KEEA/PBI Conference 2013 Sustainability In Municipalities Using Certification Programs To Promote Sustainability At The Local Government Level Mark Warner Director Of Energy Sustainability Institute at TCNJ & Sustainable Jersey

Enabling Municipal Engagement Municipalities Can Be A Powerful Resource And Leverage-Point For Promoting Sustainability (especially in NJ!) But They Are Most Effective When They Have An Organizing Framework, Good Resources, Best Practice References, Can Benefit From The Work Of Others, And Receive Recognition (And Other Benefits) For Their Work Policy and Planning, Governance and Practice Fresh Water and Sanitation Energy And Transportation Agriculture And Land Use Bio-Sphere Stewardship Public Health And Population Sustainability Is A Big Idea:

A Certification Program For Municipalities In New Jersey: Provides An Organizing Framework Identifies actions that help towns become more sustainable, actions earn points toward certification Provides tools, resources, and guidance that help communities make progress Provides access to grants and funding Provides Recognition And Visibility Sustainable Jersey™

Participating Communities Program start: February (70%) NJ municipalities participating 82% of NJ’s population lives in these communities 116 municipalities certified:  105 towns at bronze level  11 towns at silver level

Who Participates In Sustainable Jersey? Notes: (1) Partisan category based on data from 2010 NJ Legislative District Data Book. (2) Registration and Certification Statistics current as of 4/2/2012. Participants Come From All Demographics And Affiliations:

Program Impact Since 2010, approximately 4,000 discrete actions have been implemented and submitted for certification 2,600 were approved as meeting the Sustainable Jersey standards A 65% success rate Hundreds of formal “Green Teams” have been formed by local governments

Sustainable Jersey Energy Elements Energy Is A Large Component Of The Program  About a quarter of all possible actions  About a third of all possible points Significant Funding Is Possible For Energy Actions Cover A Range Of Sustainable Energy Pathways:  Building Efficiency (audits and measures)  Municipal/Community Energy & GHG Inventories  Renewable Energy Projects

Energy Program Direction The Program Is Always Evolving:  Overall design optimization & prioritization  Better quantification of impact  Expansions (renewables, electric vehicles)  Leveraging impact into the community  Detailed study on efficiency audit follow-thru

Stay Involved! SustainableJersey.com