The conference currently taking place in Copenhagen, attended by 192 nations, is the most important climate conference in world history. Unfortunately, the U.S. position is very weak – only calling for 4% reduction of C02 and other greenhouse gases below 1990 levels, when what is called for is at least 25% – 40%.

If you want to keep up with this 2 week conference, a good website is www.democracynow.org which usually broadcasts from New York, but will be reporting from Copenhagen during the entire conference. You can listen Mon – Fri from 8 – 9 a.m. at 99.5 FM or watch it on line at any time.

In addition, Ted Glick is participating in a climate justice fast with others around the world. You can find out more about this by going to www.climatejusticefast.com where you can read his blog and the blog of others who are making this sacrifice to call attention to the urgency of the crisis that our planet faces.

We’ll celebrate Bloomfield’s Sustainable Jersey certification, a great accomplishment due to the volunteer work of our Greener Bloomfield members, friends on the Recycling Committee and other local organizations, and our elected officials and department heads! We’ll celebrate Bloomfield’s first hybrid police and fire vehicles! We’ll celebrate the holidays with a discussion on greening the holidays with Erin Ihde! And we’ll have some festive refreshments as we enjoy getting together one last time in a fulfilling 2009!

Erin Ihde, a Research/Project Manager for The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology, has written about getting to a greener holiday in the latest Bloomfield Buzz. She asks that we come to the discussion with some ideas to share to make the holidays greener.

The 2009 Sustainable Jersey award winners are as follows:

• Sustainability Champion–Large Municipality Category: Woodbridge
• Sustainability Champion–Medium Municipality Category: Ocean City and Summit (tied)
• Sustainability Champion–Small Municipality Category: Woodbine
• Sustainable Jersey Leadership Award: Maplewood
• Sustainable Jersey Innovation Award: Cherry Hill
• Sustainable Jersey Collaboration Award: Chatham Township and Chatham Borough

The 2009 Sustainable Jersey Certified Communities are as follows*:

1. Asbury Park City
2. Belmar
3. Berkeley Heights
4. Bernards
5. Bloomfield
6. Chatham Township
7. East Brunswick
8. Edison
9. Galloway
10. Hillsborough
11. Lawrence
12. Livingston
13. Manalapan
14. Manchester
15. Maplewood
16. Montclair
17. Montgomery
18. Morristown
19. Mt. Olive
20. Ocean City
21. Oceanport
22. Parsippany-Troy Hills
23. River Edge
24. Rutherford
25. South Orange Village
26. Summit City
27. Woodbine
28. Woodbridge
29. Cherry Hill
30. North Brunswick

*Note: Up to six additional communities may be added to the list pending final review of documentation on Nov. 13.

About the Sustainable Jersey Awards

• INNOVATION AWARD: This award recognizes one municipality that contributes most to Sustainable Jersey by pioneering or testing a significant innovation. The award recognizes creativity, originality, and forward-thinking that can lead to new best practices and strategies by which we pursue sustainability.
• COLLABORATION AWARD: This award recognizes two or more municipalities that worked in partnership to implement a program or project. This award recognizes that many sustainability issues must be addressed on a regional scale or require the pooled resources of more than one partner.
• 2009 SUSTAINABLE JERSEY CERTIFICATION: The Sustainable Jersey certified municipalities submitted documentation that showed that they achieved the balance of the required certification actions, meeting the minimum of 100 action points. In addition to reaching 100 points, each community had to create a Green Team and select at least 2 out of 4 priority action options: Energy Audits for Municipal Facilities, Municipal Carbon Footprint, Sustainable Land Use Pledge, and Water Conservation Ordinance.

See the full press release.

“This certification is the result of the collaboration of many volunteers and community organizations with the Township Council and Administration,” said Palomaki. “It shows that great things can be accomplished when we all work together toward common goals. Through this process, we are protecting our environment, providing lasting value to the people who live and work in Bloomfield, and helping people find ways to save money with energy efficiency and conservation.”

“I’m honored to accept this prestigious environmental designation on behalf of the township,” said Mayor McCarthy. “This certification recognizes that Bloomfield is a community on the move, and truly one of the best places to live, work and play in New Jersey.”

The township was notified in a letter by Sustainable Jersey on November 6 of their newest credential. According to the letter, “Municipalities that earn the certification are considered by their peers, by state government, and by the experts and civic organizations in New Jersey, to be among the leading municipalities in the state.”

Bloomfield is one of 28 towns out of the 240 registered municipalities that have attained certification in the first year of the program. Bloomfield will be honored at the Sustainable Jersey awards luncheon on Tuesday, November 17 at the Sheraton Hotel in Atlantic City with Greener Bloomfield Coordinator John Palomaki accepting the award on behalf of Mayor Raymond J. McCarthy and the Township.

“This certificate is the equivalent of the People’s Choice Award for a municipality,” said McCarthy.

“From passing an anti-idling ordinance to purchasing hybrid vehicles to installing energy efficient lighting in our public buildings, we are leading the charge to make our community more sustainable.”

To become Sustainable Jersey certified, Bloomfield submitted documentation to show it had completed a balance of the required sustainability actions, meeting a minimum of 100 action points. In addition to reaching 100 points, each community had to create a Green Team and select at least 2 out of 4 priority action options. Bloomfield did 2 of the 4 priority actions by completing a Sustainable Land Use Pledge and a Water Conservation Ordinance.

Bloomfield’s Township Council passed a resolution in March 2009 designating Palomaki and Greener Bloomfield to coordinate the township’s Sustainable Jersey application. The core team included leadership assistance from Greener Bloomfield members Pat Gilleran, who coordinates Essex Freecycle, Christine Bruncati, a Sr. Research Architect at NJIT, and 2nd Ward Councilman Nicholas Joanow. The Green Team included members of the Township Council, Administration, Recycling Committee, Open Space Committee, Board of Education, Bloomfield College, and Bloomfield Tech; local organizations including the Brookdale Park Conservancy, Essex Freecycle, and Bloomfield Neighborhood Association; and local businesses, students, and members of the Greener Bloomfield organization.

Bloomfield submitted documentation for the following actions:

• Green Team*
• Sustainable Land Use Pledge*
• Water Conservation Ordinance*
• Community Education and Outreach: articles in the Bloomfield Buzz and local papers
• Community Education and Outreach: GreenerBloomfield.org website
• Green Fairs
• Green Design Commercial and Residential Buildings: Bloomfield Center Redevelopment Plan
• Anti-Idling Education and Enforcement Programs
• Natural Resource (Tree) Protection Ordinance
• Recycling Depot
• Electronics and Clothing Recycling
• Waste Reduction: Grass Cut It and Leave It program
• Waste Reduction: Backyard Composting program
• Paperless Council Innovative Demonstration Project

*Priority actions

About Sustainable Jersey

Sustainable Jersey is a certification program for municipalities in New Jersey that want to go green, control costs and save money, and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term. The innovative new program is an initiative of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities’ Mayors Committee for a Green Future, the Municipal Land Use Center at the College of New Jersey, the New Jersey Sustainable State Institute at Rutgers University, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Rutgers Center for Green Building, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, and a coalition of New Jersey non-profits, state agencies, and experts in the field. To learn more about the Sustainable Jersey certification visit www.sustainablejersey.com. Program sponsors include the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, PSEG, Church and Dwight, New Jersey Natural Gas, Covanta Energy, Nautilus Solar, the Smart Energy Group and Xerox.

“We are pleased to announce that your municipality has achieved the 2009 Sustainable Jersey certification. The certification is good for three years. Your town is part of an elite group of municipalities that have achieved the prestigious Sustainable Jersey certification in the first year of the program. Municipalities that earn the certification are considered by their peers, by state government, and by the experts and civic organizations in New Jersey, to be among the leading municipalities in the state.”

Greener Bloomfield coordinated the certification effort, which involved the teamwork of many Greener Bloomfield and Recycling Committee volunteers, the Mayor and Township Council, and Township Administration. More to come after the official press release is issued Tuesday!

“This application is the culmination of months of work from many members of Greener Bloomfield, the Bloomfield Recycling Committee, the Mayor and Council, and the Administration,” Palomaki said. “It’s been a group effort, and now our town is one of the leaders in New Jersey in sustainability.” Registration in the program provides Bloomfield with some priority in grant applications, and certification could bring additional funds for sustainability projects in the Township.

Bloomfield submitted actions worth 140 points, with only 100 required for certification. Only five towns in Essex County have applied. Bloomfield submitted documentation for the following actions: Green Team, Community Education and Outreach, Green Fair, Green Design for Buildings, Anti-Idling, Sustainable Land Use Pledge, Natural Resource Protection, Water Conservation, Recycling, Waste Reduction, and an Innovative Demonstration Project for its Paperless Council system.

“New Jersey is the first state in the nation to have a sustainability program that links certification with strong state and private financial incentives, and a fully resourced program of technical support and training,” according to the press release. “The Sustainable Jersey program is now the accepted benchmark for evaluating a municipality’s progress.”

The Sustainable Jersey Awards Luncheon is open to the public for $35 per ticket. To attend, see www.njslom.org.

• Planning for 350.org event with Bloomfield College Green Hearts Movement
• Anti-Idling activities
• Recap of Harvest Fest
• Update on Sustainable Jersey status, next steps
• Planning for Fall/Winter activities

As always, you’ll have a chance to meet others who are interested in making Bloomfield greener. Plan to participate actively, and bring your thoughts and ideas. To RSVP, please go to www.meetup.com/GreenerBloomfield.

With the amount of rainfall this regions gets, lawns can thrive with no more than 2 days of watering. Best practices are to water each section of lawn for 30 minutes, allowing water to infiltrate into the soil and encourage deep root growth. Watering for less than that results in short roots that are susceptible not only to drought but also disease. There are exemptions for establishing new lawns and for nurseries. Flowers, shrubs, and vegetable gardens may be watered as often as necessary and cars may be washed, as long as the hoses have automatic shut-off nozzles. The ordinance applies to both residences and businesses, and also urges use water-efficient plumbing fixtures. The water conservation ordinance also earns Bloomfield 10 priority points for Sustainable Jersey certification.

After a warning for a first offense, fines for subsequent offenses range from $25 to $2,000 and/or community service or imprisonment for the most extreme cases.

Bloomfield residents Simone JohnBaptiste (left) and Christine Bruncati discuss their routes before heading out with an allotment of 50 bulbs each for the Project Porchlight giveaway. (Bloomfield Life)

Thirty-five volunteers spread out across Bloomfield on August 15 in sweltering heat, delivering free energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs to 1,650 households as part of a Project Porchlight blitz. That many bulbs will result in $50,000 in energy savings, 544.5 tons CO2 emissions prevented of entering the environment, and 94 cars removed from the road in the form of Green House Gases(GHG)! In addition, 600 individuals signed a pledge to change a standard light bulb to a more energy-efficient one, about half of what’s needed for a Sustainable Jersey challenge (you can still sign our pledge online).

RISING ABOVE THE DIM: Nearly 35 volunteers went door-to-door in town Aug. 15 to distribute free compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, one of many green-based initiatives sponsored by Greener Bloomfield, a local environmental advocacy organization. Above, Greener Bloomfield member Erin Ihde shares a laugh with Clinton Street resident Liz Holleran (along with her son Luke) after receiving a free CFL bulb. (Bloomfield Life)

From Bloomfield Life’s article:

Several township council members made it their mission to spread word of the CFL push. Ever the environmentalist, Councilman Nick Joanow claims practicing sustainability was viewed in a negative light until somewhat recently. Many were labeled as ‘tree huggers’ and ‘river rats,’ he said. ‘Let others know we are in this for the community,’ he told the crowd during a brief orientation at Watchung Presbyterian Church. ‘We’re all in, focused on this issue.’

Mayor Ray McCarthy, also on hand, praised the volunteers’ efforts and what they mean for the community.

• Project Porchlight resolution – declares August 15 Project Porchlight Day, when volunteers will go door-to-door, and encourages residents to save money and electricity by changing a standard light bulb to a more energy efficient one. (More volunteers needed!)
• Anti-Idling resolution – declares September “Anti-Idling Month” to focus attention on the issue, warns of the dangers to health (especially asthma), wasted fuel, greenhouse gas emissions, engine wear, and NJ’s state law and $250 minimum fine for idling more than 3 minutes. It also encourages residents to idle no more than 10 seconds and supports anti-idling education, targeted enforcement of the law, and establishment of “idle-free zones”.
• Sustainable Land Use Pledge resolution – resolves to take a number of steps in land use decisions and include them in the next Master Plan resolution, such as facility siting, housing variety, open space, transportation choices, mixed use, green design, regional cooperation, and sustainable parking regulations.
• Grass “Cut It and Leave It” resolution – encourages residents to leave their short grass clippings on the lawn where it will help mulch and fertilize, rather than bagging it for fuel-hogging, polluting trucks to pick up.
• Anti-Idling Ordinance – copies the NJ state laws restricting vehicle idling to less than 3 minutes and sets penalties of $100-$2,500 (with a few exceptions for emergency vehicles, etc.).
• Water Conservation Ordinance (draft) – encourages protection and conservation of water, limits residents and businesses from watering more than 2 days per week (except for new plantings and other exclusions), and establishes procedures for water/drought emergencies.