Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2010
Contact: Kristy Ranieri: (973) 762-1510
k.ranieri@circlepoint.com
Fred Profeta, Jr. Wins 2010 Governor’s
Environmental Excellence Award for Environmental Leadership
Trenton, NJ (12.21.10) – Fred Profeta, Jr. received the 2010 Governor’s Environmental Excellence award in the category of Environmental Leadership at a ceremony held on December 15, 2010. Profeta is the Deputy Mayor for the Environment for Maplewood Township and the Chair of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities’ Mayors’ Committee for a Green Future (MCGF), a Sustainable Jersey key partner.
Profeta was recognized for his leadership and commitment to protecting the environment in New Jersey. His work in Maplewood was lauded including the construction of a new LEED certified police station, a railroad commuter jitney program, programs to foster bicycle transportation, purchasing of biodiesel fuel for municipal vehicles and revamping of the Township’s recycling program.
When Profeta accepted the award he focused on his leadership of the Sustainable Jersey program. Profeta said, “The reason for Sustainable Jersey’s popularity is no secret. It’s a low cost, grass roots program with a big bang for the buck. We’ve leveraged the energy of thousands of volunteers in an organized way. Some of you may remember the slogan ‘a thousand points of light’ from a previous Washington administration. Sustainable Jersey has 323 points of light in New Jersey, and it is growing. Our goal is to light up the entire State. New Jersey is showing the rest of the country how to do sustainability.” Currently, 323 towns (57% of the state) are registered and working toward becoming Sustainable Jersey certified.
Thirteen individuals, organizations and companies were recognized for their outstanding environmental performance. "The projects and individuals being honored exemplify my administration's commitment to protect the environment," Governor Christie said. "We can all learn from these folks who are taking a look around them, seeing things they want to improve, and doing something about it. They are community leaders who are preparing our state for environmental success and I'm proud to recognize them for their efforts."
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) coordinated the 11th annual awards ceremony. A panel of judges evaluated the nominations accepted from individuals, municipalities, organizations or businesses located throughout New Jersey that perform unique or valuable environmental activities they believe worthy of commendation.
“New Jersey residents are the winners through the hard work of these individuals and organizations,” said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin. “They have made the State a better place to live. We owe them all a great deal of thanks.”
Sustainable Jersey is a certification program for municipalities in New Jersey that want to go green, save money, and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term. New Jersey is the first state in the nation to have a comprehensive sustainability program for communities that links certification with strong state and private financial incentives, and a fully resourced program of technical support and training. Over 300 of New Jersey’s towns and cities (57%-or 322 towns across all 21 counties) have registered to become Sustainable Jersey certified. By supporting community efforts to reduce waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and improve environmental equity, Sustainable Jersey is empowering New Jersey towns to build a better world for future generations. Over 6,700 people in New Jersey have participated in statewide training and outreach events in 2010. The program has distributed over half a million dollars to New Jersey communities to support an estimated 1,500 actions taken "on the ground" to make communities more livable, environmentally friendly and prosperous. More than 65% of the New Jersey’s population lives in registered/certified Sustainable Jersey communities.
Sustainable Jersey is a collaborative effort between the New Jersey State League of Municipalities’ Mayors’ Committee for a Green Future and the Municipal Land Use Center at The College of New Jersey, in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. The policies and other substantive contents of the program are developed though a transparent participatory process involving NGOs, academics, government, and the business community. Program sponsors include the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, PSEG Foundation, New Jersey Natural Gas, Church and Dwight, Covanta Energy, Elizabethtown Gas, Nautilus Solar, the Smart Energy Group, United Water, Verizon, Atlantic City Electric and CDS-Xerox. www.sustainablejersey.com
