Green New Deal Town Hall - May 1st 7-9pm @ St. Peter's University→

On behalf of The Sunrise Movement, Jersey City Chapter, SJC is very pleased to extend an invitation to all of our consituents for their very first GREEN NEW DEAL TOWN HALL! 

It will take place in Pope Lecture Hall at Saint Peter's University, May 1 @7pm-9pm. 

We will be having a variety of speakers, from elected officials to student leaders, who will be discussing the importance and effectiveness of the Green New Deal. It will also be an opportunity for different organizations to network and work together to sustain the movement and spread awareness. There will be a Q + A portion for any questions or concerns, and to talk about some of the local climate injustices we all face. 

To register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/green-new-deal-town-hall-tickets-59804456740

Attached is their flyer. If you have any questions please email them at team@sunrisemovement.org

The Bigger Picture: Composting Policy in New Jersey

SJC and its members have always focused on helping individuals and organizations live and function sustainably here in Jersey City. Today, however, we are excited to share an opportunity for community members to start spreading sustainability best practices and policies across the state by joining forces with our newest partner, the New Jersey Composting Council (NJCC).

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President and Trustee, Jairo E. Gonzalez after testifying for NJ bill s1768 and how Compost can Improve stormwater infrastructure. Source: Twitter

NJCC is a non-profit affiliate of the U.S. Composting Council dedicated to the development, expansion, and promotion of the composting and organics and food waste recycling industry here in New Jersey through grassroots political advocacy. To date, NJCC’s officers have been busy advancing the interests of New Jersey’s organics waste industry in multiple public forums, including testimony before the township of Princeton regarding its food waste recycling program and testimony before the New Jersey Senate’s Energy and Environmental Committee regarding amendments to proposed legislation aimed at promoting green storm water infrastructure and encouraging the use of compost in sustainable infrastructure projects (bill S1768).

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If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved as an agent of change throughout the state, we encourage you to attend NJCC’s spring meeting next Wednesday, April 24th from 4:30pm to 6:00pm in Morristown. Corinne Coe, an NJCC member and organics recycling specialist at Sustainable Generation, will present on “Why the Waste Industry Should Support Small Scale Composting.”

This meeting will be a great opportunity to learn more about the state of New Jersey’s composting industry and to begin making your voice heard by your elected representatives in Trenton. For more information regarding this event, including location details, please visit https://njcomposting.com/news. Can’t make the meeting? Stay in touch with their advocacy work by signing up for their newsletter.

Sustainable Jersey City's Eco-Ambassador Program Launch!

Sustainable JC is launching a new and exciting program to train Eco-Ambassadors in Jersey City. The program will educate individuals about the do’s and don’ts of recycling in Jersey City and empower them to engage with friends and neighbors to pass this information along. The program will focus on two areas of recycling - materials (plastic, paper, glass, and aluminum) and organics (compost). The first training will be THIS Saturday, April 13th for Food Waste. The second will be on Saturday, April 27th for Plastics and Materials Recycling.

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Did you know Jersey City currently only recycles plastics 1&2?

While Jersey City offers curbside pickup of recyclable material, compliance rates citywide are low, and even well-meaning participants may be inadvertently introducing contamination. For example, Jersey City only accepts type 1 and type 2 plastics, like water bottles and milk jugs. This means that most other plastics like those used to make yogurt and take-out containers, cling wrap, and plastic cutlery will need to be pulled out after collection. If those items are in high enough concentration, everything collected will be deemed trash and sent to landfill. Our goal is to ensure not only recycling participation, but recycling of the right things. Contrary to popular belief, our mantra is: “When in doubt, throw it out.” Come out to one of our Eco-Ambassador trainings to learn more!

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Compost bin at PEACE Community Garden in Jersey City

Organics recycling in Jersey City is not offered by the city (yet) but there are several options for recycling food scraps, including one run by Sustainable JC. Organic waste is wet and heavy, increasing the cost of hauling and disposal. But just as important, once buried in a landfill, this material generates methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than C02. Composting takes this wasted resource and turns it into a rich soil amendment that can be used in gardens, parks, and green spaces all over the city. Eco-Ambassadors will spread the word about how easy it is to plug into one of these composting options, and the personal and environmental benefits that come from adopting that into one’s routine.

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We hope to see this transformation ripple through Jersey City with every conversation, interaction, neighborhood and association meeting the Eco-Ambassadors plug into. Information leads to new perspectives and ultimately a change in behavior. Be the start of this change. Sign up to become an Eco-Ambassador today! If you are unable to attend either of these sessions, please contact us at sustianablejc@gmail.com so we can let you know when our next training will be.

REMINDER: Public Meeting Announcement - Stormwater Management Presentation By JC Municipal Utilities Authority

4 Upcoming Presentations By The JC Municipal Utilities Authority (JC MUA) - Understand The Options Being Considered To Manage Stormwater Issues in Jersey City AND Voice Your Opinion.

2 Public Meetings This Week !

This is an IMPORTANT time for you to learn more about the Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) being developed by the JC MUA. The LTCP will determine the types of solutions that will be implemented in Jersey City to manage JC’s CSO Issue or ‘JC’s Plumbing Problem”. The solutions can include a mix of GREY and GREEN Infrastructure and the goal is to optimize Green Infrastructure (GI) wherever possible..

The Reasons You Should Care -

The more Green Infrastructure the lower the cost of these projects and the more community benefits accrue. These upcoming projects represent the largest Capital Infrastructure $$$ Investement Jersey City will spend in a generation !

• The COST matters as the many millions of dollars that this retrofit of the JC sewer system will cost, will be paid thru sewer utility fees assessed to ratepayers aka the general public, including businesses.

• The BENEFITS of GI are well known, including moderation of extreme temperatures, e.g., lowering the heat island effect which reduces energy usage, air quality improvements, removal of carbon dioxide emissions, and other quality of life benefits including more Trees.

The GOAL this Spring is get as much community input as possible as the JC MUA must submit their preliminary plans to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) by this July 2019 - final plans are due July 2020.

Updates on JC MUA LTCP and Green Infrastructure Projects here.

Dates For Upcoming Public Meetings - Download Flyer With Details Here.

• Greenvile - Tuesday March 12 at the Bethune Center, 6pm - 7:30pm

• Downtown - Thursday March 14th at City Hall, 6pm - 7:30pm

• Westside - Thurs March 28th at the Hank Gallo Center in Lincoln Park, 6pm - 7:30pm

• Heights - Thurs April 4th at PS # 28, 6pm - 7:30pm

Please Attend ONE Of These Meetings AND Please Share This Information !

More information on Sewage Free NJ and How To Become A Community Partner Here.