Tour de Cranbury Celebrates Biking and Community (Middlesex County)

On May 7, 2023, over 100 bikers of varying abilities and ages enthusiastically participated in the Tour de Cranbury. Working in partnership with Cranbury Township and the Cranbury Chamber of Commerce, Tyler Cenci, a Life Scout in Boy Scouts of America Troop 52 and a sophomore at Princeton High School, led the Tour de Cranbury as his Eagle Scout service project.

Memorial Elementary School Adds Books to Reflect the School’s Kaleidoscope of Perspectives (Monmouth County)

The Memorial Elementary School population is comprised of a high percentage of racial and ethnic minority groups (40%) and students with disabilities (30%). Recognizing that the school’s library did not reflect these growing populations, a few teachers set out to find a solution. With the help of a $2,000 Sustainable Jersey for Schools grant funded by the PSEG Foundation, the school added a “Windows and Mirrors” collection of books. The print and digital texts the school added are designed to immerse students in mirrors of their own cultures, families and realities as well as windows into the lives of others.

Readington Township’s Sustainable Assets Map Takes Planning to the Next Level (Hunterdon County)

Wouldn’t it be nice to have your community’s natural resources all in one place and available to the public? Readington Township has taken its planning capabilities to the next level with the creation of a natural resources and sustainable features map located on a web-based geographic information system (GIS) platform. The interactive Sustainable Readington Assets Map has a layer showing the species and location of trees in the township streets and parks with an additional layer of 15 different types of assets, such as historic sites, managed fields, parks, streams, trail heads, the location of bat houses and more.

Mountain Lakes Seed Library Promotes Gardens and Biodiversity (Morris County)

Need a use for that old library card catalog? Turn it into a lending seed library! With the help of a Sustainable Jersey Grant funded by the PSEG Foundation, the Mountain Lakes Green Team partnered with the Mountain Lakes Library to expand their seed library and offer free seeds to the community. They also created a new permanent collection of more than 75 environmentally themed movies. Residents can borrow a movie and pick up a seed pack of sunflowers, basil, thyme, peas, lettuce, parsley and more. Seed libraries are a great way to educate residents and students on local agriculture, bring new plants into circulation and promote biodiversity.

Financial Incentives Available for Energy Efficient New Construction Projects

If your school or municipality is planning a new construction project or the substantial renovation of an existing building, New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program offers various financial incentives for building owners, designers and architects to adopt cost-effective, energy efficient design choices. By providing incentives to support design beyond the minimum efficiency required by building codes, New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program aims to produce the most efficient buildings in the nation.