The greening of Jersey City
Belmar uses Gem electric cars. Photo by Jennifer Weiss
Many of New Jersey’s towns are pursuing green initiatives — using gas-efficient and gas-free vehicles, switching to CFLs, fueling with grease, building smarter, going solar, encouraging energy audits and even new eating habits, and the wide-ranging list goes on.
One such municipality is Jersey City. Mayor Jerramiah Healy may have found time to release a holiday album this year, but he also is supporting proposals that amount to “the most comprehensive ‘green’ effort in the state,” according to the Jersey Journal. Among the initiatives he reportedly supports: Proposals that would…
– Require the city to purchase hybrid-electric or alternative-fuel vehicles (unless they’re significantly more expensive, in which case it should go fuel-efficient)
– Require city building projects, including renovations priced at $1 million or more, to conform to LEED standards (though there’s apparently another ordinance that waives that requirement if it costs 20 percent or more to conform)
– Require the new HQ for the Department of Public Works and Jersey City Incinerator Authority to achieve the tough-to-get LEED Platinum rating
– Have the city incentivize LEED certification for private builders, offering refunds of between 10 to 25 percent of permit fees
– Require the purchase of products certified “green” by Green Seal or the EPA (waiving the requirement, yet again, if the materials are too pricey)
The Journal quoted Athena Sarafides of the DEP as saying the above proposals put “Jersey City as one of the leaders” among municipalities in the state.
We doubt the Journal’s statement that according to the DEP, the proposals constitute “the most comprehensive ‘green’ effort in the state,” because we’ve been interviewing people to come up with a list of the greenest cities and towns ourselves and there is a lot of exciting stuff going on elsewhere. What do you think? What are New Jersey’s greenest towns?
More: Green City Goals (Jersey Journal)
December 31st, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Howabout green buildings? There was an article in the New York TImes about them earlier this week. My friend Jonathan Maslow, a Passaic resident, was trying to “greenify” his apartment building and created a special committee in his condo association to install solar panels…
December 31st, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Why focus on 566 towns?
The DEP (or Department of Community Affairs) must adopt statewide regulations that apply to all towns and the PRIVATE SECTOR.
Athena Sarafides should be ashamed of DEP’s reliance on an ad hoc municipal strategy.
That is DEP’s job, and incentives, tax breaks, public sector initiatives, and voluntary compliance won’t get the job done.
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:38 am
Great. It’s a start… What about increased public transportation, comprehensive recycling programs, more green spaces/parks, etc. This kind of stuff should be mandatory.
January 2nd, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Keith – good point – the programs you mention are state level (oh, I forgot to remind folks that recycling took off in NJ as a result of a state mandate, state funding, state regulations, and a State publc education and promotional campaign).
And it only really took off after the original “mandate” was taken seriously and the original 25% voluntary goal increased to a mandatory one, enforced, and increased to a 60% rate during the Florio Administration.
ASk Athena S of DEP – she began her career in recycling and knows this policy history, even if she doesn’t defend it and is not allowed to implement similarly effective measures on global warming now.
January 5th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
We have to start somewhere… think of “Going Green” and where we are as the pendulum swings. Even as the economy is on everyone’s mind being environmentally responsible hits you when watching TV, when shopping, when reading the newspaper.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:09 am
As a long time family resident of Jersey City both “Downtown” and “Uptown” its far time the city began to address the many points of the LEED rating system. The city must go beyond just building improvements and take a serious look at the neglected areas of the city. Green improvements can change the quality of life not just for the elite but for all citizens. Green jobs are / will become an essential part of the rebuilding of broken communities here and around the US. Green jobs can support a community in need and reverse the tide of many individuals without hope or a future. The ability to place Municipal Buildings on a sustainable energy source will provide additional revenue for teachers raises, more study materials, and class trips for example. Planting more trees on the south side of the street will reduce the ‘heat island effect” (to reduce the absorption of the suns heat) and naturally bring the temperature down. There are many positive uses for “Green Technology” but it’s not complex; its time to debunk the fears of GREEN and explain the benefits for all. Jersey City could be one of the model city’s of the green future but we must act quickly.
May 31st, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Gladd to hear abut Jersey city. they’ve got the rigth idea. too bad where i live in new brunswick they got a old buy network that doesnt’ like change with corruprion and behind doors decisions only. nothing green no LEED and they have no idean what green is – those politicains and their cronies in development and the mayors office need to GO! vote them out now is the time!