SUSTAINABLE JERSEY

MUNICIPAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM:SUSTAINABLE JERSEY, LAUNCHED IN 2009, IS A FREE MUNICIPAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM THAT IDENTIFIES SPECIFIC ACTIONS COMMUNITIES CAN TAKE TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE, ADDRESS THE CAUSES AND IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, SAVE MONEY, AND SUSTAIN THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE OVER THE LONG TERM. BY THE END OF CALENDAR YEAR 2025, 468 NEW JERSEY MUNICIPALITIES (REPRESENTING 83% OF THE STATE) WERE REGISTERED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM AND WERE WORKING TO IMPLEMENT SUSTAINABILITY MEASURES WITH 191 CERTIFIED. IN ADDITION TO CERTIFICATION, MUNICIPALITIES CAN EARN GOLD STARS IN KEY DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY SUCH AS ENERGY, HEALTH AND WATER. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, NEW JERSEY MUNICIPALITIES HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED 19,637 PROGRAM ACTIONS AND ACHIEVED 6 GOLD STARS.IN 2014, SUSTAINABLE JERSEY LAUNCHED THE SUSTAINABLE JERSEY FOR SCHOOLS CERTIFICATION PROGRAM IN COLLABORATION WITH LEADING NEW JERSEY SCHOOL-FOCUSED ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING THE NEW JERSEY SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION AND THE NEW JERSEY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION. IT IS IS A FREE, VOLUNTARY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR NEW JERSEY PRE-KINDERGARTEN THROUGH TWELFTH-GRADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. BY THE END OF CALENDAR YEAR 2025, 67% ON NEW JERSEY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT WERE PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM, 367 SCHOOLS WERE CERTIFIED WITH 58 ALSO EARNING DIGITAL SCHOOLS STAR RECOGNITION. COLLECTIVELY, SCHOOLS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY DOCUMENTED OVER 10,614 PROGRAM ACTIONS.

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 OUR ANNUAL GRANTS PROGRAM. SINCE 2009, 8.6 MILLION IN GRANTS HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS TO PURSUE LOCAL INITIATIVES. OVER 68% OF SUSTAINABLE JERSEY PARTICIPATING MUNICIPALITIES AND 56% OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS HAVE RECEIVED AT LEAST ONE SUSTAINABLE JERSEY GRANT RANGING IN SIZE FROM $2,000 TO $35,000.