherings to focus on the topics of sustaining the environment, health and wellness, and social interaction among isolated individuals including residents of a nearby assisted living developments for disabled fixed-income adults and seniors.
- Ewing will develop and implement a coordinated response to the discovery of Emerald Ash Borer in its community tree cover. The effort will include education, partnerships, responsible decision-making and informed re-planting. As a result of this initiative, a step-by-step guide will be developed to assist other municipalities in addressing EAB infestation.
- Monroe will update the 10-year-old Environmental Resources Inventory to make it current and user-friendly. The goal is to map out clearly important environmental, civic and cultural resources so it can be easily and effectively referred to by the Environmental Commission when conducting site plan reviews and other boards and commissions in their decision-making processes. Monroe work with the high school to produce a short video highlighting the town’s environmental footprint that will be run on cable TV, be accessible on the website, and shown at the green fair and other outreach activities.
- Mount Arlington will redevelop an underutilized tennis court on borough-owned property to become a community garden that will augment and promote a school-run farmers market.
Recipients of $10,000 Sustainable Jersey project grants:
- Mount Holly will implement Operation Green Sidewalk, a project targeted toward discovering and evaluating different kinds of sidewalk materials that can be used to repair damaged sidewalks surrounding trees. These studies will also address how these alternative materials can contribute to improved stormwater management.
- Winslow will launch a series of initiatives geared toward encouraging youth to understand and appreciate the value of a sustainable lifestyle from health and wellness to recycling to local economies.
- Perth Amboy will strive to achieve a substantial reduction in the amount of waste that enters the waterways as a result of single-use plastic items by constructing three reusable water bottle filling stations at various parks throughout the city and conducting a public education campaign.
- Keyport will launch a town-wide water conservation education program to educate residents and the business community about the positive impact quality water has on ecosystems, the local economy and drinking water resources.
- Kinnelon will create an organic community garden with 150 garden beds.
- Hillsborough will develop a conservation easement parcel database detailing the location, type of easement, owner and size. The information from this database will then be incorporated into the township’s digitized parcel-based ArcGIS mapping for community outreach and education focusing on the importance of the natural resources protected by the municipally held easements.
- Berkeley Heights will implement an innovative program to help address stormwater runoff through the use of rebates to encourage homeowners to construct rain gardens on their properties. The project is being undertaken in collaboration with Rutgers Cooperative Extension’s Water Resources Program.
- Cranford will complete an i-Tree Inventory of the approximately 7,000 trees along 72 miles of municipal roads allowing the township to make informed decisions regarding municipal tree management.
Recipients of $2,000 Sustainable Jersey capacity building grants:
- Brigantine will partner with ACUA to create a community education and outreach campaign based on the city’s revised recycling ordinance. As part of the campaign, residents in the city will be receiving a 96-gallon recycling cart to encourage positive recycling practices.
- Margate will install an ocean-friendly demonstration garden and water-collection system at the city’s municipal complex and conduct educational workshops for city residents. Project partners include Sustainable Margate, Margate City Public Library, South Jersey Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, Tighe Middle School Ecology Club and the Southeast Chapter of the NJ Native Plant Society.
- Absecon will develop a sustainable design for a park that has become neglected. Sustainable Absecon will partner with the Emma C. Attales Middle School where students will have the opportunity to create their own designs, while residents from the surrounding neighborhoods will be allowed to view the designs and provide comments or suggestions for improvement.
- Bergenfield will develop victory gardens working with the school district, the garden club and four municipal departments to promote health and wellness and good eating habits.
- Audubon Park will create a community garden.
- Maplewood will upgrade the website and enhance social media to become a more interactive community site hosting a wide range of sustainability topics and initiatives in the region and promote existing projects.
- Holland will expand the farmers market in partnership with neighboring townships.
- Jamesburg will work toward certification in collaboration with neighboring towns and participation in a multi-town/school district green fair.
- Roosevelt will continue to pursue its goal of achieving Sustainable Jersey certification by following up on recommendations from the 2015 Environmental Resources Inventory and increasing public outreach efforts.
- Wall will reconstruct the town garden that has deteriorated over the years. The project will incorporate community and student volunteers, and serve as an example to the community of the benefits of cultivating native plants and effective gardening techniques without the use of pesticides.
- Mountain Lakes will help fund the non-mandated materials recycling program and water conservation education program.
- Morris Plains will expand education and outreach efforts in order to increase community awareness and participation related to the recycling program and other sustainable actions residents can implement in their own homes.
- Toms River will work toward achieving Sustainable Jersey certification.
- Hawthorne will help support a native plant innovation project with the purchase of native plants, outreach promotional materials and other necessary equipment.
- Bernardsville will support a variety of green team initiatives including education and outreach efforts, the community garden and flood hazard mitigation research.
- Vernon will help complete the construction of a 17.5-mile-long recreational path.
- New Providence will construct a deer-free community garden in order to provide residents with the opportunity to learn about healthy gardening techniques to cultivate fresh and all-natural produce.
- Union Township will re-energize the green team through a series of new appointments that will encourage a greater amount of activity to do sustainable action items.
- Washington will expand the farmers market by purchasing additional equipment and implementing strategies to attract additional vendors and customers throughout the season.
- Mansfield will undertake a demonstration project on the implementation and education about WaterSense showerheads, a device that been estimated to conserve about 2,300 gallons of water per year.
“Maplewood appreciates receiving this grant and the recognition of our efforts to promote sustainability in our community and region,” Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca said in the release. “We recognize the key role that municipalities can play in addressing threats to our climate. Maplewood will continue to be a leader in preserving and protecting our environment.”
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