Lawrence Green Team and Sustainable Lawrence presented the Sustainable Jersey Silver Certification for 2016 at a Lawrence Township Town Council meeting on Jan. 17., Sustainable Jersey has 441 registered towns. Lawrence Township is one of the 44 New Jersey municipalities that have attained certification at the silver level. The township was honored at the Sustainable Jersey Awards Luncheon on Nov. 15 in Atlantic City. Members of the board attended the event., Lawrence has been a leader in the sustainability movement in New Jersey and helped launch Sustainable Jersey in 2000. Sustainable Jersey is a nonprofit organization that provides tools, training and financial incentives to support communities as they pursue sustainability programs., Lawrence was certified at the Sustainable Jersey Bronze level in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014. In 2016 the Lawrence Green Team built a partnership with Rider University Professor Dr. Brooke Hunter and her capstone seminar students who spent their spring term studying the local sustainability efforts and interviewing local leaders., The students analyzed Sustainable Jersey requirements and wrote reports documenting how Lawrence has fulfilled 35 actions in 11 categories and exceeded the minimum of 350 points for Sustainable Jersey silver certification. The semester-long effort brought Rider students, town volunteers and Lawrence Township staff together for a rewarding and fruitful effort in accomplishing silver certifications., Former Lawrence Township Mayor Pam Mount is chair of Lawrence Green Team and Sustainable Lawrence. She served as chairman of Sustainable Jersey from 2012-2015., “We are delighted to celebrate with Lawrence town council the combined achievements of staff and residents in achieving this prestigious silver certification. We are thrilled that Dr. Hunter and her students helped us achieve this goal,” Ms. Mount said., Lawrence Township will continue to take action to promote and advance the sustainability of the town, she said. Residents who are interested in participating can contact Ms. Mount at [email protected] or (609) 924-2310.
