Left to right: Timothy McDonough, Mayor, Hope, League 1st Vice President; Mayor Meryl Frank, Highland Park Mayor and Mayors’ Committee for a Green Future Co-Chair; Jennifer Hoehn, Senior Manager of Public Affairs, Wal-Mart in New Jersey; Phyllis Marchand, Mayor, Princeton, MCGF Executive Committee member; Mayor Bowser, Mayor, East Orange and President, League of Municipalities; Carol Hoffman, Township Committee, Alexandria Township, MCGF Executive Committee member; Deputy Mayor Fred Profeta, Deputy Mayor of the Environment, Maplewood and Mayors’ Committee for a Green Future Co-Chair; Andrew Carten, Director of Planning, Trenton, MCGF Executive Committee member. |
PRESS RELEASE
League of Municipalities and Wal-Mart Create “Green Future Grants”
(TRENTON)--- New Jersey League of Municipalities President Robert L. Bowser and the Mayors’ Committee for a Green Future announced today that they will be entering into a joint initiative with Wal-Mart to help New Jersey municipalities “go green.”
Wal-Mart will be supporting the Mayors’ Committee for a Green Future (MCGF), which is part of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, to establish the “Green Future Grants” program. The program will provide funding to New Jersey municipalities that are committed to instituting greening initiatives designed to improve the quality of life for residents while stressing the importance of sustainability. Wal-Mart will contribute $200,000 towards the grant program in the first year.
“We all have an opportunity to be more sustainable. But even more, we have a responsibility,” said Jennifer Hoehn, Senior Manager of Public Affairs for Wal-Mart in New Jersey. “Wal-Mart has made a significant commitment to greening our own operations. It is our hope that these Green Future Grants will help ensure that our New Jersey municipalities will be sustainable for generations to come.”
To be eligible, municipalities must participate in the MCGF’s “Green Future Roadmap” program. The Roadmap sets criteria defining the actions and policies that are needed at the local level to achieve a green and sustainable future. The Roadmap will also provide a package of tools, guidance materials, and resources to help municipalities make progress. The Green Future Grants will be one of the first incentives and resources that are provided to New Jersey municipalities through the Green Future Roadmap.
Fred Profeta, Co-chair of the Mayors’ Committee for a Green Future said, “Our mission is to create a green and sustainable New Jersey one municipality at a time. Wal-Mart’s generous support will help us make that a reality sooner rather than later.”
The funds will be distributed by the League of Municipalities Education Foundation and the Mayors’ Committee for a Green Future. Technical assistance in establishing the grant program will be provided by the New Jersey Sustainable State Institute (NJSSI) at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University. According to Randall Solomon, Executive Director of NJSSI, “Cities and towns in New Jersey have a lot of enthusiasm, but not a lot of resources and capacity. Our goal is to use these funds to turn that enthusiasm into meaningful progress.”
In applying for the grant, each municipality must submit a proposal describing their local greening initiative and how it will relate to the criteria in the Green Future Roadmap. Eligible projects will include recycling programs, conversion to energy efficient products, green construction and the development of a carbon footprint so as to adequately measure the level of greenhouse gases produced in the municipality. Grant awards will be from $10,000 to $25,000 per municipality and awardees will be determined by a committee appointed by the Mayors’ Committee for a Green Future.
Starting in January 2009 municipalities will be able to enter the Green Future Roadmap Program and apply for the Wal-Mart Green Grants. The program will be officially unveiled at the 93rd Annual League of Municipalities Conference from November 18 through November 21 in Atlantic City. On Wednesday, November 19, the conference will feature a League Workshop Session titled, “Green Future Roadmap – How to Go Green in New Jersey.”
“We greatly appreciate Wal-Mart’s generosity in funding this endeavor and we look forward to working with them and municipalities across New Jersey to help ensure that New Jersey’s future is green,” said League of Municipalities President Mayor Robert L. Bowser.
For more information on the press conference, contact Medea Villeré at (732) 932-5475 ext. 660 or medeav@rutgers.edu. For more information on the Green Future Roadmap go to NJSSI’s website, www.njssi.org. Or call the MCGF Co-Chairs at (732) 777-6001 (Meryl Frank, Mayor, Highland Park) or (973) 762-8120 (Fred Profeta, Deputy Mayor of the Environment, Maplewood).
