Join Us If You Can @LITMJC 140 Newark Ave for evening of socializing other folks interested in making Jersey City a cleaner, greener and more sustainable city.
Your first drink is on us, while comps last !
$5 Suggested Donation - RSVP here
Enjoy those last lazy days of our August Summer and hope to see you then ~
Boonton Reservoir (Image source: link)
On July 25th Mayor Steven Fulop confirmed that an agreement was in place for the Morris County Park Commission to develop and manage a trail around the Boonton Reservoir, which has been the primary water source for Jersey City since 1904. Fulop told the Daily Record that, "We've been working on this now for two years in Jersey City, and we're at a place where we think it will be in front of the council first week of September."
It is not clear who has been working on this deal for 2 years because key stakeholders like the people of Jersey City, the Jersey City Environmental Commission, and other community groups have not been engaged.
Although the Open Space Institute (OSI) has been engaged to conduct a study of the impacts to the reservoir, the study--if it has been completed--has not yet been released or reviewed by our Environmental Commission or the board of the Jersey City MUA. Despite this, the Mayor will be asking City Council to approve the deal that will allow recreational access for 40 years in exchange for only $1…!
Opening the reservoir area to recreational activities would require the construction of access roads, parking areas, pathways, etc., all of which would impact the already fragile and very limited protective vegetative cover. Runoff from rain and snow carries chemicals, sediments, pesticides, excess nutrients and many other pollutants from the land to the water. Maintaining a buffer strip of native vegetation along our reservoir plays an extremely important role in protecting water quality.
The native trees and plants around the reservoir minimize soil erosion and act as a filter that keeps contaminants from entering the water. Some areas along the Boonton Reservoir are highly susceptible to erosion and greatly depend on existing trees and plants to help minimize the rate of erosion. Any development of reservoir lands for trails, parking, or other recreational facilities will damage the ecosystems ability to protect our water supply, which may result in an increase in pollutants entering the reservoir and increased treatment costs.
A similar plan was dismissed after the terrorist attacks of September 2001 when it became clear that our water supply would be vulnerable if it were open to public access. Today, the risk of an intentional attack to compromise the water supply of the people of Jersey City still stands. Whether intentional or not, our water supply will be more vulnerable to further degradation if this plan proceeds.
We are asking that:
the Jersey City Environmental Commission be consulted on the proposal;
the MUA Board be consulted on the proposal, and charged with conducting their own review of the proposal;
the Open Space Institute study, if there is one, be released for public scrutiny;
a concerted set of public hearings be held, at which residents be both informed about the proposal, and be given every opportunity to provide input.
Please join us in ensuring that our water supply is protected by signing this Petition.
The City of Jersey City is considering an ordinance that will ban single-use plastic bags. While there will be some exceptions to this, it can be a tricky proposition. They are interested in your views and have asked for feedback from the community - please take their Survey here Jersey City Plastic Bag Survey- Residents
Also, if you need more information about the very bad environmental impact plastic bags are having you can learn more about that here
The Jersey Journal recently covered this topic here
Start Recycling Plastic Bags Now - Shoprite and other retailers are accepting these, inquire!
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 6th 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
Read both our Mission Statement & Charter (sign-on!) And complete the updated Welcome Survey
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
Sustainable Jersey City is a catalyst organization that educates, empowers and activates community stakeholders, to make Jersey City NJ a more sustainable place to live and work.
Our vision is for Jersey City to become the greenest and most sustainable city in New Jersey, with community stakeholders that are educated about and committed to environmental, economic and social justice.
