Energy Efficiency & Water Conservation For Jersey City - Everyone Else Is Doing IT !

Not sure why its been so hard for Jersey City to focus on providing incentives for Energy Efficiency & Higher Performing Greener Buildings, but for some reason it is not happening as a policy initiative here.  Water Conservation & Energy Use in buildings are closely related - just think hot showers, laundry and kitchen dishes (home and restaurant) ! While SJC had partnered last season on a Rain Barrels initiative with the City, hoping to raise consciousness about the need for more Green Infrastructure here , this season we'd like to use the Rain Barrels initiative to raise consciousness about the importance of Water Conservation - is closely related to our Green Infrastructure advocacy efforts, but goes far beyond capturing stormwater in rain barrels; stay tuned for updates on this ~

As a salute to Earth Day 2015, SJC would like to offer the few links below, that could put you all into immediate action, saving water and lowering your energy footprints.  These are useful small steps that can make an enormous difference to the environment and our collective urban ecological footprints.

And for those who care about this stuff, SJC has brought together a bunch of useful links on the Resources page of our website - given your Earth Day focus this week, you all are invited to check it out, maybe learn something new about the environment while you're there :-)

You can visit SJC at the "Meet The Goats & Mother Earth Festival" at the Harsimus Historic Cemetery this Sunday April 26th noon - 7pm; is going to be a blast and hope to see you there.  Lots of great stuff happening around Jersey City all week long in celebration of Earth Day this Wednesday April 22nd - tune in to your favorite local media and join the fun !

ACTION LINKS BELOW -

GRACE H20 Conserve Water Footprint Calculator

Energy Efficiency Tips for AT HOME, AT WORK, AT SCHOOL & ON THE GO

NJ Clean Energy Office - Energy Efficiency Programs For EVERYONE

And more about what steps City officials can take, given Jersey City is participating in the Sustainable Jersey municipal certification program. We now have a Bronze level certification - we can do better.

New Jersey benefits from a state-wide program that provides incentives for clean energy projects, especially for upgrading building efficiency. The New Jersey Clean Energy Program is one of the largest and most successful in the country, and provides the foundation upon which most of the energy efficiency upgrades in the state are developed. These incentives can be used to upgrade municipal and school district buildings, as well as a wide variety of energy projects for residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Sustainable Jersey includes twelve certification actions that help municipalities make the most of these incentives, and supports overall energy planning (like carbon footprints) and building efficiency upgrades. For municipal buildings, these actions include energy tracking, audits and transition plans, as well as implementing efficiency measures. Municipalities can also get certification points for promotion and community outreach for the state's Home Performance with EnergySTAR and Direct Install programs.

Let's Call for More Green Infrastructure in Jersey City

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The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection needs our help! If you've been following SJC for a while, you know that 65% of Jersey City is served by a combined sewer (rain water + sewage in one pipe) that overflows a lot. The NJDEP is re-writing the requirements to get permits to allow for these overflows and want community input. This is a great opportunity!!! We want them to require Green Infrastructure implementation to show the long term commitment to smart growth through sustainable solutions.  Please take their survey (link below) and let your voice be heard. "CSO Survey:  So that the NJDEP can better understand your community or organization’s needs as we move towards the issuance of permits and the creation of LTCPs, the NJDEP would greatly appreciate your participation in a CSO survey.  The survey is available throughhttps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NJDEPCSOSurvey and the response period will close on March 16, 2015.  If you have any questions regarding the survey, please contact Jason Lonardo at 609-292-4396"

Lots of other exciting news in the world of green infrastructure in New Jersey! Check it out:

Fostering Collaboration / Sewage Free Streets & Rivers

Growing Pains: Jersey City Contends with Aging Water Infrastructure / NJ Future Assessment (highly recommended read)

Urban Water Learning Network - Groundwork USA

"Changing the Way We Eat" + Gardener's Toolkit

SPRING is just round the corner (March 20th - YES!) and that means FOOD GROWING !  With all this snow on the ground and a chill that won't quit, thought to share some inspiration here that should help you lean in to the exciting things happening around us. First,

The 2015 TedX Manhattan event "Changing the Way We Eat" is happening this coming Saturday March 7th and has a fabulous line-up of Speakers !  It's sold out but the good news is the entire event will live stream all-day starting at 10:30am and is absolutely worth tuning in to.

Unfortunately SJC is not going to host a VIEWING PARTY this year (too much going on!) and there doesn't seem to be any others who've picked up on this for Jersey City - not yet anyway - so you're on your own.  Highly recommended !

Second,

At the end of last year's growing season SJC launched a Jersey City Gardens Circle inside the Design Trust's new data gathering tool Farming Concrete - short video here about why DATA MATTERS !  Tell your Garden Story and attract funding and other resources to your efforts - helps you PLAN and MEASURE YOUR IMPACT in the community so take a peak at this user friendly tool.  JC Gardens are listed in the BARN section - follow the directions at the bottom of the project team's post to get started !

Third,

Collaborator GRACE Communications Foundation is producing an SJC Eat Well Guide (EWG) for Jersey City.  We've submitted a bunch of listings for it but we need your help to nominate other Sustainable Table establishments, including CSA's, Farmers Markets, Sustainable Food Buying Clubs, wholesale and retail establishments and even Food Trucks!  So . . . how's about crowd sourcing this EWG together and growing this community resource.  Here's their criteria and here's the form to suggest a listing.

More information about SJC's Good Food Now! initiative here.

Lastly, hope to see you at GARDEN CITIES: URBAN AG IN THE GARDEN STATE on Friday March 13th !

Important School District Vote Alongside General Election + Open Space Ballot Measure

In just a couple of days, Tuesday Nov 4th, your opportunity to have your VOICE heard arrives - yes it is election time and you get to choose worthy leadership.  Politics can be a maze to navigate but the single most important responsibility you have as a citizen is to VOTE - if you don't, you forfeit your right to complain, anguish and have expectations of YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. Congressional Candidates

In addition to the NJ General Election where you will choose your state representatives, there are two Referendums / Ballot Measures you will be asked to weigh in on - 1) Dedicating State Funds for Open Space, Farmland, and Historic Preservation, which you will hopefully support, and 2) Allow a Court to Order Pretrial Detention

You can create a sample ballot for yourself and learn more about the candidates you will be presented with and the referendums you will be asked to vote on in the voting booth, by going to this website - http://vote-nj.org/  You can donate to their good work or simply visit the website and get informed.  If you don't know where in Jersey City you should go to vote, you can find out here - https://voter.njsvrs.com/elections/polling-lookup.html

Jersey City Board of Education (BOE)

In addition to the NJ General Election, we have a very IMPORTANT Local School Board of Education election taking place, in case you've missed the barrage of campaign snail mail, email and social media.  These candidates will also be presented to you to vote on; you can find out more information about them and the school district here - http://hudsoncountyview.com/2014-jersey-city-board-education-candidate-profiles-hudson-county-view/

While SJC is not endorsing specific candidates, there is an excellent explanation of some of the issues that have been bantered about in the media, which may help voters understand some of the more confusing aspects of what's happening in the district.  See the Civic Parent website here - http://civicparent.org/2014/11/vote-for-excellence-on-tuesday-november-4th/

Personal Note On Our School District

I must share how encouraged I was when I participated in a Facilities Tour this past month.  There has been great progress in aligning building & environmental fixes / upgrades, with innovative education interventions that are turning the school district around.  For those of you who don't usually tune in to school district news, check out these links below and periodically tune in to their new website, which is filled with pride - for good reason.

http://www.jcboe.org/boe2014/images/pdf/depts/business/facilityTour1.4.pdf

http://www.jcboe.org/boe2014/images/pdf/admin/boardelection/2014_School_Year_launch_8_28_updated.pdf

http://www.jcboe.org/boe2015/

And as the Sustainable Jersey For Schools statewide certification program launches, with our JC School District jumping in to participate (the current BOE supports this !!)  SJC looks forward to Jersey City becoming a more sustainable place to live and work AND go to school :-)

Solar in Jersey City - Here and Now

The time is right for Solar in New Jersey, and in Jersey City we have a lot of opportunity.  Whether you are a condo owner, home owner, or have a small or large business, if you own a rooftop or parking lot with unobstructed sunlight, you have a money making machine.  Add to that the local jobs you create, and the environmental benefits...what's not to like?

Cruise around Jersey City from above with Google Maps and you’ll see dozens of solar installations, from the 30 panels on my rooftop on Wayne Street to the giant installations atop Macy’s and ShopRite.  We can expand this to hundreds of installations and make a significant dent in the city’s Carbon Footprint, reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect, and create hundreds of local jobs in the process.

If you want to go solar, first make sure your roof is in good shape.  Panels last 30 years, and so will a good commercial roof.  A typical residential roof needs resurfacing every 15 years, so you’ll need to replace your roof once during that time, but why do it twice?  And consider combining with a green roof, which can last 50-100 years, provide much needed insulation, and reduce storm water overflow.

Second, decide whether you want to own the system, or simply rent your roof.  This second option, called a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement), lets a company install panels on your roof, and sell you the power at a specified price over the next 20 years.  You’ll generally save 20-30% on your electric bill now, and even more in the future.

On Tuesday, November 4th, 7pm at City Hall, we’ll have three presentations giving an overview of solar installation and financing, how community solar can accelerate installations in your neighborhood, and advocacy opportunities for legislation to encourage and streamline solar in Jersey City.  Event details:  SJC Eat Meet and Talk

There’s more information on Solar in our Resources page in the Energy section.

Don’t own a roof?  Don’t have time for advocacy?  Still want to lower your carbon footprint and support Clean, Renewable energy?  You can choose an Energy Supplier that uses Wind and Solar Farms to power your apartment and only pay a few extra dollars per month.  Track down your PSEG account number and you can make the switch online in just a few minutes.  Learn about the NJ Clean Power Choice program here:  Clean Energy Providers.