Franklin Lakes Earns Prestigious Sustainable Jersey Certification - 2022
Sustainable Jersey representatives announced that the Borough of Franklin Lakes has met the rigorous requirements to achieve Sustainable Jersey certification at the silver-level. Franklin Lakes is one of 81 municipalities that have attained certification in 2022. The certified towns were announced at the Sustainable Jersey Annual Luncheon on November 15, 2022 in Atlantic City at the New Jersey State League of Municipalities Conference. Sustainable Jersey's participating communities represent over 82% of the state's municipalities.
Franklin Lakes Mayor Frank Bivona commented, “Playing our part in protecting our environment and becoming a more sustainable community is something we have strived for over many years. This achievement is the result of hard work and determination from our Environmental Commission and Green Team which has kept us focused on the important issues.”
To become Sustainable Jersey certified at the silver-level, Franklin Lakes submitted documentation to show it had completed a balance of the required sustainability actions, meeting a minimum of 350 action points. In addition to reaching 350 points, each community had to create a green team and select at least three out of fourteen priority action options. Franklin Lakes did five of the fourteen priority actions by completing: 1) climate adaptation: flooding risk, 2) energy tracking & management, 3) natural resource inventory, 4) prescription drug safety and disposal, and 5) sustainable land use pledge.
Franklin Lakes earned a total of 470 action points, with approval of 43 actions in 13 categories. Of the 81 municipalities certified this year, the 470 action points were the most of any municipality in Bergen County. See below for the list of actions that were approved for Franklin Lakes:
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Carole Holden from the Environmental Commission commented, “The Silver certification shows how dedicated the Borough is to expanding our efforts to make Franklin Lakes a model of sustainability. So many people helped in this arduous process - the Environmental Commission, the Green Team, the Recycling Coordinator, the Department of Public Works, the Police, the Office of Emergency Management, the Shade Tree Commission, the Recreation Department and the administration, to name just a small bit of the Borough-wide workforce. We can all be proud of this momentous achievement.”
“The Sustainable Jersey certified municipalities demonstrate sustainability excellence. The annual awards event is a celebration of their accomplishments,” said Randall Solomon, director of Sustainable Jersey. “As New Jersey faces issues such as the climate crisis, a growing equity divide and environmental pollution, the certified towns exemplify the commitment we need to accelerate the transition to a sustainable New Jersey.” Certified towns excelled in areas such as improving energy efficiency, health and wellness, reducing waste, sustaining local economies, protecting natural resources and advancing the arts.
About Sustainable Jersey
Sustainable Jersey provides tools, training and financial incentives to support communities as they pursue sustainability programs. Sustainable Jersey participants (municipalities and schools) have successfully implemented and documented over 23,467 sustainability actions. Sustainable Jersey has provided over $7.2 million in grants to municipalities, school districts and schools for community-based projects that create healthy and sustainable communities in New Jersey.
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