During the May 12, 2009 Cranford Township Committee meeting, resolution 2009-172 supporting participation in the Sustainable Jersey™ municipal certification program was adopted by the Township Committee and Cranford's Green Team was born. Nelson Dittmar and Mary Reilly played key roles in leading the Green Team volunteers who worked on a variety of projects that help qualify Cranford for certification. 26 Green Team members completed 17 projects resulting in accumulating 195 points, exceeding the required minimum of 150 points.
Sustainable Jersey™ is a certification and incentive program for municipalities in
Mary Reilly, the Green Team's first team leader, has completed her term and new leadership is needed. If you are interested in learning how you can help, please contact us by completing our sign up form.
Green Team Projects
The Cranford Green Team has partnered with the Cranford Chamber of Commerce to develop the Green Business Certification program. The objective of this program is to recognize and promote local businesses that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability by establishing responsible environmental practices. "Going Green" not only helps save money but also helps you attract todays eco-savvy consumer. Cranford is now one of only three Green Business Teams state-wide!
Joining the recognition program is free. If you would like to be promoted as a Green Business, please contact the Cranford Chamber of Commerce at 908-272-5522 or Debra Walker at 908-721-2624. You can find the application here.
Anti-Idling Education
Many of us do it, but are unaware of our actions or their impacts. A car is idling when the engine is turned on but the vehicle is not in motion. This is not only unnecessary, but also harmful to the environment and our health. In 2010, 45 No Idling signs were placed around schools and other public parking areas.
The purpose of the School Programs and Partnerships toolkit is to link schools with municipal sustainability initiatives by building partnerships between local government, communities, and schools. These partnerships will provide more formal educational opportunities to advance education for sustainability. This toolkit will focus on curricula and/or programs that could educate students, both in the traditional classroom setting and through programs linked to schools, such as after-school clubs, scouts, etc. Collaborative relationships are important in creating educational models that foster sustainability by promoting sustainability literacy and building awareness, understanding, and action. Municipal governments need to engage schools as resources for the community in educating for sustainability.
Click here to learn more.
Sustainable Land Use Pledge
Smart growth is a difficult and long term proposition. As a significant, but beginning step, this Sustainable Land Use Pledge is designed to be a public affirmation of a municipality’s intention to align its land-use decision-making and policies to support smart growth and sustainable development. This tool is a model resolution to be adopted by a municipality. “Smart Growth” is one component of building community sustainability. The adoption of the model resolution is seen as the starting point for a municipality to begin to re-evaluate current land use practices and planning policies. The end result will be a community where land use decisions balance economic, environmental, and social needs, and the highest possible quality of life is provided for all its residents without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Click here to learn more.
On Tuesday, December 15, 2009, the Township Committee took a major step towards sustainability by adopting the Sustainable Land Use Plede.
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