LAWRENCE: Town seeks sustainable certification

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Undertaking an energy audit for municipally owned buildings? Check.
    Compiling an environmental resource inventory? Check.
    Recycling at the Municipal Building and purchasing “green” cleaning supplies? Check and check.
    Those are some of the actions that Lawrence Township has already taken in its quest to become a Sustainable Jersey Certified municipality, according to Mayor Pam Mount and Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun.
    A town must earn 100 points from a list of actions — such as undertaking an energy audit, hosting “green” fairs and participating in a “buy local” program — to gain that certification, they said.
    According to its Web site, www.SustainableJersey.com, “Sustainable Jersey is a certification program for municipalities that want to go green, control costs and save money, and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term.”
    It 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 and a coalition of nonprofit groups, state agencies and experts in the field.
    “I went to a conference on sustainability about four years ago in Colorado with the mayor of Highland Park,” Mayor Mount said. “At the conference, we got excited about the possibilities. We saw the possibilities of how government could effect change and really lead the whole effort.”
    When Mayor Mount and Mayor Meryl Frank of Highland Park returned from the conference, they encouraged the New Jersey League of Municipalities to become active in the effort. Several task forces were created, involving representatives from state and local governments, as well as Public Service Gas & Electric Co., Mayor Mount said.
    “They talked about what would make a sustainable community, a sustainable environment, how to turn back the clock and get on track,” she said. “There’s no sense in (just) buying hybrid cars. We decided we wanted a program that would be ongoing. There are benchmarks to meet and then a town can be rewarded for being certified.”
    And that was the genesis of Sustainable Jersey.
    It will take time for Lawrence Township to earn enough points to become a certified community, but that does not prohibit the township from registering with Sustainable Jersey.
    Last week, Township Council approved a resolution that endorses registration with Sustainable Jersey. This means the township is eligible to take part in the Sustainable Jersey Small Grant program, which is being funded by Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
    Mr. Krawczun said Wal-Mart is funding the first round of grants of $200,000. The Sustainable Jersey Small Grant program is offering 14 grants that range from $10,000 to $25,000.
    “We will apply for a $10,000 grant,” Mr. Krawczun said. “What we are considering is some type of program that would help us to facilitate residents’ dropping off electronics for recycling.”
    In the meantime, Mayor Mount is excited at the prospect of Lawrence Township’s becoming a Sustainable Jersey Certified municipality.
    “What we have been doing is the envy of many other towns,” Mayor Mount said. “We have engaged citizens. We held the Green Building Expo, we have Sustainable Lawrence, and the schools are doing solar energy panels (on all of the school buildings).”
    “The important part is, the whole sustainability deal works only if everyone is engaged and does their part to protect the environment. Everybody has a piece they can work on,” she said.