Sustainable Jersey

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 technical support, and a suite of financial incentives provided by both public and private sources. By the end of cy2023, 466 new Jersey municipalities (83% of the state) were registered to participate in the program and were working to implement sustainability measures with 206 certified. 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. Municipalities can currently earn gold stars in energy, water and health. Collectively, certified communities have documented over 16,710 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. 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 with the certification program supporting educators by identifying authentic learning opportunities for students and staff. As of the end of cy2023, over 64% of new Jersey public school district are participating in Sustainable Jersey for schools, 337 schools were certified, and 47 schools have received digital schools star recognition. Collectively, these schools have successfully documented over 8,859 actions from our list of best practices.

Other programs: Sustainable Jersey also collaborates with state agencies, non-profits, foundations, and corporations to support their sustainability initiatives by providing resources and technical support to municipalities and schools. In fy'23 worked to develop guidance for municipalities on how to incorporate climate resilience, environmental justice, and environmental sustainability into their master plans; provide technical assistance to municipalities on complete streets implementation and to municipalities and schools on energy management; and provide resources and incentives to support the implementation of the first in the nation climate change student learning standards across grade level and content areas

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, 7.6 million in grants have been awarded to program participants to pursue local initiatives. Recognizing the depth and breathe of Sustainable Jersey's relationships with new Jersey municipalities and school districts, the grants are funded by corporations and foundations. Sustainable Jersey staff manage all aspects of the grants administration process from the initial solicitation to approval of a recipient's final technical and financial report. Over 60% of Sustainable Jersey participating municipalities and school districts have received at least one Sustainable Jersey grant ranging in size from $2,000 to $35,000.