SUSTAINABLE JERSEY
PO BOX 7718, EWING, NJ 086280718 www.sustainablejersey.com

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Organizations Filed Purposes: SUSTAINABLE JERSEY'S MISSION IS TO EMPOWER NEW JERSEY COMMUNITIES TO BUILD A BETTER WORLD FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS WITH THE TOOLS, TRAINING, AND FINANCIAL INCENTIVES NECESSARY TO PURSUE CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC INITIATIVES. THE ORGANIZATION SUPPORTS A NETWORK AND MOVEMENT OF MUNICIPALITIES AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS WORKING COLLECTIVELY TO BRING ABOUT A SUSTAINABLE NEW JERSEY. ACTING WITH STATE AGENCIES, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, FOUNDATIONS, ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY, SUSTAINABLE JERSEY RESEARCHES BEST PRACTICES FOR WHAT COMMUNITIES COULD AND SHOULD DO AND CREATES DETAILED GUIDANCE CALLED "ACTIONS" THAT MUNICIPAL AND SCHOOL GREEN TEAMS WORK TOWARD COMPLETING. THEIR EFFORTS RESULT IN A PRESTIGIOUS MUNICIPAL OR SCHOOL CERTIFICATION AWARD WHEN THEY HAVE DOCUMENTED THE SPECIFIC ACTIONS THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUSTAINABLE JERSEY PROGRAM STANDARDS.

SUSTAINABLE JERSEY'S MISSION IS TO MAKE "A BETTER TOMORROW, ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME." THIS IS DONE THROUGH A BOTTOM-UP-MEETS-TOP-DOWN COLLABORATIVE PROCESS THAT SETS STANDARDS, DEVELOPS GUIDANCE AND ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, AND COORDINATES RESOURCES. THE PROGRAM MODEL PROMOTES DIRECT COLLABORATION BETWEEN CITIZENS AND THEIR MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS AND LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS ALONG WITH THE BROADER ARRAY OF RESOURCE ORGANIZATIONS IN THE STATE AND COUNTRY IN ORDER TO TAKE A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO HELPING MUNICIPALITIES AND SCHOOLS ADDRESS SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES. STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES, NON-PROFITS, FOUNDATIONS, AND LOCAL LEADERS USE THE SUSTAINABLE JERSEY FRAMEWORK TO COORDINATE RESOURCES AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT THAT ENABLES AND MOTIVATES LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND SCHOOLS TO MAKE PROGRESS.

MUNICIPAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM: SUSTAINABLE JERSEY BEGAN IN 2009 AS A FREE MUNICIPAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THAT IDENTIFIES SPECIFIC ACTIONS COMMUNITIES CAN TAKE TO GO GREEN, SAVE MONEY, AND SUSTAIN THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE OVER THE LONG TERM. MUNICIPALITIES CAN IMPLEMENT THE ACTIONS AND DOCUMENT THEIR PROGRESS TO RECEIVE POINTS TOWARD CERTIFICATION. THE STANDARDS ARE ACCOMPANIED BY A ROBUST PROGRAM OF TRAINING AND SUPPORT, AND A SUITE OF FINANCIAL INCENTIVES PROVIDED BY BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SOURCES. BY THE END OF CY2020, 460 NEW JERSEY MUNICIPALITIES (81% OF THE STATE) WERE REGISTERED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM AND WERE WORKING TO IMPLEMENT SUSTAINABILITY MEASURES WITH 225 CERTIFIED. COLLECTIVELY, CERTIFIED COMMUNITIES HAVE DOCUMENTED NEARLY 13,000 ACTIONS ADDRESSING THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES SUCH AS CLIMATE CHANGE, UNSUSTAINABLE LAND USE, DECLINING LOCAL ECONOMIES, EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS, NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION, DIVERSITY AND EQUITY, POPULATION HEALTH, AND MANY OTHERS. IN ADDITION, THESE COMMUNITIES HAVE FORMED HUNDREDS OF GREEN TEAMS OR SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSIONS THAT ARE FORMAL BODIES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHARGED WITH IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE JERSEY ACTIONS. SUSTAINABLE JERSEY ACTIONS ARE RESEARCHED AND DEVELOPED BY ISSUE-BASED TASK FORCES COMPRISED OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM ACADEMIA, THE NON-PROFIT SECTOR, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, AND FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. SUSTAINABLE JERSEY LEADS THESE GROUPS AS THEY RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATE BEST PRACTICES, TRANSLATE GLOBAL AND STATE IMPERATIVES INTO LOCAL ACTIONS, TEST SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING MODELS AND DEVELOP COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR THE PROGRAM. IN 2018, SUSTAINABLE JERSEY EXPANDED THE PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE CERTIFIED TOWNS TO ACHIEVE HIGHER LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE IN KEY DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY. GOLD STARS ARE AWARDED ONE DIMENSION OF SUSTAINABILITY AT A TIME. THE INITIAL SUSTAINABLE JERSEY GOLD STAR STANDARDS FOCUSED ON ENERGY AND WASTE. GOLD STAR STANDARDS IN WATER AND HEALTH ARE UNDER DEVELOPMENT AND WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN 2021.SCHOOL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM: IN 2014, SUSTAINABLE JERSEY AND LEADING NEW JERSEY SCHOOL-FOCUSED ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE NEW JERSEY SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION AND THE NEW JERSEY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION LAUNCHED SUSTAINABLE JERSEY FOR SCHOOLS. MODELED OFF THE SUSTAINABLE JERSEY MUNICIPAL PROGRAM, SUSTAINABLE JERSEY FOR SCHOOLS IS A FREE, VOLUNTARY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR NEW JERSEY PRE-KINDERGARTEN THROUGH TWELFTH-GRADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES GUIDANCE, SUPPORT, AND RECOGNITION TO SCHOOLS THAT IMPLEMENT STEPS TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE IN THEIR OPERATIONS AND PROACTIVE IN PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE CHALLENGES THEY WILL FACE IN THE FUTURE. ISSUES SUCH AS WATER SCARCITY, CLIMATE CHANGE, RACISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION REQUIRE BROAD-BASED SUSTAINABILITY LITERACY TO ENSURE THAT YOUNG PEOPLE ARE EQUIPPED TO RECOGNIZE AND RESPOND TO CRITICAL ISSUES NOW AND IN THEIR CHOSEN CAREERS. SUSTAINABLE JERSEY PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS SERVE AS LEARNING LABS FOR THESE ISSUES AND THE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM SUPPORTS EDUCATORS BY IDENTIFYING AUTHENTIC LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF. IN 2020, SUSTAINABLE JERSEY FOR SCHOOLS BEGAN WORK ON NEW PROGRAM CONTENT FOCUSED ON SUPPORTING SCHOOLS IN MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF DIGITAL LEARNING. THIS DIGITAL SCHOOLS INITIATIVE WAS FORMED AS A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE NEW JERSEY SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION AND ENDORSED BY NEW JERSEY LEADERSHIP FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. THE PRIMARY GOAL IS TO SUPPORT SCHOOLS IN THEIR DIGITAL LEARNING WORK, ESPECIALLY REGARDING REMOTE LEARNING DURING PANDEMIC-FORCED HOME-BASED LEARNING. THE FIRST PRODUCT OF THIS EFFORT WAS A REMOTE DIGITAL LEARNING ROADMAP, PROVIDING GUIDANCE AND EXAMPLES OF MODEL PRACTICES AND APPROACHES THAT HAVE PROVEN SUCCESSFUL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IN DECEMBER 2020, TWELVE DIGITAL SCHOOLS ACTIONS WERE ADDED TO THE SUSTAINABLE JERSEY FOR SCHOOLS CERTIFICATION PROGRAM ACROSS THREE NEW ACTION CATEGORIES, AND THE EXISTING STUDENT LEARNING AND SCHOOL CULTURE AND CLIMATE ACTIONS WERE UPDATED TO ADDRESS REMOTE AND HYBRID DIGITAL LEARNING. IN ADDITION, A DIGITAL SCHOOLS STAR RECOGNITION PROGRAM WAS CREATED FOR SCHOOLS THAT EXCEL IN THIS AREA.AS OF THE END OF CY2020, OVER 60% ON NEW JERSEY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT ARE PARTICIPATING IN SUSTAINABLE JERSEY FOR SCHOOLS AND 323 SCHOOLS ARE CURRENTLY CERTIFIED. COLLECTIVELY, THESE SCHOOLS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY DOCUMENTED OVER 6,000 ACTIONS FROM OUR LIST OF BEST PRACTICES.

SUSTAINABLE JERSEY GRANTS PROGRAM: SUSTAINABLE JERSEY IS COMMITTED TO IDENTIFYING RESOURCES TO HELP MUNICIPALITIES AND SCHOOLS SUCCESSFULLY ADDRESS LOCAL SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES. A CORNERSTONE OF THIS EFFORT IS THE GRANTS PROGRAM. SINCE 2009, 5.9 MILLION IN GRANTS HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS TO PURSUE LOCAL INITIATIVES. RECOGNIZING DEPTH AND BREATHE OF SUSTAINABLE JERSEY'S RELATIONSHIPS WITH NEW JERSEY MUNICIPALITIES AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THE GRANTS ARE FUNDED BY CORPORATIONS, FOUNDATIONS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. IN 2020 FIVE DISTINCT GRANT CYCLES WERE COMPLETED. SUSTAINABLE JERSEY STAFF SYSTEMATICALLY MANAGE THE GRANTS ADMINISTRATION PROCESS THROUGH THE INITIAL SOLICITATION, AN INDEPENDENT SELECTION COMMITTEE PROCESS, AND APPROVAL OF A RECIPIENT'S FINAL TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL REPORT. NEARLY 60% OF SUSTAINABLE JERSEY PARTICIPATING MUNICIPALITIES AND 40% OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS HAVE RECEIVED AT LEAST ONE SUSTAINABLE JERSEY GRANT RANGING IN SIZE FROM $2,000 TO $35,000.

OTHER PROGRAMS: THE ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION AND THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PROVIDED FUNDING TO SUSTAINABLE JERSEY TO DEVELOP A MUNICIPAL GOLD STAR STANDARD IN HEALTH THAT WILL BE UNVEILED IN 2021. THE STANDARD IS BASED ON A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE AUTHORITY AND LEVERS OF INFLUENCE AVAILABLE TO MUNICIPALITIES TO IMPLEMENT SPECIFIC EVIDENCE-BASED ACTIONS THAT ARE PREDICTED TO IMPROVE THE UPSTREAM DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND HEALTH EQUITY. THIS EFFORT WILL LAY DOWN PROCEDURAL AND INSTITUTIONAL PATHWAYS FOR BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE OF HEALTH AND FOSTERING TRANSFORMATIVE LOCAL ACTION. SUSTAINABLE JERSEY ALSO RECEIVED GRANTS TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO SELECTED MUNICIPALITIES ON ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND COMPLETE STREETS IMPLEMENTATION.

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