Hillsborough Township has met requirements to achieve Sustainable Jersey bronze re-certification. It is one of 125 towns of 378 registered municipalities to attain the certification.
Assistant Township Planner David Kois spearheaded the submission, along with the volunteers of the Sustainable Hillsborough Steering Committee.
”we are extremely proud of this achievement,” said Mayor Frank DelCore.
Hillsborough first achieved Sustainable Jersey certification in 2009. It was one of only 28 towns of 240 registered municipalities that achieved certification in the first year of the program.
”Hillsborough began sustainable initiatives back in 2006 and it has been an ongoing local project that seeks to plan for the future to ensure our community has balanced economic, environmental and social objectives, developed with public input,” said Committeewoman Gloria McCauley.
Ms. McCauley said some of the highlights of recent years included a community clean-up day, Central Jersey Best Sustainable Practices conference held at Duke Farms, the solar project for the municipal complex and the community paper shredding day, sponsored by Somerset County.
Other items for which the township received credits toward recertification included the environmental assessment ordinance originally adopted in 1975 and the tree protection ordinance adopted in 2000.
The Bronze Level of certification requires the establishment of a mandatory Green Team, implementation of two of seven priority actions, and a total of 150 points. Actions must be completed in six of 16 categories.
To reach the next level, Hillsborough would need to implement three priority actions, gain a total of 350 points and complete actions in 8 of 16 categories.
Categories that are considered are waste reduction and recycling, woodlands and tree management, green purchasing, green fleets, animals in the community, arts/culture preservation, community outreach, energy efficiency, farmland preservation supporting local food, green design, and land use and transportation.
