Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

By Randall Solomon
Sustainable New Jersey

2011 Sustainability Champion Ingredients:
Dedicated leader, hardworking Green Team, balanced sustainability program and over 400 certification points in the Sustainable Jersey municipal certification program.

Each of the 28 towns that have just achieved Sustainable Jersey certification is impressive; but we have three champions that deserve high praise.

Sustainable Jersey’s Sustainability Champion awards recognize municipalities that have scored the most points in the Sustainable Jersey certification program in three population categories.

The 2011 Sustainability Champion award winners are:

• Woodbridge Township (Middlesex County) in the Large Category with 625 points
• City of Summit (Union County) in the Medium Category with 420 points
• Cape May City (Cape May County) in the Small Category with 410 points

Woodbridge Township

For the third year in a row, the Sustainability Champion award winner in the large municipality category is Woodbridge Township. The township was certified with a record high of 625 Sustainable Jersey points. In addition to the strong support of Woodbridge Township Mayor John E. McCormac, this municipality is lucky to have a dedicated leader. Caroline Ehrlich, Chief of Staff for Woodbridge Township and the Executive Director of the Woodbridge Redevelopment Agency has overseen the completion of a long list of sustainability actions for the town.

Photo: L.E. McCullough

“Sustainable Jersey serves as a benchmark for our sustainable initiatives, while providing the Township with additional resources needed to plan for our green future,” said Woodbridge Township Mayor John E. McCormac.

“As a result, Woodbridge has implemented many sustainable initiatives and programs that serve to better manage the ways we use energy and other natural resources at work and home.

Woodbridge ribbon cutting for restoration of 120+ acres of environmental wetlands along the Raritan River and construction of the future Woodbridge Waterfront Park. Photo: John Hagerty.

In the quest for our third Sustainable Jersey Champion Award, Woodbridge Township, through the Greenable Woodbridge program, has implemented new and innovative sustainability initiatives, including a $7 million project to install energy-producing solar panels on municipal buildings; start-up of a Green Business & Technology Center that encourages green businesses to locate to New Jersey’s only green business incubator; creation of a ‘green’ business recognition program; automated trash collection and single-stream recycling that dramatically increased recycling and decreased the amount of waste going to the county landfill; implemented energy-saving audits at municipal buildings and facilities; integrated fuel efficient hybrid vehicles into the municipal fleet; and the designation of Woodbridge as a Mayor’s Wellness community, among many other initiatives,” Mayor McCormac added.

City of Summit

For the second year in a row, the Sustainability Champion award winner in the medium municipality category is the City of Summit.

“Year after year, the community as a whole – residents, elected officials and City staff alike – recommit themselves to the goal of making Summit more environmentally conscious and reducing the City’s carbon footprint.

Our citizens have a profound collective impact on the environment and it only benefits society to lessen the burden when possible through sustainable practices. Summit understands that the health of the environment influences the health of the individual and respects the role that sustainability plays in all of our lives,” said City of Summit Mayor Jordan Glatt.

Learn More about Each Town’s Sustainability Initiatives

You can review the different programs and initiatives that each of these towns did by looking at the Sustainable Jersey Participating Communities Map. Find the green pin for Woodbridge, Summit and/or Cape May. Click on the town’s green pin to see a full certified report listing of the sustainability actions each town completed.

Sewell Point in Cape May

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Sustainable Jersey staff and partners are regular contributors to the Dodge blog.

By Ann Marie Miller
Executive Director
Art Pride

This week the New Jersey League of Municipalities will host its 96th Annual Conference in Atlantic City from November 15 – 18. This year’s theme is Creating a Community with a Common Vision.

The Art Pride NJ Foundation is proud to partner with the NJ State Council on the Arts, Arts Plan NJ, the Arts Build Communities program of Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning, and Sustainable Jersey to present a panel discussion on “Partnering for Sustainable and Creative Communities.”

Mayor Ed Mahaney of Cape May is the presiding mayor for this discussion that will explore opportunities for municipalities to partner with neighboring towns, higher levels of government, and other community organizations to successfully accomplish sustainability projects. Panelists will share success stories that demonstrate how sustainability and creativity are natural partners.

Panelists include Suzette Dewey, Coordinator for Earthwise Associates, Barbara Fiedler, Assistant Deputy Director of Community Services for the Township of Galloway, Mary Reece, Director of Media and Innovative Programs for the Foundation for Educational Administration (who also serves on the board of trustees for Young Audiences for Learning NJ, and the Steering Committees for the NJ Arts Education Partnership and Creative NJ), and Larry McCullough, the Grants Officer for Woodbridge Township. They will share personal experiences and describe how seniors and youth worked together to build a community garden, how four towns partnered to host a regional green fair, and how one municipality focused on sustainability by developing its creative community assets. Panelists will also focus on how a strong arts education program can not only gain points toward Sustainable Jersey certification, but improve graduation rates and property values.

Mayors and municipal leaders in attendance will receive a resource guide that offers practical ways to incorporate arts education and cultural development into municipal sustainability efforts along with data on resulting benefits. A wide variety of resources that are listed in the resource guide are available through the Arts Build Communities program that offers local government leaders assistance through research and continuing education opportunities.

This is the seventh year that the Art Pride New Jersey Foundation partnered with the NJ State Council on the Arts to present a panel discussion at the NJ League of Municipalities Conference. Previous panels focused on cultural tourism, destination marketing, arts education and cultural planning. Our partnerships in this effort keep expanding and we are happy to widen the net!

Ann Marie Miller is the Executive Director of Art Pride, the premier arts advocacy organization in New Jersey, and a regular contributor to the Dodge blog.

By Donna Drewes and Randall Solomon
Sustainable Jersey

Nearly 90 applications were submitted for the 31 available Sustainable Jersey Small Grants this year. Needless to say, it was not an easy job to pick the winners from the stacks of innovative proposals submitted by towns across New Jersey– so we’re glad we didn’t have to do it.

The winners were picked by an independent selection committee composed of nine, uncompensated experts and public figures from the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, the Atlantic County Utilities Authority, the Citizens’ Campaign, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Future, Rutgers University and PSE&G. Sustainable Jersey is a partnership that has evolved and been built on the contributions and talents of many. The grant review committee is another example of this open collaboration that has contributed to the overall success of Sustainable Jersey.

At a time when funding for innovative ideas is constrained, Sustainable Jersey grants enable some of the best projects from throughout New Jersey to serve as models for other towns across the country. We got great feedback from the selection committee:

Julie Lange Groth, the Sustainable Communities Project Director for the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions told us that, “even though it’s an extremely challenging time for municipalities, there is obviously no shortage of optimism, enthusiasm and a can-do attitude among New Jersey communities for becoming more sustainable. The great diversity and creativity reflected in the grant applications is a very hopeful sign for the future of our state.”

Peter Kasabach, the Executive Director of New Jersey Future said that “as the state’s smart growth policy organization, we are always looking for new ways to link regional and state-level land-use goals with local actions. Sustainable Jersey is a great bridge. While reviewing the funding applications, it was uplifting to see towns proposing form-based codes, Complete Streets and climate action plans – all activities that focus on improving the economy, the environment and community quality of life today and for future generations.”

“The Sustainable Jersey Small Grants give New Jersey’s municipalities the opportunity to take important first steps toward sustainability. These grants help communities take actions that are often innovative and inspiring, such as the installation of small wind systems and electric charging stations for vehicles. Reviewing grant proposals is one of many roles the DEP plays in encouraging the success of this important program,” said Michele N. Siekerka, Esq., Assistant Commissioner, Economic Growth and Green Energy, for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Walmart Stores Inc. and the New Jersey League of Municipalities’ Education Foundation established the Sustainable Jersey™ Small Grants Program in 2009. This is the third year that Walmart has funded the grants program, bringing their total contribution over three years to $545,000.

The 2011 Sustainable Jersey Small Grant winners will be announced at the New Jersey League of Municipalities annual conference on Tuesday, November 15, right before the third annual Sustainable Jersey awards luncheon. Join us for this big event, visit the Sustainable Jersey events page.

For more about Sustainable Jersey: Website | Facebook

Images courtesy Sustainable Jersey

Sustainable Jersey staff and partners are regular contributors to the Dodge blog.

By Michelle Knapik
Environment Program Director

Art met industrial history and invited the City of Paterson, aka Silk City, to re-imagine itself, to connect past and present, and to listen to voices and visions of transformation. Last Saturday, the Paterson Arts Council curated…Paterson! The 2011 Arts Walk came to life as volunteers converted vacant mills, green spaces, restaurants and businesses into compelling exhibition spaces.

To lovers of urban architecture, Industry Mill, Congdon Mill and Harmony Mill are in and of themselves art in terms of early twentieth century architectural design, but to most, they stand as abandoned relics of Paterson’s past glory. During the Art Walk, though, floor after floor of mill space was punctuated by visual art, performance art, music and poetry. The event was, in essence, a one day pass to peer into the industrial past, be inspired by more than 200 artists, and think about the potential of the mills to permanently support the creative, industrious and immigrant spirit of the city.

The vaulting ceilings, the sometimes painted, sometimes exposed brick, the near full story windows, the interior columns – these stunning, sometimes eerie features provided the blank slate for the exhibitions. Clearly, the art work graced the buildings, but at times the architectural elements graced the paintings, photographs and installations.

I spent most of my time in Industry Mill – an expansive and impressive five story edifice that alone showcased 45 artists. Climbing the stairs, I passed old work safety posters, which ushered in thoughts of productivity and manufacturing madness.

But one foot in the converted space and the thoughts turned to the arts as a force for social change. One installation featured images of abandoned spaces, another focused on mixed wood and paint for a grounded whimsical effect.

A board member of the Paterson Arts Council, Giovawna Cecchetti, talked about her 1995 “shadow series” that brought her face to face with emotional wounds that had kept her from facing her future. Her newer series on healing themes defines her now, but the shadow series spoke to the space and the notion of confronting the past and present in order to permanently convert these buildings into new uses.

The artists and Arts Council members have no shortage of what they’d like to see happen in these spaces. Artists studios, teaching and training space, artist housing, exhibition space. They want arts to anchor and stimulate the rebirth of these old buildings, as well as to serve as an economic engine for the city.

A similar event is about to take place this weekend in Trenton. Art All Night 2011 will transform the Roebling Wire Works factory and its environs into a 24 hour gallery and exhibition experience (from 3 pm on Saturday, June 18, to 3 pm on Sunday, June 19). The event features more than 800 diverse artists and various art mediums. Art re-awakens the historic factory space and signals that Trenton’s creative class is ready to fuel broader scale redevelopment.

These initiatives are becoming signature events in New Jersey’s older industrial centers. They attract and provide benefits for local and global artists. They build community and bring a sense of celebration to these urban spaces. They may be temporary exhibitions, but they result in lasting impacts and social change.

How are arts affecting redevelopment in the places you know and love?

Link here for a video and report on the Arts Walk.

Link here to connect with Sustainable Jersey to see how your town can earn points toward certification by incorporating Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation efforts.

Link here to explore Creative New Jersey’s first series of answers to the question of how creativity and innovation can revitalize New Jersey.

Last spring, the city of Montreal invited its citizens to explore the possibilities of the city’s public spaces and share their ideas for the future of a particular lot in the Quartier des Spectacles district through this extraordinarily clever and creative public art installation called “The Museum of Possibilities.”

Visitors were encouraged to share their ideas by writing them down on pieces of paper and attaching them to the balloons. They could also vote with stickers on their favorite ideas posted by others.

This could have been a simple, pretty public art installation on an unused lot, but the creators of the installation took it far beyond that and used it as a civic engagement opportunity to think and talk about the often-neglected and underutilized spaces in our cities and towns. We love it.

As Maria Popover of the excellent Brain Pickings (where we spotted the Museum of Possibilites) noted, this project reminds us of Give a Minute.

Where should there be a Museum of Possibilities in New Jersey, and what would it look like? We want to hear your votes.

via Brain Pickings & Local Projects