Environmental group makes room for everybody
By Amber Cox, Special Writer
CHESTERFIELD The township is going all-out green by unofficially deputizing residents who want to work with its Environmental Commission.
The Township Committee made that possible July 28 by unanimously voting to create the Chesterfield Township Green Team.
Mayor Larry Durr said the Green Team was the result of the Environmental Commission contacting the committee.
”We have a rather active Environmental Commission and they’re looking for new projects all the time,” he said. “This Green Team is a way to add interested residents, unofficially, to the Environmental Commission.”
This will allow residents to participate in the projects that the Environmental Commission is working on even if there is no open slot available for them to become a member of the Environmental Commission, he said.
”Anyone that is interested certainly should contact either the township or someone from the Environmental Commission,” Mayor Durr said.
Serving on the seven-member commission are Martha Veselka, Karl Braun, Elise Bremer-Nei, Michael Hlubik, Charles Jones, Jane Ryan and F. Jerry Spence.
Mayor Durr is not sure that the list has been set up yet and encourages residents to get involved.
The Township Committee further voted to support participation in the Sustainable Jersey Municipal Certification Program.
Sustainable Jersey is a program “for municipalities in New Jersey that want to go green, save money and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term,” according to sustainablejersey.com. New Jersey is the first state to have a program for sustainability that “links certification with strong state and private financial incentives, and a fully resourced program of technical support and training.”
”We feel that it is a worthy goal to obtain these things,” Mayor Durr said.
He added that when the municipality achieves different levels it gives it a higher ranking on the grants and “things that might be available in the future.”
The township also voted to submit a grant application to Sustainable Jersey.
”We’re very pleased with the Environmental Commission for taking these steps and working with this,” Mayor Durr said. “It’s going to do a lot of good.”
The next meeting of the Chesterfield Environmental Commission will be held at 7:30 p.m., Aug. 23.