Residents should look out for #CHRoadmap on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in the coming months.
This article is a column written by Cherry Hill Township Mayor Chuck Cahn.
Last spring, the township and members of our Green Team unveiled Cherry Hill’s new “Roadmap to the Future,” our first-ever municipal sustainability plan; a formal document to guide the community toward a greener future.
The 51-page document was the product of more than two years of work by myself, council, members of my administration and Green Team members. It upholds environmental sustainability as a priority for the township, and outlines objectives and strategies in five key categories: health and wellness; homes, buildings and transportation; leadership, education and training; community vitality and ecology; and empowerment through arts and culture.
The goal of the Roadmap was to serve as a blue print to guide our entire community — our government, businesses and residents alike — to a more sustainable future. At the same time, we look at the plan as a living, breathing document; one that sets a solid foundation, while allowing us to track our progress and set new goals as we move forward.
As we enter the second year of this plan, I’m excited to share that we’ve launched a social media campaign to call greater attention to the programs, events and initiatives we undertake that fit within the parameters of the Roadmap and its priorities.
Our goal in the coming weeks and months is to label all our relevant social media posts with the hashtag, #CHRoadmap, to call attention to the fact that we’re addressing one of the plan’s many goals.
What you see may surprise you.
While many of the plan’s objectives include more “traditional” sustainability goals, such as enforcement of anti-idling goals, encouraging green practices, increasing recycling and promoting physical health and wellness, we have also prioritized art, culture and our town’s own living history — key elements to ensuring Cherry Hill’s strength, stability and vitality for generations to come.
So while you’ll see us include #CHRoadmap on news about new recycling programs and the annual Sustainable Cherry Hill Earth Festival (returning in April — details to come soon!), you’ll also see it appear on community events, senior programs, concerts at Croft Farm and living history tours at Barclay Farmstead.
Because, to us, one of the most important components if our long-term sustainability is our community itself.
For those of you who have not yet read the Roadmap, you can view the 51-page plan in its entirety at www.CherryHill-NJ.com/Roadmap.
In the meantime, keep your eyes open and look for #CHRoadmap on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, and let us know what you think!
Not a social media follower? Don’t worry. My door is always open, whether you’re on or offline!
You can always contact me directly by calling my office at (856) 488–7878, or by e-mail at [email protected].
