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RecyclingNJ Adds More Features to Expand Recycling Awareness Efforts

Anna@Green Talk — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 03:29:40 +0000

Second Chance Toys Donation

Welcome Guest poster, Paul Leonard of recyclingNJ to provide us with an exciting update of how his website is impact recycling efforts in New Jersey. Although his site is New Jersey based, many of his links can be used through the US.

As many of you will be aware, the average US citizen throws away 1655 lbs of trash each year and only recycles 33% making us significantly more wasteful than people in other developed countries. In England, for example, the average person throws away 647 lbs less waste each year and yet the recycling rate is 40% there. They throw away 40% less trash and yet still manage to recycle a higher percentage than we do in the US. Personally I find that a little embarrassing and I’ve been trying to do something about it, where I live in New Jersey.

Back in June I launched a new recycling website for the residents of New Jersey, that I hoped would help make it easier for people to find ways to recycle more of their trash. It is now six months on and we have become really excited at how successful the site has become. In June we had only 68 visitors but that number has steadily grown over the months and we now get of about 50 visitors every day. It has been pretty exciting for us to see the websites popularity increase so quickly, which would not have been possible without help from a lot of other people.

Environment blogs have been instrumental in helping to promote the recyclingNJ website and my previous Green Talk article was very well received, so I thought I would update you on some of our recent developments.

Recent Development for recyclingNJ

Additionally a number of New Jersey towns and counties have agreed to help promote our recycling website on their own recycling pages so I’d like to thank, Atlantic County, Alexandria, Andover, Berkeley, Boonton, Bordentown, Chesterfield, Eastampton, East Amwell, Highland Park, Montclair, Mullica, Old Tappan, Plainfield, Pompton Lakes, Princeton, Rutherford, South River, Westampton and Woodbridge municipalities. It has been wonderful to have their support and to see that many of the people responsible for our communities are actively trying to promote greater recycling in their local areas.

We haven’t been resting on our laurels either. There have been considerable changes to the recyclingNJ website over its first 6 months. We have been busy behind the scenes updating the website code and have introduced some cosmetic changes that we hope make it easier for visitors to navigate our site. More importantly, many businesses and individuals have written to us to ask us to promote their organizations recycling programs and we have been only too happy to oblige (we do not charge anything for this service – if you collect waste for recycling we want to hear from you).

Donated Wheelchairs to be Reused Again

To give you an idea, we have added recycling information for how to recycle unwanted medical equipment (wheel chairs, orthopedic beds, crutches, Zimmer frames, hearing aids….) through our partnerships with Back in Action, Your Resource and Help the Children Hear organizations. We have also teamed up with recycling charities, Clean the World, Second Chance Toys, Pedals 4 Progress and Dress for Success to promote their collections of hotel soap, used plastic toys, old bicycles or women’s office clothing.

Costs More to Dispose than Give Away

The Rescue Mission of Trenton recently contacted us to ask how to get their furniture and Bric-a-brac collections posted on our website. Just three days later we had added their information to our recycling pages as we were so excited about their charitable work, and wanted to do whatever we could to help. I was shocked when they told me that they do not charge a penny to come to your home to pick up unwanted furniture or household appliances. It costs you more to dispose of these items yourself than it does to give them away.

The Salvation Army and Vietnam Veterans of America also run free collection services for unwanted furniture and appliances so we have added all of this information to our furniture and appliances recycling webpage.

As you can see, we have been busy helping to promote waste reduction and recycling strategies in New Jersey and we hope to be able to do a lot more in the future. Please continue to give us your feedback as we really rely on the comments people have given us to guide modifications to the website. I encourage everyone to keep looking for ways to reduce the amount of trash they throw away, both at home and at work. Small changes really do add up to very substantial reductions in waste over time.

Anna here. Thanks Paul for your update. I look forward to hearing from you in the future on your expansion of your site. Awareness is key. Just point people in the right direction.

You all know that recycling is very important to me, especially, when someone else’s trash is someone’s else need. For additional recycling information, check out Green Talk’s many, many article on re-purposing and recycling.

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Energy Star Summer Rebates Reduces the Sunburn of Your Utility bill

Anna@Green Talk — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 03:36:50 +0000

Anytime I see rebates being offered, I hear the “caching, caching” sound of money going back to my reader’s pockets. So, in the mail box today I received the following from the New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program™Rebates and Promotions:

“Based on the success of the recent ENERGY STAR® appliance promotion in April, additional rebates will be offered once again. The new promotion will cover purchases made from July 1 through August 31 (or while funds last). New Jersey residents will be eligible for rebates ranging from $25 to $100 on the purchase of ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers, clothes washers and refrigerators. The rebates are a result of the federal stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Save time and money! Many retailers will provide an instant rebate at the time you make your purchase (so no waiting for your rebate!). However, some retailers may require you to complete a mail-in rebate form.

Plus, a seasonal rebate for ENERGY STAR room air conditioner units was launched on May 14, 2010 and will end August 31, 2010. Don’t wait to take advantage of these hot savings!

Hurry! Additional Rebate Programs end August 31 or while funds last!

ENERGY STAR Dishwashers

There are two rebates available on ENERGY STAR dishwashers. Check the product list for qualifying models before you shop.

$25 rebate for dishwashers that use 5.8 gallons of water or less per cycle and use less than 324 kWh per year.

$50 rebate for dishwashers that use 5.0 gallons of water or less per cycle and use less than 307 kWh per year.

ENERGY STAR Clothes Washers

Our most popular rebate program, energy efficient clothes washers, helps you save both energy and water at home.
For purchases made from July 1 through August 31 – a $35 rebate is available for select ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers with a modified energy factor (MEF) of 1.8 to 2.19 and water factor <=7.5.

There is also a year-round $50 rebate available for select ENERGY STAR units with a MEF of 2.2 or higher.

ENERGY STAR Refrigerators

There are two rebates available on ENERGY STAR refrigerators which are 7.75 cubic feet or greater in volume. Remember, check the product list for qualifying models before you shop.

$75 rebate for refrigerators that are 20% better than the federal standard.

$100 rebate for refrigerators that are 25% better than the federal standard.

There is also a $50 rebate offered through New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program year-round to residents who recycle their old, working refrigerators or freezers. This includes free pick-up.

More Rebate News

There are new, higher enhanced rebates available for central air conditioners – up to $600!

Dehumidifiers with the ENERGY STAR label are eligible for a $25 rebate.

Check out our summer tips for more ideas on how to reduce your energy bill this summer.

From cooling and heating equipment rebates to in-home energy assessments, and energy saving tips for saving energy and money, New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program gives residents the Power to Save.

All rebates are subject to change at any time.” [Emphasis added.]

I know. The rebates aren’t high but every little bit helps. Just think of how much energy and water you will be saving especially since the utilities hike their rates big time in New Jersey.

Check your own state to see what rebates are being offered. I am sure NJ is not the only one with the rebates.

Readers, are your states offering some sweet rebates? Let us know.

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NJ Gov Offices, Stop Spending Money on Plastic Water Bottles

Anna@Green Talk — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:36:51 +0000

I received several emails from Ken Cook, of the Environmental Working Group, one of my favorite watchdogs, regarding the State of New Jersey’s governmental use of plastic water bottles which is paid by taxpayer’s money. We have a wonderful water system in the state. So, why the spend?

Over the last couple of months, Governor Christie has been trying to balance the money and is slashing programs like no tomorrow. So, Gov, here is one more place you can save some money. Cook sent me an initial email stating:

“Using taxpayer dollars to buy bottled water for government offices and other non-emergency purposes squanders much-needed public money on an unnecessary product that harms the environment.

EWG Action Fund, in partnership with Corporate Accountability International, is urging Governor Christie to stop wasting public money on bottled water in New Jersey — and we need your help!”

It blows my mind when I attend any function and see the old plastic water bottles on the table. ”But we recycle,” is what I hear. News Flash. It costs money to buy the bottles, they contain chemicals which are bad for your health, and PS, it cost money and consumes energy to recycle them. A little flick of the wrist to fill up a bottle and pitcher doesn’t hurt anyone.

Lead by example, Governor Christie, buy a reusable water bottle. (You can buy a stainless steel reusable water bottle here! By the way, Readers, you can too.)

And what about the plastic packaging? Let’s not forget about all that non-recyclable, landfill bound garbage.

So, join me and supporting the Environmental Working Group’s petition to tell Governor Christie to x-nay the plastic water bottles and delete this line item from the budget. Here is the email that I received. Do your part, New Jerseyeans:

Your response was amazing! Since last week more than 1,000 people in New Jersey have signed our petition asking Governor Christie to stop spending taxpayers’ money on bottled water for non-emergency purposes — like meetings in government offices.

Help us reach 1,500 signatures.

We will deliver your signatures to Governor Christie on July 13. We want him to know that you and many other New Jerseyans do not want their money wasted on an unnecessary product that harms the environment. Help us reach 1,500 signatures today by sharing the petition with your friends in New Jersey.

It’s easy to ask your friends to join you:

Share the petition on Twitter: It’s bad policy to spend scarce taxpayer $ on non-emergency #bottledwater. But NJ does. Thx to @ewgtoxics, I asked Gov Christie to stop. U should 2! http://bit.ly/signpetitionNJ

Post it on Facebook: I just asked Governor Christie to stop spending the state’s scarce $$ on non-emergency bottled water — it’s wasteful and unnecessary, especially in the current economy. Thanks to EWG Action Fund, you can ask him, too. Sign the petition today.

Forward this email to 10 of your friends and family in New Jersey: They can click here to tell Governor Christie to stop spending taxpayers’ money on bottled water for government offices and other non-emergency purposes.

Thank you for sharing this petition with your friends and family in New Jersey. We can’t make change without you.

Sincerely,

Ken Cook
President, EWG Action Fund”

Heck, while you are at it, just say “No” to plastic water bottles all together. Start by telling the Governor what you think.

Readers, how many meeting do you go to and see it littered with plastic water bottles? Government meetings, school board meetings, so on and so on?

Editor Note: I am affiliate of Gaiam who sells terrific reusable water bottles. So, I get a teensy amount of money for the purchase of something that is good for your health.

Photo by ricardo / zone41.net.

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Historic Rutherfurd Hall Quest to Become a Green Educational Center

Anna@Green Talk — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:50:56 +0000

Welcome guest poster, Paul Qvale, Director of Sustainable Services at the Hillmann Group and NJ USGBC board member as he explains about the progress of bring back Rutherfurd Hall, a historic mansion to create an environmental educational center.

One of Norman Vincent Peale’s well known quotes is “Shoot for the moon! You might miss it, but you will be up with the stars…” If ever there was an exciting green project in NJ that fits that quote, it is the effort going on now at Rutherfurd Hall. In that regard, this article should be thought of as the first of several articles as Rutherfurd Hall develops, and as an introduction of what is yet to come.

Rutherfurd Hall is a unique place in New Jersey. It was originally an 18,000 sq. ft. manor home that sat on a large pond in the forested hills of Warren County. It was built in 1903 as the country manor of Winthrop Rutherfurd, a wealthy New York City attorney and socialite. It has a fascinating history, including several visits by President Franklin Roosevelt. The manor was later given to the Daughters of Divine Charity, who in 1959 constructed an infirmary addition wing for their retired sisters and used the mansion as both a retreat and as the base for a nursery school for many years.

Following a community wide referendum, the Rutherfurd property was purchased by the Allamuchy Township School District and subdivided to sell a tract of its open land including access to the clear water pond to the NJ DEP for preservation as open parkland. Meanwhile, the community advanced the construction of a new high performance primary school, the Mountain Villa Primary School designed by SSP Architectural Group, converting the former Infirmary wing into classrooms and constructing a passive solar heated community room wing to the east wing of the manor. The manor itself sits largely untouched and vacant, still facing Allamuchy Pond, which is now part of Allamuchy Mountain State Park.

On February 9, 2010, about 60 people participated in a brainstorming workshop within the manor to develop ideas on what the future of the historic structure could be. The workshop marked the start of a quest to create an environmental education center that would have a statewide impact and would benefit the entire region.

Attendees were impressive and included members of the Rutherfurd family, Assemblyman John Dimaio 23rd District, Allamuchy School Board, Allamuchy Town Council, Neptune Schools District, Willow School in Gladstone, Warren County Cultural and Heritage Foundation, Frelinghuysen Historical Committee, Newton Hospital Foundation, NJDEP and NJIT. Also attending were numerous professionals from Edgar David Associates, SSP Architects, Hillmann Consulting and Mark Hewitt Architects.

Numerous ideas were developed during this session. Some were historical in nature and dealt with the grand history of the manor, the surrounding Allamuchy community, or reached farther back to the early days of New Jersey including the Lenape Indians who originally inhabited the area; others involved nearby corporations with special event programs; others involved health and wellness; still others were directly about environmental education. All in all, well over 100 new concepts were introduced, all of them very exciting, and primarily centered around the idea of creating an educational environmental center in this historic location. A core team is working on those ideas now, and it is expected that additional workshops and events will be scheduled this summer. Stay tuned, as this story is only beginning.

For further information please contact Patrice Maillet, Director of Property and Event Services:908-852-1894.

Editor Note: Just to add to Paul’s article, renovating historic buildings and our cities in my opinion is as green as you get. If my readers recall, I was involved in helping green another historic property, Twin Maples. I have a soft spot for historic buildings. Their beauty overshadows everything that is being built today.

Rutherfurd Hall is another one of those buildings which should be brought back to life with a green unveiling. Stay tune for more articles to come as this story progresses.

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New Jersey Gets a New Recycling Website

Anna@Green Talk — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:34:34 +0000

Welcome guest poster, Paul Leonard.

Two years ago I moved to New Jersey from London, England to work at Rutgers university as a research biochemist. Although unrelated to my job, I am passionate about the need to conserve the earth’s resources and to reduce the amount of trash we all throw away. I started out trying to reduce the environmental impact of my own home but I came across a problem that is common throughout New Jersey.

In New Jersey each town is responsible for its own recycling collection. Some towns choose to use the county recycling scheme whereas others use alternative businesses to collect their waste. It seemed to me that there was very little coordination in New Jersey between the town, county and other commercial recycling schemes.

When I look at my local town website, for instance, there was a list of items that they said I could put in the curbside recycling box but no mention of what I could do with the items that they did not accept. Having delved a little deeper online, I discovered that a lot of recyclable items can be taken to local stores for collection, if they are not accepted in the curbside recycling box. It also struck me that the opening hours of my local recycling center are not always convenient for anyone with a nine to five job but many of the local stores that collect recyclables were open late in the evening or throughout the weekend. In addition I can combine the dropping off of recyclable materials with my shopping at the supermarket or mall so it is considerable more convenient for my to recycle in this way.

I realized that if my town and county recycling websites only promote their own recycling options then a lot of waste will needlessly be thrown in the trash which could have been recycled. Surely there are a lot of New Jersey residents out there who wish to recycle more but simply do not know where to look for the information they need.

I decided I would do something to make it easier to find out what can be recycled in New Jersey and if the item is not collected from outside your home, provide all of the options on where you can take the item for collection instead. The website I created is http://www.recyclingnj.com. It contains a page with ideas for reducing the amount of waste in the first place (http://www.recyclingnj.com/reduce.html), links to NJ town and county recycling webpages (http://www.recyclingnj.com/curbside.html) and the page I am most excited about is my recycling page (http://www.recyclingnj.com/recycle.html) with pictures of all the items that can be recycled in New Jersey.

I hope that people who use my website will be shocked about just how much can be recycled. I certainly never knew that you could recycle old bank cards, make-up containers or paint. I’ve tried to make a recycling website intuitive to navigate and as concise as possible. If you want to know how to recycle bottle caps simply go to the “What can I recycle?” page and click on the bottle caps link. All the options for bottle cap recycling (both metal and plastic) will be on that one webpage. Alternatively, if you want information on how to recycle old CDs or DVDs – click on the CD/DVD picture and you’ll very quickly discover options for reuse or recycling. I hope that my site will help to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the trash in New Jersey. I guess the New Jersey landfills will be the ultimate judge.

Editor Note: This is one of the best recycling website I have found. Even if you don’t live in New Jersey, I urge everyone to take a look. Some of Paul’s source of recycling are not in New Jersey (such as the bank cards.)

If you know a great state or county recycling website that you reccommend, please list the site in the comments below. Heck, if you author a recycling blog or website, list it below with a little info about it. Mother Earth needs a break from all our trash.

Also, check out Earth 911 for more recycling information in your area.

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Rutgers University SWRRG Presents First-Ever NJ Food Waste Recycling Forum

Anna@Green Talk — Tue, 11 May 2010 04:52:03 +0000

I received the following email from Priscilla Hayes for reprint on Green Talk.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.– Are you a nervous investor, looking for a sign that it is safe to go back into the market after the great meltdown? Are you a municipality looking to support sustainable ratables for your town? Attend New Jersey’s first-ever Investment Forum focusing exclusively on the rapidly growing markets that convert something plentiful and local—food waste and other organic waste—into the soil, fertilizer, and energy products we all need to maintain our fast-paced life style. The Investment Forum, which is the creation of Rutgers University’s Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group (SWRRG), starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends with a reception starting at 4:30 p.m. on June 16, 2010, also on the Cook Campus in New Brunswick.

Investing in the rapidly growing food waste recycling industry presents an advantageous investing opportunity that offers return on investment at both ends—companies in this sector are literally paid to take in their raw materials and paid again for the products which they make. The industry is particularly lucrative when situated in a state as densely populated with people—and with food waste—as New Jersey.

The Investment Forum will feature a roadmap to understanding the growing organics recycling industry, using food waste as a key feedstock, as well as many of the exciting new companies looking to be established in the most densely populated of all the states. The keynote speaker at the Investment Forum is Andrew Kessler, a fifteen year senior investment banker at HSBC, Waller Capital, Morgan Stanley, and Duff & Phelps and one of the founders of Turning Earth, LLC, an organics recycling firm developing facilities for the production of biogas, compost and local greenhouse-based agriculture. Kessler, who regularly speaks and writes on the organics recycling industry, will speak on “Building Bridges Between the Investment Community and Organics Recycling Industry.”

“In a very difficult market, approximately $155 billion was invested in clean energy companies and projects worldwide in 2008, a four-fold increase since 2004,” said Kessler. On the compost side, the developing technologies play a role not only in waste management, as would be expected, but also in water conservation, local and sustainable agriculture, carbon sequestration, soil fertility, and uptake of nutrients by crops. All of this will be increasingly important as fuel costs rise, making it harder to simply transport food and other products from out of state or out of country.”

Nora Goldstein, editor of BioCycle Magazine, and Dr. Stuart Buckner, executive director of the United States Composting Council, will join a panel on “Why Food Waste and Why the Northeast?” The government role in encouraging and enhancing an industry that can provide local products, local capital, and local ratables will be covered in a multi-level panel that includes Adrian Brunori, green energy specialist from Florida, who will speak on municipal support of green energy and products through mechanisms such as Feed In Tariff, already used widely in Europe. This mechanism pairs private investment with government guarantees to purchase energy from organics recycling facilities producing renewable energy from organic waste.

The Investment Forum is being supported by a variety of institutional sponsors, including PSEG, the New Jersey Wastewise Business Network, the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, the Municipal Land Use Center, Sustainable Jersey, the New Jersey League of Municipalities, Edison Wetlands Association, Inc.. Financial sponsors include the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Composting Council, The Davis Family of Hamilton New Jersey (“Stewards of God’s Creation”), and Organic Recycling Solutions, LLC. Additional sponsors are currently being sought.

For registration or sponsorship information, see here. For more information call 732-932-9155, x233 or email Priscilla Hayes at hayes@aesop.rutgers.edu.Similar Posts:

Want Car Recycling in your Town?

Anna@Green Talk — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:25:31 +0000

Photo courtesy of NJ.com’s coverage of last years car seat recycling.

As a follow-up to my recycling car seat post, Jennifer Carcich and Linnea Hasegawa of the Morristown Moms and Tots sought car recycling in their town last year and furnished me with a copy of their letter for use by anyone who desire car seat recycling in their own town. As I mentioned in my previous article, they were successful in persuading the town and now car recycling is part of the town’s overall recycling program.

Dear Mr. Fabrizio,

Thank you so much for hearing our concerns about the need for a car safety seat recycling program in Morris County. While we acknowledge the many challenges associated with such an endeavor, we also feel strongly that the residents of Morris County would work together to put a car seat recycling service in place if we had the support of the right people, associations and businesses.

Most people don’t realize that car safety seats expire five to six years after production — the plastics used to make these seats deteriorate over time due to sun and heat exposure, rendering them unsafe for use. Currently, car seat owners have one of two choices for disposing of used/expired seats – either to give them away or throw them away — both of which are problematic. Charities and/or consignment shops that are willing to accept them have no way of screening the seats to determine whether or not they’ve been in an accident. Placing a seat out on the curb for garbage pick-up is also risky because someone may take it and unwittingly put their child in danger by using an expired/defective seat

Morristown is now accepting #5 plastics (most car safety seats are made from #5 plastic), but they limit this to bottles and jugs. We have asked if they would take disassembled car seats and their answer was “No.” After many futile conversations with potential “buyers” or recyclers of this plastic, we finally found someone willing to help. Joe McNellis of Greensky Industries in Clifton, NJ told us that he would take our #5 plastic car seats as long as we separate all the materials and give him the plastic only. Emily Holland of Babies R Us in East Hanover said they would both advertise the recycling program and provide a drop-off box at their store (PODS has offered to donate a container for this purpose).

Disassembly and transportation would be up to us. For disassembling the seats, we have a couple of ideas: the town could offer the job as community service work for persons in the S.L.A.P. program; and the Vocational Technical School could present the job as a “project” for some of its students. Transportation fees could be covered partially by the funds we receive from the drop offs. We anticipate that most people would be willing to pay $5 per seat to have it recycled rather than trashed. (Note: If Morristown is willing to accept the seats for recycling, transportation fees would diminish significantly.) As for advertising, we already have the blessing and support of the MUA (Liz Sweedy and Penny Jones in particular have provided invaluable assistance), Babies R Us in East Hanover, and our own Morristown Moms and Tots group which has over 75 members and is also affiliated with the Newcomers, Friends and Neighbors of Morristown and the Burnham Park Association. Other businesses and associations that might be willing to help advertise, collect seats, or even provide volunteer workers include our local children’s consignment shops (e.g., Milk Money, Twice Is Nice, KID’swap!), the Market Street Mission, the Recycling Center on Lake Rd., Atlantic Health/Morristown Memorial Hospital, and Northern New Jersey Safe Kids/Safe Communities.

There are many (possibly over one hundred) car safety seat recycling programs across the country; however, as far as we know, none exists in the state of New Jersey.. The following programs and websites may serve as examples to us as we begin to think through the logistics of starting our own recycling effort here in Morris County.

• The Colorado Children’s Automobile Safety Foundation has a car seat recycling program that began in 2002. For more information on this program, see http://www.carseatprogram.com/car-seat-recycling-program.html.

• Tammy Franks, Child Passenger Safety Coordinator at Legacy Emanuel Children’s Hospital in Portland, OR, has also been deeply committed to this effort. She and Tom Badrick, the Sustainability Coordinator, have been working on a car seat recycling program since 2007 and so far have collected approximately 1,500 car seats. Tammy has graciously shared some information with us (please see attached) to assist us in our effort. See also http://www.legacyhealth.org/body.cfm?id=2105 for more information. [Editor note, the information is not part of this post.]

We have sent this letter to Councilwoman Deeb and Councilwoman Feldman to “officially” ask the town for help. Please let us know if you would be interested in supporting this effort and if you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns.

Thank you,

Linnea Hasegawa
Morristown Moms & Tots Recycling Committee Member
(address omitted)

Jennifer Carcich
Morristown Moms & Tots Recycling Committee Member
(address omitted)

Thanks Jennifer for helping others in their quest to have car seat recycling in their town.

Editor’s note: I made a mistake when I first printed the article implying the organization was seeking car recycling in the county. I misunderstood their email and have corrected the article.

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Say No to New Jersey Clean Energy Budget Cut

Anna@Green Talk — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:33:38 +0000

Here we go again in the NJ legislature. Another cut, more businesses leave the state. This cut may be the biggest loss to New Jersey. Clean Energy, which would promote jobs not take away jobs. Think more tax revenues.

I received the following email for Environment New Jersey. I urge all my Garden State readers to take action and tell Governor Christie to cut the fat from his own government first before he cuts budget items that promote jobs. See below:

“Last Thursday, over 300 clean energy supporters, including representatives from over 50 clean energy businesses, poured into a public hearing room in Trenton. So many people came that officials had to kick some out of the room to avoid a fire hazard.

Why were they there? To tell Gov. Chris Christie — who has championed jobs and economic growth — not to decimate the growing clean energy economy in the Garden State with his draconian budget cuts.

Click here to tell your state legislators to stand up to Gov. Christie and reject his proposed $330 million in clean energy cuts.

Environment New Jersey delivered petition statements from over 1,000 of you to the governor’s office and helped to organize clean energy businesses to stand up to Gov. Christie.

Clean energy companies big and small are growing despite the recession, creating green collar jobs across the state. Joe Navarra (pictured), who runs an energy efficiency business in Tom Rivers, said, “I am green energy.” These cuts would hurt Joe’s business and others like it, and deal a tough blow to New Jersey’s emerging clean energy economy.

Now clean energy companies from around the country are questioning whether New Jersey is the right place to invest. The amount that Christie wants to cut — over $330 million — could support more than 6,000 green jobs in the state and stimulate over $2 billion in investment and energy savings.

On the campaign trail, Gov. Christie pledged to continue our state’s energy leadership by being “New Jersey’s No. 1 clean energy advocate.” But now that he’s in office, he has announced plans to raid over half of the state’s clean energy fund for this current budget year.

Click the link below to tell your state legislators to stand up to Gov. Christie and reject his proposed $330 million clean energy cuts.

http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/action/energy/energy-raid-email?id4=ES

So, Readers, are your state’s trying to cut clean energy?

Photo of Joe Navarra, courtesy of Bill Wolfe.

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