By: centraljersey.com
WEST AMWELL – Lambertville and West Amwell are lining up to obtain certification in a voluntary environmental program, a move that could open pots of "green funding" for green living.
The program, Sustainable Jersey, describes itself as a certification program for municipalities in the state that want to "go green" and save money. It calls for "a better tomorrow, one community at a time."
"Sustainability aims to protect our natural resources today so that those resources will be available for future generations," West Amwell Environmental Commission Chairwoman Cathy Urbanski said.
According to the program, New Jersey is the first state to have a comprehensive sustainability program that links certification with strong state and private financial incentives, and the resources to provide technical support and training.
Only 67 municipalities in the state have achieved certification, and 323 have registered their intent.
Obtaining certification in the program is considered a prestigious achievement among municipal governments, according to Ms. Urbanski.
The organization itself says "municipalities that achieve the certification are considered by their peers, by state government, and by the experts and civic organizations in New Jersey to be among the leading municipalities."
West Amwell is gathering pertinent information in preparation for the application process, according to the township’s Environmental Commission. The commission, which acts as the township’s "Green Team," plans to apply for certification later this year.
Appointing a Green Team is a municipality’s initial step in the certification process.
Lambertville, too, has formed a team. The city has submitted information that will enable it to be considered for certification, according to Cynthia L. Ege, acting city clerk.
What it could mean for each municipality is greener standards, as well as access to green funding.
"Sustainable Jersey encompasses a range of issues including air and water quality, pollution, biodiversity, land use, equity, buying local, local living economies, sustainable agriculture and more," Ms. Urbanski said.
Sustainable Jersey, which is strictly voluntary, also helps to provide information on obtaining grant funding, such as Small Grants by Walmart and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ Municipal Energy Audit Program.
Walmart Stores Inc., the New Jersey League of Municipalities’ Education Foundation and the league’s Mayors’ Committee for a Green Future have established the Sustainable Jersey Small Grants program.
Last year, more than $200,000 in grant funding was divided among nearly three dozen municipalities across the state.
The Sustainable Jersey 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 Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, and a coalition of New Jersey nonprofits, state agencies and experts in the field.