Washington Township earns second bronze-level certification with Sustainable Jersey program
Washington Township isn’t only going green — it’s going bronze.
Or perhaps going bronze again would be more apt, as the township’s recent bronze certification with the Sustainable Jersey program is the second time it achieved such an honor.
“I feel very proud of achieving bronze level certification again,” Mayor Joann Gattinelli said. “This is a collaborative effort, and I applaud all involved.”
One of those involved is Vicky Binetti, the chair of the Washington Township Environmental Commission, of which she has been a member for about 20 years, as well as the unofficial team leader of the Washington Township Green Team. Binetti said she has always had a strong interest in environmental matters. Before her retirement, she worked for 30 years for the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Through (my work with the commission), I’ve gotten to learn a lot about environmental concerns in town and also where there are opportunities to do things and advance work in conserving and preserving our resources here,” Binetti said. “When I learned about the Sustainable Jersey program, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take things to the next level.”
To become certified with Sustainable Jersey, a town must earn points by completing a number of priority actions, which run the gamut from reducing the municipality’s carbon footprint to hosting a green fair, from instituting a tree-planting program to taking inventory of creative assets in town.
Council Vice President Sean Longfellow said, while Sustainable Jersey does tackle a lot of the issues around being more sustainable and green, he appreciates that it also considers such things as emergency management, community safety and transparency within government.
“It builds the momentum to do government better, to do budgeting better, to do sustainability better,” Longfellow said.
“The Sustainable Jersey program is incredibly interesting because it speaks not just to environmental sustainability, but also to social sustainability and economic sustainability. You have a healthy community if you can cover all of those bases … The tagline is people, planet and prosperity — which is really terrific, you know?” Binetti said. “Sustainable Jersey offers this infrastructure and presents to you — to the municipality — some activities or actions one can do to build that more sustainable infrastructure in the community.”
Binetti mentioned many items that counted toward the certification, one of which is the Washington Township Police Department’s Project Medicine Drop, where residents can safely dispose of unwanted medicines 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“It satisfies a number of concerns. It keeps those drugs out of our waste streams so people don’t flush them down the toilet. It keeps them out of reach for people they aren’t intended for,” Binetti explained. “Our police department is doing a great service there.”
Binetti also mentioned the mayor’s Shop Washington Township Program, which encourages residents to support local businesses and, in turn, earn property tax rewards for doing so.
“We put together some documentation for that, and that was one of the newer actions we submitted this year for the additional points,” Binetti said.
Binetti stressed earning the Sustainable Jersey certification wasn’t only due to the environmental commission — it is truly a team effort within the community, evidenced by being able to document such programs as Project Medicine Drop and Shop Washington Township.
The township is eyeing silver-level certification next year, which will be no small feat. In its first year, Washington Township earned 180 points to attain bronze level. They brought that total to 225 points for the re-certification at bronze. For silver, they will need 350 points.
“I’m confident we’re going to make it,” Binetti said. “Even if, for some reason, we don’t get everything completed in time or in place in time for the certification cycle, we’ll have done a lot by targeting that goal.”
Longfellow is looking forward to pushing for silver status.
“It’s so important to continue to progress forward and build upon all of the great things that this program has pushed us to do,” he said. “If we miss the silver certification, I won’t be discouraged, because I know there’s another year following it and we can prioritize the tasks we need to do.”
There are a number of ventures Binetti said the Green Team hopes to accomplish in the coming year to aid the township in its journey to silver certification, including increasing outreach to the business community and residents in ways they can reduce energy consumption at home, starting a green business recognition program with the chamber and economic development office, improving recycling awareness and education, and developing a greater awareness of arts and creative culture in the community.
“Those are some of the things we’re taking on this year,” Binetti said, “and hopefully we’ll be successful.”
One of Longfellow’s goals for the coming year is developing an emergency communications plan in the township. He hopes to work with the state Office of Emergency Management ReadyNJ to identify more vulnerable populations within the township — such as those on dialysis or dependent on oxygen concentrators — so in the event of a storm with prolonged electrical outages, the township will be able to focus on these individuals first and then move down the line to other residents.
“That’s ultimately the goal,” Longfellow said. “I’d like to say it will be done for the certification coming up. I’m hopeful we can get it done by summer.”
At a time when the environment is often taking a back seat to other concerns on a national stage, Binetti said she doesn’t necessarily see this at a local level.
“I think locally and at the state level, people are aware of the things that make a difference and make sense,” Binetti said. “Maybe that’s out of sync with some of the national policy that we hear about, but I think people recognize it. Whatever is going on at the national level or big picture, they can do things that make them feel like they’re doing the right thing and make sense to them on the local and individual level.”
To learn more about the Washington Township Environmental Commission and the Green Team, visit www.twp.washington.nj.us. To learn more about Sustainable Jersey, visit www.sustainablejersey.com.
