Lawrence Councilwoman Pamela Mount & Sustainable Jersey Co-Founder Donna Drewes
The Citizens Campaign and Sustainable Jersey hosted the first of three regional conferences to empower citizens to create more efficient and environmentally-friendly communities. The workshop, "Using the Sustainability Toolkit: Building Healthier Communities" offered New Jersey residents expert advice and insight on how to identify and pursue sustainable solutions that not only promote healthier communities, but can save municipalities millions of dollars. Read all about this workshop.Take a look at the photos from the event, courtesy of our friend John M. Flores.
The Citizens Campaign is now offering three new online classes to give residents the tips and tools to get results on making our communities more sustainable and environmentally-friendly.
Citizen Journalism: Covering Your Community's Sustainability Practices: Interested in reporting what's happening in your community on environmental issues? Not only will you get inside knowledge of political parties & environmentally-focused governmental boards and commissions, you'll also hear about the basic principles of journalism, as well as best practice research & reporting methods. Learn how to be your community's one stop shop on sustainability news!
Appointed Office: Service on Environmentally Related Boards: Did you know there are dozens of appointed positions available to you at the local, county and state levels that deal with environmental issues? Learn how you can influence decisions being made in your community on sustainable issues from the inside.
Bergen Citizen Leaders Plug Pay-to-Play Loophole
Bergen County residents have been working hard to ensure that county contracts are awarded on merit and cost-effectiveness, not political contributions. The Freeholders were scheduled to vote on a pay-to-play law that carved out giant loophole for "fair and open" contracts, which would have in effect exempted almost all contracts. But with citizen determination and a report from the State Comptroller, the weak law was withdrawn and the Freeholder's pledged to put forward a strong, iron-clad law.
If you live in Bergen County, join us at the Freeholder Meeting on Wednesday, October 5th to find out if the new proposal is real reform or just more business as usual. With Election Day around the corner, now is the best time to get real results!
Meet our New Gloucester County Chair
Sidney Hargro of the Community Foundation of South Jersey and our Gloucester County Chair Staci Greenberg at the Camden Call to Service Summit.
Staci Greenberg first learned about The Citizens Campaign when she heard about a big event we were hosting in New Brunswick. Staci decided to get in the car and drive more than two hours to attend the Jersey Call to Service Summit. At the Summit, Staci attended our workshop on getting appointed to boards and commissions. Staci took our advice and was successful in getting appointed to her town's Environmental Commission.
Now Staci is paying it forward by serving as our new Gloucester County Chair and developing a podcast series to highlight other citizen leaders. On October 11th, Staci will be moderating our experts panel at the South Jersey Sustainability Conference.
Perth Amboy High School student Monica Santos, (in blue t-shirt) attended the Central Jersey Sustainability Workshop with her classmates and got inspired to be a leader in her community on the environment. She asked a question of the expert panelists, "What is the best way to get my community involved in Sustainability?" The panelists suggested she select one issue at a time, such a addressing car idling, so that people can focus on taking responsibility and getting results. Sustainable Jersey co-founder Donna Drewes, said that Perth Amboy had registered to participate in Sustainable Jersey program, and offered tips on best ways to inform the community about the program and get citizens involved. After hearing the panel and different ways to be involved, Monica decided she wants to be a Citizen Journalist to keep her friends and neighbors informed.
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