Sustainable H.P. scores a staffing grant from EPA

Highland Park has received a grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to fund a new part-time position within the community for Energy and Sustainability Manager (EaSM).

Borough councilmember Jon Erickson describes the money as a “showcase grant” that will enable the borough's Sustainable Highland Park working group to promote their existing programs, and develop new ideas, for creating a more environmentally friendly community.

Erickson pointed to Highland Park’s successful efforts in energy conservation already underway, as one of the main considerations in winning the two-year EPA grant. The borough will share the monies, totalling $500,000, with the municipalities of Cherry Hill and Montclair.

 

In Highland Park, the primary responsibilities of the new hire will be in the public relations arena, ensuring that borough residents are aware of the local efforts aimed at reducing their consumption of energy and emissions of greenhouse gasses.

 

After interviewing for the position in late summer, a candidate has been offered the job and will be announced shortly, Erickson said.

This position is half-time, and was offered on a temporary basis: the grant allowance for the position will be depleted after two years. While the grant itself could be extended after that, the borough has no current intention to hire the manager on Highland Park’s municipal payroll.

In partnership with the New Jersey Sustainable State Institute, a statewide planning center based at Rutgers New Brunswick, and the state Department of Community Affairs, Highland Park hopes to achieve an immediate reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by five thousand metric tons per year. A longer-term goal is to reduce emissions by 20% over the coming decade, by 2020.

The borough’s “green blueprint” has been a Sustainable Community Plan, begun in 2003 and issued in 2007. This plan highlights five main areas for improvement: Healthy Environment, Healthy People, Strong Community, Convenient Transportation, and Fairness and Equity.

Highland Park sets some lofty goals in this plan, including a significant reduction in solid waste production, greater recycling efforts, and reduced water use by the town. Other goals are literally more pedestrian -- such as safety and enforcement efforts to encourage safe walking and biking for everyday errands within the borough. The green plan also includes some social goals under its ‘fairness and equity’ component, which encourages residents to be engaged and informed in the political process, and improve education for all of its residents.

With the appointment of a designated staffer for energy and sustainability, residents can expect to hear much more about all the sustainability programs and goals.

Anyone who does not want to wait can review the plan independently at www.greenhp.org, or at the official Highland Park website.

 

- Lorri Matusiak-Lindsay