A Municipal Guide to a Lead-Safe Community (2021)
Lead is a potent toxin which is still pervasive in the places where we live, play, work and raise our families. This is especially true in New Jersey, with its legacy of housing, infrastructure, and industry that pre-dates the banning of lead from paint, gas and plumbing. Young children who absorb even the smallest traces of lead suffer lifelong, pernicious effects – which are disproportionately experienced in communities of color and low-income communities.
Municipalities can do a great deal to support healthy, lead-safe homes and a healthy, lead-safe and equitable environment for their residents. A Municipal Guide to a Lead-Safe Community presents 18 practical strategies, including 8 Sustainable Jersey actions, that municipalities can implement today to reduce lead exposure and protect public health.
To download the guide, click HERE.
Community Solar Guidebook (2021)
Community solar is a path for residents who cannot install solar panels on their own property to participate in both the environmental and cost-saving benefits of solar energy. This guidebook gives an overview of:
- New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program Community Solar Energy Program
- Municipal roles in community solar projects
- Community benefits of community solar projects
- Case studies of community solar projects in New Jersey
- How subscribers to community solar projects save money on their electric bill
To download the guide, click HERE.
Advancing Social Equity through the Sustainable Jersey Program: Analysis and Potential (2020)
Social equity is integral to the holistic vision of a sustainable future guiding Sustainable Jersey’s mission. New Jerseyans today face wide disparities in access to the conditions for health and well-being, disparities which are further reflected in environmental and human health outcomes. Creating more equitable and sustainable communities means changing the systems that have resulted in those disparities.
Sustainable Jersey is striving to become more equitable, more inclusive, and better prepared to do the work of advancing social justice while supporting municipalities and schools in New Jersey to do the same. In doing so, Sustainable Jersey commits to take anti-racist action and to oppose oppression in all forms.
To download the report, click HERE.
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Procurement Guide (2020)
The Sustainable Jersey Alternative Fuel Vehicle Procurement Guide provides information and resources for municipalities and school districts looking to add alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) to their fleets. This guide includes strategies for procuring alternative fuel fleet vehicles at the best pricing and with the least amount of staff time spent on procurement logistics. Procurement methods covered in this guide include fleet vehicle leasing; purchasing cooperatives and government purchasing contracts; direct purchase; and service contracting and shared services. The guide also includes information on funding and incentives for alternative fuel vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations.
To download the guide, click HERE.
How to Implement An Energy Savings Improvement Plan: Sustainable Jersey How-To Guide (2019)
This guidebook, developed by Sustainable Jersey and sponsored by the NJ Board of Public Utilities, explains the process from beginning to end in straight forward and easy-to-understand language. Case studies of successfully implemented ESIPs are included and an exhaustive list of resources are also provided to guide local government units successfully through the ESIP process.
To download the guide, click HERE.
New Jersey Sustainable State of the State – 10 Years of Top Ten Trends (2019)
New Jersey Sustainable State of the State Report
Volume I: Summary Report
At the 2018 Sustainability Summit, Sustainable Jersey released the fourth annual New Jersey Sustainable State of the State Summary Report. The annual Summary Reports describe the 57 goals that define a vision of sustainability for New Jersey. Indicators are identified that allow us to track how New Jersey is doing in achieving sustainability goals. Our progress as a state is assessed for each goal.
- To download the 2018 report, click HERE.
- To download the 2017 report, click HERE.
- To download the 2016 report, click HERE.
- To download the 2015 report, click HERE.
Volume II: Technical Report
This volume contains data, sources and analysis that support the Summary Report. For each indicator identified in the Summary Report, the Technical Report displays the most recent statewide data in chart or table form, lists the resources, and provides relevant interpretation, brief analysis, and in some cases, additional data.
- To download the 2019 report, click HERE.
- To download the 2018 report, click HERE.
- To download the 2017 report, click HERE.
- To download the 2016 report, click HERE.
- To download the 2015 report, click HERE.
Sustainable State 2016 Update & the New Gold Standard (June 2016)
The establishment of “Gold,” Sustainable Jersey’s highest level of certification, forgoes the link between the municipal program and the broader, long-term outcomes desired. The roll-out of gold began with energy and waste because they are fundamental dimensions of sustainability for which there are widely accepted metrics of performance supported by readily available quantitative data.
To download the report, click HERE.
The Gold Star Standard in Energy: Technical Report
This technical document describes the research that underpins the Sustainable Jersey Gold Star Standard in Energy.
To download the report, click HERE.
Statewide Change, One Community at a Time: A Comparative Study of Collaborative State-Local Sustainability Programs (April 2016)
This study identifies twelve statewide programs across the U.S. that recognize local governments for achieving voluntary sustainability standards. Certification or other municipal rating systems is generally a signature element of these programs; yet, certification is often merely the most visible form of collective action among many aiming to coordinate priorities, policy, and resources among state and local, public and private actors.
Funded by the Surdna Foundation, this study was guided by a working group comprised of representatives of five state-local sustainability programs including: Minnesota GreenStep Cities, Sustainable Maryland, Sustainable Pennsylvania, Wisconsin Green Tier Legacy Communities and Sustainable Jersey. Key personnel from Green Cities California, Clean Energy Communities (CT), the Florida Green Building Coalition, Massachusetts Green Communities, Michigan Green Communities, Climate Smart Communities (NY) and Go Green Virginia also contributed to the report.
To download the report, click HERE.
New Jersey Energy Flow Model (June 2015)
The New Jersey Energy Flow Model describes the use and flow of energy within the state. This document describes the results and methods used to construct the model that quantifies where all of NJ’s energy comes from, how it is used within different end-use segments, and all the connecting flows. This model provides a framework for quantifying the use of energy within the state at any point, based upon objectively available information.
This document provides a technical overview of the NJ Energy Flow Model, as implemented through a spreadsheet and associated visualization infographic (Version 4.5). Please refer to the infographic and spreadsheet for details referenced in this overview.
To download the Energy Flow Model technical overview, click HERE.
The spreadsheets with data and sources supporting the Energy Flow Model can be found HERE for 2006 and HERE for 2012.
New Jersey Sustainable Energy Efficiency Demonstration Projects (NJ SEED) (May 2013)
This project investigates what reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are possible in small and medium municipalities. It offers lessons on how to establish a protocol for leadership in municipalities through state and federal support, and to share information on measures that reduce GHG emissions among residents and businesses. To download the report, click HERE.
New Jersey Climate Change Trends and Projections Summary (2011)
Prepared by the Climate Adaptation Task Force, this summary provides New Jersey communities with a clear picture of the observed trends and projected future changes in the climate system. It also provides an introductory set of planning resources for adapting to climate change impacts.
To download the summary, click HERE.