North Bergen has been recognized by a statewide environmental initiative that encourages sustainability.
Sustainable Jersey representatives announced that North Bergen has met the rigorous requirements to achieve Sustainable Jersey certification. It’s one of 55 municipalities that attained certification in 2020.
In Hudson County, the only other municipality to receive a certification was West New York. Both received the Bronze level, with Silver being the next and highest level. In 2019, no Hudson County municipality received a certification from Sustainable Jersey.
The township will be honored at the Sustainable Jersey Virtual Awards Luncheon on March 11. Sustainable Jersey’s participating communities represent more than 81 percent of the state’s municipalities.
The township met the minimum of 150 action points to achieve certification. In addition, each certified community had to create a “green team,” implement at least two of 13 priority action options, and six actions out of 18 categories.
The township completed the following options: Recycling Depot – Backyard Composting Program; Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling; Household Hazardous Waste; Prescription Drug Safety and Disposal; Community Paper Shredding Day; Sustainability & Climate Planning – Community Sustainability Plan; Online Municipal Public Service Systems; Sustainable Land Use Pledge; Building Healthier Communities; Smoke-Free and Tobacco-Free Public Places; Farmers Markets; Making Farmers Markets Accessible; Lead Education and Outreach Programs; Create Green Team; Hold a Green Fair; “Green” Your Green Fair; Animals in the Community Education; Companion Animal Management Pledge; and Pledge Supporting NJ Wildlife Action Plan.
Sustainable Jersey provides tools, training, and financial incentives to support communities as they pursue sustainability programs. Participating municipalities and schools have implemented more than 18,500 sustainability actions, according to Sustainable Jersey. More than $5.9 million in grants has been provided by Sustainable Jersey to towns, school districts, and schools for community-based projects that create healthy and sustainable communities in New Jersey.
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