Gloucester City Earns Prestigious Sustainable Jersey Certification
Gloucester City, NJ – Sustainable Jersey representatives announced today that Gloucester City has met the rigorous requirements to achieve Sustainable Jersey certification. Gloucester City is one of 83 towns that have attained certification in 2019 and was honored at the Sustainable Jersey awards luncheon on Tuesday, November 19 in Atlantic City with Mayor Daniel T. Spencer, Jr., Lori Ryan, Director of Community Development, and Ashley Hagan, Aide to the Mayor, accepting the award. Pictured also are Anne-Marie Peracchio, Chairperson, Sustainable Jersey Board of Trustees, and Randall Solomon, Executive Director, Sustainable Jersey.
“We are very proud of our Green Team for achieving Bronze Level certification. This project was a few years in the making, but this past year has been spearheaded by Lori Ryan, Director of Community of Development. Certification actions required contributions from many people in the community including members of our Green Team, Joyce Calzonetti, with our Tree Committee, and city employees. Certification will open the door for Sustainable Jersey grants and additional funding sources so that we can continue to enjoy our natural resources for our children and their children,” stated Mayor Spencer. #GloucesterGreat
To become Sustainable Jersey certified, Gloucester City submitted documentation to show it had completed a balance of the required sustainability actions, meeting a minimum of 150 action points. In addition to reaching 150 points, each certified community had to create a green team and select at least 2 out of 12 priority action options. Gloucester City did 2 of the 12 priority actions by completing a prescription drug safety and disposal outlet and a sustainable land use pledge.
“Congratulations to all of the municipalities that have achieved certification this year,” said Randy Solomon, executive director of Sustainable Jersey. “Earning certification involves more than just implementing sustainable actions. It takes extraordinary leadership and a real commitment to making our communities better. As New Jersey tops the list as one of the fastest-warming states in the nation, the next ten years will be a critical period for making progress. Sustainable Jersey certified towns are a force for change as they create a path forward to advance sustainability.” Certified towns excelled in areas such as improving energy efficiency, health and wellness, reducing waste, sustaining local economies, protecting natural resources and advancing the arts.
About Sustainable Jersey
Sustainable Jersey provides tools, training and financial incentives to support communities as they pursue sustainability programs. Currently, 80 percent or 450 of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities are participating in the municipal certification program and 339 school districts and 884 schools are participating in the Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification program.
Sustainable Jersey’s partners include the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, Sustainability Institute at The College of New Jersey, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Clean Energy Program. Program underwriters include the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Clean Energy Program, the PSEG Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Sustainable Jersey Grants program for municipalities is funded by PSEG Foundation and the Gardinier Environmental Fund. Platinum and 10th Anniversary sponsors are South Jersey Gas, New Jersey Natural Gas and PSEG. The Gold Sponsor is Elizabethtown Gas (10th Anniversary Sponsor). Silver Sponsors are NJM Insurance Group (10th Anniversary Sponsor), Bayshore Recycling (10th Anniversary Sponsor), Northfield Bank (10th Anniversary Sponsor), New Jersey American Water (10th Anniversary Sponsor), Jersey Central Power & Light (10th Anniversary Sponsor), Atlantic Health System (10th Anniversary Sponsor) and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. The Bronze Sponsors are Covanta, Greener by Design, Ørsted, Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt & Cappelli LLC, First Environment, Roux Associates, Republic Services, The ECG Group and Bryan Electric.