Politics & Government

'Green Team' a Vital Step Toward Sustainable Jersey Certification

Formation of volunteer group mandatory to achieve distinction

The chairman of the Environmental Commission has gotten the green light to lead the formation of a Green Team in Wyckoff.

The volunteer group would be a township-created body, much like the Shade Tree Commission or Environmental Commission, whose formation is mandated in keeping with Sustainable Jersey requirements.

Commission Chairman Brian Bigler was tasked by the governing body last week with taking the lead on the Green Team, as he's the township's point person on achieving Sustainable Jersey certification. A Green Team could be made up of municipal officials, residents, business leaders, religious community representatives, etc., who would lead discussions, in concert with the Environmental Commission, on sustainable community practices.

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"We as a group should be involved in the creation of a Green Team," said Committeeman Chris DePhillips, but the governing body "would expect some direction from the (environmental) commission on how to approach it."

Bigler, who could not be reached for additional comment, said he would set up a committee to vet potential members. Committeeman Brian Scanlan suggested that residents who unsuccessfully applied for positions late last year on the Environmental Commission be given a look, as their interest in such volunteerism is already stated. 

Find out what's happening in Wyckoffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Sustainable Jersey program, a private/public partnership of government and business interests, asks interested municipalities to take actions toward sustainability. Points are accumulated for adopting certain measures, with 10 points assigned to the formation of a Green Team. A municipality must reach 150 points to achieve "bronze" certification, with 350 points needed for "silver" certification. Once the program requirements are complete, municipalities can compete for grants for a wide range of environmental projects.

Municipalities have much leeway in deciding which measures to pursue, ranging from food production, green jobs, transportation, waste management and much more. However, in addition to the Green Team, municipalities must complete at least two of six "priority" items for certification: an energy audit (already completed), completion of a municipal carbon footprint assessment, a sustainable land use pledge, a natural resource inventory, the creation of a "green fleet" (focused on township-owned vehicles) and the adoption of a water conservation ordinance.

The latter proposal also has been referred to the Township Committee by Bigler, who recently attended a workshop in Maplewood where Department of Environmental Protection officials discussed a draft ordinance that would limit outdoor irrigation. For more, see this article.

The prospect of pursuing Sustainable Jersey certification was first proposed late last year but stalled until a recent push by the governing body to join the 50 percent of New Jersey towns pursuing certification. Some municipal officials had been concerned with the amount of work needed to complete Wyckoff's registration, but have since entrusted Bigler with leading the way on behalf of the township.


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