“Get Ready… Get Set… Go”… New Jersey Senior Olympics
Sept. 12, 13 & 14 in Woodbridge
-Contact Mayor John McCormac of Woodbridge
I am extremely proud to announce that Woodbridge Township has been selected to host the 2008 New Jersey Senior Olympics this coming September 12, 13 and 14. Significantly, this is a qualifying year for New Jersey Senior Olympians, which means that New Jersey medalists will have the opportunity to participate in the national games being held in San Francisco in the Spring of 2009 – so, it’s more important than ever that we support our senior athletes by offering the best, most competitive venue possible.
As you know, New Jersey’s municipalities are home to a significant and growing senior population which is more-and-more engaged in an active and physically fit lifestyle. The New Jersey Senior Olympics embodies today’s senior athlete by featuring more than 15 sporting events geared to senior competition. And, even before competition gets underway, I think you’ll agree that every senior athlete is a winner just by staying in shape and participating in a physical fitness regimen that keeps them healthy and active members of the community.
While last year’s games were tremendously successful, I am convinced that the 2008 games will be even more exciting, successful and well-attended. That’s why I’m challenging each and every New Jersey Mayor to reach out to their Senior communities and to encourage participation and attendance in the New Jersey Senior Olympics. With your support and encouragement, I’m confident that the senior athletes from your town will make a strong showing at the 2008 New Jersey Senior Olympics.
So… let’s get the word out… New Jersey senior athletes needed to compete in 2008 Senior Olympic Games…
For more information about the 2008 New Jersey Senior Olympics, go to www.njso.us or www.twp.woodbridge.nj.us, call the New Jersey Senior Olympic Headquarters at 973-618-1111, or contact Woodbridge Township Senior Olympic Chairpersons Pat Trombetta at 732-636-3910 or Frank St. Marie at 732- 636-9439.
On behalf of the New Jersey Senior Olympic Committee and New Jersey’s Senior athletes, volunteers and sponsors, thanks for your support of the 2008 New Jersey Senior Olympics.
Best Regards,
John E. McCormac
Mayor
Woodbridge Township
GOVERNOR’S Environmental Excellence awards
-Contact Marybeth Brenner & Dean Anderson, NJDEP (609) 292-2885
or Rhea Brekke, Executive Director, NJCAT (609) 499-3600
What do Highland Park, Burlington Township, Egg Harbor Township, Chesterfield Township Hillside and Stafford Township have in common? They are all among past winners of the state’s premier environmental awards program administered by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.
Begun in 2000, these awards were designed to recognize outstanding environmental performance, programs and projects within our state. The awards are co-sponsored by the NJ Corporation for Advanced Technology and the State League of Municipalities.
In 2006 Governor Jon Corzine lent his support to this program which resulted in a new name for the program - the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards; and a new venue for our awards ceremony – Drumthwacket, the official residence of the Governor.
Each year we solicit applications from a vast cross – section of New Jersey including government, business, environmental organizations and academic institutions, and each year the quality and variety of applications grows.
Among the many winners over these past eight years, there have been numerous recipients from New Jersey’s municipalities covering elected officials, municipal programs, environmental commissions, schools and dedicated citizen volunteers, all working to improve the environment locally and statewide.
During the 2007 awards ceremony, the Medford Township Public School (MTPS) system was honored with two awards related to implementation of a comprehensive program to use new, innovative and sustainable technologies to conserve energy and provide significant reductions in air pollutants and greenhouse gases. During the past several years the MTPS school district led the way by incorporating 15 innovative and sustainable technologies into their school district.
The featured accomplishments among their many initiatives to become a more sustainable community were their school system’s ten year history of using alternative fuels (biodiesel) and using their experiences with technology and innovation as a way to educating generations of children about the positive benefits that can be achieved by increasing awareness of issues such as global climate change, being better energy consumers, the harmful effects of diesel emissions, and what opportunities are available to curtail or eliminate the damaging effects of pollution, and participating in the solution to the nation’s (and world’s) environmental problems.
This most recent example of a municipal – level winner highlights the kind of programs recognized by these awards. In each case we celebrate the program or individual achievement but equally important is sharing information about these winning programs/projects so they can be replicated throughout the state.
The GEEA web page located at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/eeawards/ features information about all past winners. We hope that the information about winning applications helps to inspire others to consider implementing similar programs in their own companies, communities or even at home.
Each year, our awards committee reviews the award categories and descriptions to ensure that they reflect the environmental priorities of our state. It is no surprise that among the most prominent environmental issues facing New Jersey and the rest of the world is climate change. We saw the prominence of this issue reflected in the applications we received for the 2007 awards and expect that many of our application for 2008 will reflect the many new programs and initiatives designed to target this multi-faceted environmental issue.
More specifically, within the State of New Jersey, DEP Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson has discussed the other environmental priorities for her and her agency for the coming two years. While climate change is high on the list, other issues such as: increasing our recycling rates, better supporting sustainable growth and development, protecting our natural resources and conserving and protecting our critical water supply are equally high on the list. We know throughout New Jersey there are, and will be, projects and programs actively pursuing these priorities and we encourage their interest in the GEEA.
The success of the state in achieving these goals will be contingent upon the support, creativity and energy at all levels of government, in the private sector, within our schools and volunteer and nonprofit organizations.
NJCAT as a prime co sponsor of the event sees the GEEA as furthering its own mission to promote the development and expansion of sound environmental and energy technology in the state. This awards program not only honors excellence but we hope it promotes the proliferation of great environmental practices.
We look forward to the 2008 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards Program. Applications are now available on the web site listed above.
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