Silver
The Borough has recently been notified it is one of only 69 municipalities across the state that has received the Silver Level with Sustainable Jersey, after having achieved the bronze level for three years.
Green Team Captain Ellen O’Dwyer will attend the awards ceremony November 14th where the Silver achievement will be recognized at the Sustainable Jersey Annual Luncheon in Atlantic City in connection with the New Jersey League of Municipalities conference.
Municipalities that achieve certification are considered by their peers, state government and experts and civic organizations in New Jersey, to be among the leaders in the state. Few achieve a Silver designation
Out of 564 municipalities in New Jersey, 467 are participating; of these, there are 130 Bronze certified and just the 69 Silver certified.
O’Dwyer led the municipality to earn the Bronze recertification last year, explaining, “we could have rested on our laurels for three years until the next certification cycle…but we didn’t. Atlantic Highlands deserves the credit for all the work that it is already doing, and with a community whose heart is in it,” O’Dwyer continued.
The Green Team Captain continued that it is necessary “to preserve this unique ecosystem of mountains to bayside beaches to forested lands as our home today, and for future generations.”
Just as she declined to rest on the laurels of the bronze certification, O’Dwyer is now aiming for “Gold Star”, the highest award, which will set a new precedent for small, historic communities with classic infrastructure.
“It will involve a lot of research and a real thesis to be written, but I have a plan to earn the certification for Atlantic Highlands within the next 2 years,” she said. Only Readington, Woodbridge, and Princeton have earned any Gold Stars.
“I will be proud to earn that for Atlantic Highlands, but even prouder that by so doing, will have improved and protected an important resource for the borough,” O’Dwyer continued.
Admittedly, O’Dwyer recognized that earning a Silver certificate with Sustainable Jersey “ is no small feat. It puts the borough on the map as one of the most sustainable communities in the state.
The borough has been at the Bronze level for a few years with each certification lasting three years. Before she was appointed Captain, O’Dwyer said the Green Team had focused on cyclic recertification, earning the minimum certification. As Captain, O’Dwyer said she realized “we were doing a lot more than we were asking credit for. I knew I could earn us enough points to recertify at Bronze which occurred last year.”
But, she said, she set her sights higher to achieve the Silver level while she continued to be Green Team Captain. O’Dwyer had previously served on the Environmental and Shade Tree commissions but was not reappointed to either when her terms expired last year.
A candidate for borough council in the November election, O’Dwyer said as an elected official she would continue to work to keep the borough on the map for overall conservation measures, “It is my vision for the town, and I would work hard and have a plan to continue preserving what is great about it.”
Sustainable Jersey’s certified municipalities are national leaders in implementing solutions to key sustainability challenges. From efforts to reduce waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions, improve public health, stimulate local economies, increase resiliency and progress toward an equitable society, the actions completed by Sustainable Jersey communities have made a significant contribution.
The mission of Sustainable Jersey is to empower New Jersey communities to build a better world for future generations.
O’Dwyer expressed thanks to Mayor Loretta Gluckstein for her confidence in appointing her Captain of the Atlantic Highlands Green Team three years ago in order to lead the borough’s efforts to recertify the expiring Bronze certification.
“Earning a Sustainable Jersey Certification involves a lot of effort to not only implement, but to document and archive supporting data, detail our municipal story, create innovative solutions, and also meet a set of very rigorous standards,” O’Dwyer said. “This year’s submission involved hundreds of hours and more than a thousand pages of documentation, as well as reaching out cross-functionally, and getting groups to work together for the first time. Key collaborations involved DPW, Police, Fire and EMS along with municipal teams and statutory commissions including the Environmental and Shade Tree Commissions.”
O’Dwyer continued that “the Green Team accomplished some new and innovative ways to make Atlantic Highlands more sustainably and resiliently green , including its first “EnviroScience Faire”, collaborations with the Chamber of Commerce, and local groups like the Atlantic Highlands Garden Club and Wild About Atlantic Highlands,” she said.
“These were all wonderful things to make our town aesthetically beautiful, and symbiotic with its environment.” As Team Captain, O’Dwyer applied for and was awarded two grants, one for the borough’s first Pollinator Garden, and another for the “Olfactory Challenge” garden on 1st Avenue which she said will be breaking ground soon.
For more information on Sustainable Jersey, visit to www.sustainablejersey.com
