Logo, Sustainable Jersey

By Susan C. Moeller / Senior Reporter

RUTHERFORD (Oct. 1, 2009) — In a municipality with a nickname like the “Borough of Trees,” green initiatives would seem to be a top priority. The very nature of Rutherford is, well, nature. And recent developments with the Rutherford Green Team and local recycling department would certainly prove that this South Bergen borough tries to keep it enviro-friendly.

The Rutherford Green Team has completed its application to become one of the state’s first communities certified by the Sustainable Jersey program, a voluntary incentive initiative that guides municipalities toward better sustainability practices. The borough has also signed on to an environmentally conscious street light replacement program with PSE&G, and Rutherford will even hold a composter sale Saturday, Oct. 3.

Sustaining standards

In applying for certification with Sustainable Jersey, Rutherford completed several key tasks, including forming a green team, adopting a sustainable land use pledge and completing an energy audit of borough buildings.

Municipalities have a large role to play in promoting environmental sustainability, according to Randall Solomon, executive director of the New Jersey Sustainable State Institute at Rutgers University, one of the key sponsors of the Sustainable Jersey program.

Municipalities are “on the front line” of land use and economic development; they consume large amounts of natural resources, and they control garbage collection and recycling, Solomon pointed out.

Municipalities also have power — they can create ordinances that promote sustainable choices.

The Sustainable Jersey projects were designed by task forces of people from state agencies, nonprofits, businesses and academia, according to Solomon.

More than 150 groups, including the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, Board of Public Utilities, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Hackensack Riverkeeper, PSE&G, Greenfaith and the Municipal Land Use Center at the College of New Jersey, are participating in the program.

New standards are being added for next year, Solomon added, so that a hierarchy of certification will be established, with this year as the bronze level.

Rutherford’s application, along with that of 44 other municipalities out of New Jersey’s 566, is currently under review; certification results will be announced later this year.

And the sustainable distinction is not all about gold stars. There’s money on the line.

More grants are available to certified municipalities, according to Rutherford Councilwoman Kimberly Birdsall, who spearheaded the application process for Rutherford.

The program helps municipalities receive the funds they need to complete projects — like energy audits — that cost money in the short term, but pay off in the long run, Birdsall added. Rutherford’s audit cost nearly $30,000, but was paid for by a grant from the Board of Public Utilities.

Of the other South Bergen municipalities, only Carlstadt and Wood-Ridge have not registered with the Sustainable Jersey program. East Rutherford, Lyndhurst and North Arlington are registered, but did not submit applications to meet this year’s certification deadline.

“We are in the process of getting together our whole road map for the green team,” said East Rutherford Chief Financial Officer John Giancaspro.

PSE&G lights the way

Another green development in Rutherford: the borough council gave its permission this month for PSE&G to change street lights from mercury vapor bulbs to more efficient induction fluorescent bulbs.

The fluorescent bulbs last longer, use less energy and contain less mercury, making the spent bulbs easier to dispose of. PSE&G will pay for the new bulbs and their installation, but the company’s municipal customers, like Rutherford, will benefit from reduced electric usage, an anticipated savings of $8,426, according to Borough Administrator Leslie Shenkler.

The utility company plans to replace almost 100,000 bulbs around the state. Because the induction fluorescent lights use 30 to 40 percent less electricity than their mercury vapor counterparts, PSE&G estimates that New Jersey’s municipalities will save $1 million at today’s power rates.

The fluorescents also have good light quality, giving off a “clean white light,” Shenkler said.

By signing on with the PSE&G plan, Rutherford is ensuring that 838 street lights will go green.

Garbage to gold

Rutherford is also encouraging residents to reduce curbside garbage by composting their food scraps. Discount-priced composters and rain water collection barrels will be available for purchase during the West End Family Fall Festival Saturday, Oct. 3, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Union School on Union Avenue.

Encouraging residents to take responsibility for what they put at the curb is one goal of the composter sale, said borough recycling coordinator Sharon DelVecchio.

The “green cone” food digester, which is designed to handle all table scraps as well as the “garden gourmet,” for produce and garden waste, will be available for $90 and $65 respectively. One online retailer offered the same products for $139 and $85, respectively, plus shipping.

The truck load sale enables residents to “benefit from a better price,” DelVecchio said.