Get To Know Our SJC Green Drinks +ART Sponsors – Wed June 6th 2018 @ LITM, 6-9pm

We wanted to write a short post with some reference links about our sponsors, so you get to know more about the terrific work they are doing to make Jersey City greener and more resilient.  Some of their work is close to the ground with building projects they are working on locally and some of their work expands to statewide initiatives and development projects in other countries.

First, is Hoboken Brownstone Company, based in Hoboken but with a number of Jersey City projects under their belt.  As a community centric development company, HBC goes the extra mile to engage community stakeholders in their project initiatives far ahead of finalizing any plans they present to the Planning Board.  Principal George Vallone is also very active in statewide initiatives, having chaired the NJ Builders Association, a NJ Future Committee on Green Infrastructure (GI) which produced a NJ Developers’ Guide For GI and also recently, working with the US Green Building Council he introduced a new Resiliency Standard for Greener Buildings.

Second, JMA Jorge Mastropietro Atelier is both an architectural studio and development company, most recently completing the 54 Bright Street PASSIVE inspired project.  With offices in NYC and Buenos Aires Argentina, he resides in Jersey City with his family and has completed a number of JC projects with advanced energy efficiency, materials re-use and green infrastructure elements as the main of his structural designs.  More about his philosophy and approach here and recent write-up about 54 Bright Street here.

Lastly, as part of SJC’s Good Food Now! initiative, we have had the pleasure to come to know a number of urban farmers in Jersey City.  A new small business called Garden City Grown will be supplier of Mountain Mint garnish for fabulous concoction our hosts at LITM have developed as specialty green drink for the evening (Corgi Pembroke Gin, Art in the Age Sage, Midori Liqueur and Lemonade – yum!).  Jason Biegel has forged a start-up hydroponics operation in The Heights to supply small batch herbal garnishes for craft drinks at local bars.  New on his list is growing a crop of Thai Basil for the South House specialty drinks menu.

We’re very excited about this upcoming event and the opportunity to bring professionals from all walks, neighbors and artists together.  Sustainability is a cultural conversation and for that to take flight, folks need to meet each other and start talking about What Sustains Us?  Join us on Wednesday evening June 6^th downtown at LITM, 6-9pm, for some relaxed conversation -  let’s get to know one another 😊

@LITMJC  @HobokenbrownstoneCo  @jorgemastropietroatelier  @gardencitygrown #LITMJC  #SustainableJC  #SJCGreenDrinks +ART  #Sustainable  #JersecyCity  #HomeGrown

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Earth Day 2018 Message - Become a Green Building Ambassador for Jersey City !

Dear Friends and Supporters of Sustainable JC,

​"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." ​Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report

We write today to make two distinct requests of you, each related to a separate event we are hosting.

The first is a seven session Building Operators Certification course, and in this we ask that you help us spread the word to building operators and leasing management personnel.

The second is an event intended to build a deeper awareness of Passive Building techniques.

We ask that you each become Green Building Ambassadors, by promoting the first and attending the second.

a) Building Operators Certification course -  SJC has partnered with National Sustainable Structures Center (NSSC) to bring a Certification program for Building Operators and Management personnel, intended to make facilities more energy-efficient and sustainable.

This hands-on course, with 7 in-depth building systems classes, requires participants to work on real-world projects based on best practices designed to reduce energy and water use, and to benchmark buildings using the US EPA Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool. All this translates into substantial cost savings for you, whether you are building owners, managers, or renters.

Spread the word to your building operators and leasing management companies, encouraging them to enroll and take advantage of this opportunity right here in Jersey City. The course begins on the 1st of May, 2018. Click here to learn more.

b) Passive Buildings -  And, as part of the same initiative focused on Greener Buildings, SJC has partnered with New Jersey Passive House Team (NJPH) to build a deeper awareness of Passive Building practices and to promote learning about how existing buildings can be affordably retrofit, in the New Jersey context.

Participate in this presentation & discussion at JC City Hall on Tuesday evening, the 1st of May, 2018, at 7 pm. Register here for this free event.

Learn more about NJPH team here and about Passive Buildings here, on Passipedia.

"Collectively as Architects and Developers, we have the ability to directly influence the built environment.  As buildings consume nearly half (47%) of the energy produced in the United States (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2012), designing them for energy efficiency, and to overall perform at a higher level, will greatly reduce the strain on our environment. I believe this is our obligation to the world.”  Jorge Mastropietro, RA, AIA, CPHD,Principal,                     j o r g e   m a s t r o p i e t r o   a r c h i t e c t s   a t e l i e r

Sustainable JC is the local Community Green Team for Jersey City.  We do educational advocacy and facilitate demonstration projects that create solutions to various environmental issues that matter to the public, and which impact us all socially and economically. 

If you would like to learn more about us, visit our website SustainableJC.org.

Also, do fill in our SJC Welcome Survey to connect with us, help us learn what initiatives and projects are important to you, and what skill sets you would like to contribute or develop with us.

Sincerely, Sustainable JC Green Team