Gloucester Township Receives Sustainable Jersey Leadership Award

The township was given the award during a ceremony Jan. 29, for demonstrated leadership in the Sustainable Jersey program.

Gloucester Township's efforts to go green have paid off in the form of a special award at the Sustainable Jersey Special Recognition Ceremony. In addition to being one of 11 New Jersey municipalities given silver-level certification in the Sustainable Jersey program, Gloucester Township also won the Sustainable Jersey's 2012 Leadership Award. The award recognizes a municipality that has contributed the most to the Sustainable Jersey program through demonstrated leadership locally, regionally and statewide. In receiving the award, the Township was credited for developing the first Energy Master Plan for any municipality in the state, a Companion Animal Management Plan, energy related actions within the township and a development section on …

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Township's Efforts Recognized by Green Group

Sustainable Jersey grants Gloucester Township a certification bump from bronze to silver level.

Gloucester Township's green efforts are no longer deserving of just a bronze. Sustainable Jersey, which aims to reduce waste and cut greenhouse gas emissions, on Tuesday announced that Gloucester Township has been re-certified, with its standing level bumped from bronze to silver. The township is now one of just 11 municipalities in the state to attain Sustainable Jersey's silver level certification. "It's just exciting to be a part of a team that made that change," Councilwoman Michelle Gentek, who heads the township's Green Team, said. In addition to the Gloucester Township certification bump, Sustainable Jersey on Tuesday announced that it certified or re-certified 23 other towns in its latest review cycle. Of the 24 towns that recently…

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Mayor Recognizes Green Team

The Gloucester Township Green Team achieved Sustainable Jersey status in 2011.

Mayor David Mayer recognized the Gloucester Township Green Team for attaining Sustainable Jersey status in 2011 during the Township Council Monday night. The local Green Team qualified the township for bronze-level certification in its first year as a Sustainable Jersey community. "The Sustainable New Jersey program is a program really that was organized to help communities become more sustainable—whether it is economically or through an environmental process," Mayer said. The mayor pointed to the solar panels that were activated atop the municipal building earlier this year and the recently implemented single-stream recycling program as Green Team achievements. Councilwoman Michelle Gentek heads the Green Team. "We were given this …

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Gentek to Sit on Sustainable Jersey Panel

A Sustainable Jersey workshop will be held in Cherry Hill next week.

Gloucester Township Councilwoman Michelle Gentek will sit on a panel aiming to promote green initiatives in South Jersey next week. The Citizens Campaign and Sustainable Jersey have partnered to host a sustainability workshop—Using the Sustainability Toolkit: Building Healthier Communities—at the Camden County Environmental Center, in Cherry Hill, on Tuesday, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Gentek will be joined by several noted sustainability experts for an interactive discussion slated to follow a session aiming to let area residents know what they can do to get green initiatives going in their communities. Also slated to sit on the panel, according to The Citizens Campaign, are Lori Braunstein, of Sustainable Cherry Hill, Cindy Randazzo, director …

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Joshua Berry

12:49 pm on Monday, October 10, 2011

@Danny: I do not think *who* came up with the idea is as important as whether our local government is acting on it. The Citizens Campaign is a good government organization with a whole municipal toolkit of ideas and pre-written ordinances to aid local officials that have been vetted by highly respected jurists and passed by many other townships. Sustainability is one of their planks -- so is Pay-…   more ›

From the Mayor's Desk

Mayer Touts Green Movement

The township is moving to improve energy efficiency.

Since becoming Mayor last year, I have worked hard in developing an Energy Master Plan for our community. Instead of looking at energy issues individually, we have assembled a plan that will not only meet the energy needs of the municipality but also save taxpayers money, and in some instances, make revenue for our township. Our Gloucester Township Energy Master Plan consists of solar projects, energy audits, energy purchase consortiums and recycling initiatives. By looking at these projects in one plan, we are better able to coordinate and implement ideas that will help our environment and make sense from a financial perspective for the township. Our Solar initiative is currently underway, as we have already placed solar panels on the …

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Gloucester Township Is Going Green

The township's "Green Team" is working toward Sustainable Jersey certification.

You may have seen the solar panels around town. You may have heard the buzz on the streets, or talk among your friends and neighbors, or this may all be news to you. It’s true—Gloucester Township is going "green." Our town is on track to become a fully certified Sustainable Jersey community. So, what does all of this mean?  According to the Sustainable Jersey website, the certification program is for municipalities in New Jersey that want to go green, save money and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term. What does that really mean for Gloucester Township? If you ask Councilwoman Michelle Gentek, she will tell you that it is a process by which municipalities must establish a “Green Team” and then complete and …

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