Today Sustainable Jersey announced that 283 towns or fifty percent of the 566 municipalities in New Jersey have registered and are now working on attaining the municipal certification for sustainability. With the submittal of a town resolution and registration, the City of Paterson in Passaic County has the unique designation of being the 283rd town to register, pushing participation in Sustainable Jersey to the half-way point.

"Today we reached a true milestone. New Jersey is showing other states how to effectively implement sustainability programs from the local level. Half of our state’s municipalities are actively working on measurable programs and actions to become more sustainable," said Fred Profeta, Chair of the New Jersey League of Municipalities’ Mayors’ Committee for a Green Future, one of the Sustainable Jersey program partners. "I am truly inspired by the leadership of New Jersey’s mayors and the dedication of the communities that are contributing to making New Jersey a national leader in sustainable change through the Sustainable Jersey program."

In order to register with Sustainable Jersey, a municipality must pass a resolution that states its intent to pursue the certification and designate an entity to take charge of the process. After registering, a town must achieve a set amount of points depending on the certification level. Every community must also create a Green Team and select at least two (for bronze level) or three (for silver level) of the six priority actions: 1) energy audits for municipal buildings, 2) a municipal carbon footprint, 3) a sustainable land use pledge, 4) a natural resource inventory, 5) a water conservation ordinance, and/or 6) a fleet inventory. Applications are carefully reviewed and towns must provide documentary evidence to prove they have taken the actions necessary to score points toward certification.

"To achieve fifty percent participation, in just 18 months (the program began in February 2009) in as diverse and politically dynamic a state as New Jersey is quite a feat in itself," said program partner Donna Drewes of the Municipal Land Use Center at The College of New Jersey. "We are taking a moment to celebrate, but know this is just the first step toward meeting our long-term goal for a more prosperous, equitable and sustainable state."

Although going green may be the motivation for some communities participating in the program, many more towns are looking to save money or take steps to preserve their quality of life over the long term. Sustainable Jersey towns and cities implement practices that lead to cost savings in energy, water and garbage bills. The program helps communities improve efficiency, cut waste and stimulate their local economies. Registered towns get special priority access and notification of incentives and grants, and are eligible for the Sustainable Jersey Small Grants Program which funds $220,000 worth of sustainable projects annually across New Jersey. The winners of the 2010 Small Grants Program are scheduled to be announced in August.

"Sustainable Jersey provides local governments with a clear mission and a menu of sustainable actions to achieve. Before, municipalities were approaching sustainability efforts haphazardly," said program partner Randall Solomon of the Municipal Land Use Center at The College of New Jersey. "The program provides an easy-to-follow checklist of actions with corresponding tools, plus guidance for how to get the actions done. The actions and resources in the program are the result of an unprecedented level of cooperation among municipalities, environmental organizations, academics, private companies and state government."

In 2009, 34 towns met the rigorous requirements and achieved the Sustainable Jersey certification. Sustainable Jersey program partners look forward to receiving the 2010 applications that are due on or before September 15, 2010. Municipalities that complete the certification requirements will be recognized at the Sustainable Jersey annual awards luncheon held at the New Jersey State League of Municipalities Conference in Atlantic City in November of 2010.