Return to Governing Home

Governing with the Future in Mind:

Working Together to Enhance New Jersey's Sustainability

and Quality of Life

Strategic Recommendations

1. Continue and enhance the critical analysis of State policies, strategies and programs from a sustainability perspective.

  •  Revise or phase out strategies that do not support Sustainable State Goals.

  • Each State agency should lead by example in efforts to support sustainability (such as promoting green building design or employee trip reduction)
  • Foster sustainable practices of private businesses (such as promoting the manufacture of sustainable products in New Jersey). 
  • Analyze tax policy to promote consistency with sustainability, to the extent consistent with sound fiscal policy and budgetary restraints. 
  • Reduce energy consumption in State buildings by 25% over the next eight years.

2. Take measures to ensure incorporation of sustainability concepts into everyday State agency decision-making.

  • Strengthen the mission and role of the Interagency Sustainable State Working Group.  

  • Activate the Sustainable State Institute.

  • Create Sustainable State Implementation Teams in all State agencies.

  • Incorporate sustainability concepts into goal-based strategic plans for all State agencies.

  • Sustainability should be closely linked with and integrated into the State budget process.
3.Implement measures that best promote inclusion of the public and other nongovernmental sectors in the process of making New Jersey a Sustainable State.  
  • Incorporate sustainability concepts into the public education curriculum.  

  • Offer incentives to encourage an Energy-Smart Schools Program.  

  • Promote sustainable practices in agriculture.  

  • Enhance the Sustainable Development Loan Fund to help develop businesses that provide environmentally-sustainable goods and services.  

Complete descriptions of these recommendations can be found on pages 93-105 of Governing with the Future in Mind  

Acknowledgements

Interagency Sustainable State Working Group

Matt Polsky, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Project Leader

 James Barbo, NJ Department of Corrections

Ellen Bourbon, Board of Public Utilities                 

Barbara Bruschi, NJ Department of the     Treasury      

Stu Bressler, NJ Redevelopment Authority

Joseph Carpenter, NJ Department of        Environmental Protection

Ruth Charbonneau, NJ Department of       Health and Senior Services

Leonard Colner, NJ Department of      Environmental Protection   

Len Feldman, NJ Department of Human    Services     

Gina Galli, NJ Economic Development       Authority

Robert Grandette, NJ Department of     Corrections                   

Maryanne Grumelli, NJ Department of      Education                       

Karl Hartkopf, NJ Office of State Planning  

John Hazen, NJ Department of    Environmental Protection 

Stacy Ho, Office of the Governor    

Brian Hughes, Governor's Council on      Alcoholism and Drug Abuse

Sylvia Kaplan, NJ Department of Education             

Cassandra Kling, NJ Office of Sustainable Business                     

Robert Kull, NJ Office of State Planning      

Neil Longfield, NJ Department of     Transportation     

Bill Mates, NJ Department of Environmental Protection                       

Stephen Mattson, NJ Department of Banking and Insurance

Leslie McGeorge, NJ Department of Environmental Protection

Wendy Mitteager, Rutgers University Department of Geography

William Morris, NJ Department of Corrections

Larry O'Reilly, NJ Department of Law and Public Safety

Mike Powell, NJ Office of Sustainable Business

Jim Requa, NJ Department of Community Affairs

Jeff Richter, NJ Department of Personnel

Dave Ridolfino, NJ Department of the Treasury

Gayle Riesser, NJ Department of Human Services

Jessica Sanchez, NJ Office of State Planning

Paul Suda, NJ Department of Labor

Diane Schulze, NJ Division of the Ratepayer Advocate

Randy Solomon, Resource Renewal Institute

Nancy Tindall, NJ Department of the Treasury

Peter Traum, NJ Department of Banking and Insurance

John Walton, NJ Department of Banking and Insurance

Tirza. Wahrman, NJ Division of the Ratepayer Advocate

Don Wheeler, NJ Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability

Additional Acknowledgements

The Interagency Group would like to thank the following additional individuals from NJDEP who have helped out on the Sustainable State initiative: Mike Aucott, Tom Belton, Gwen Haile, Robert Hazen,Rachel Hamilton, Branden Johnson, Tom Ledoux, Debra Litvinczuk, Joseph Mognancki, Tanya Oznowich, Peter Page, Terry Raymond, Jorge Reyes, Steve Rinaldi, Athena Sarafides, Mark Scorsolini, Terri Tucker, Mike Winka, Guy Watson, Theresa Warman.

The Group would also like to thank the following people from other agencies: Jay Doolan, Department of Education, Joe Mahuskey, Department of Transportation, Stu Nagourney, Department of Community Affairs/NJDEP; and outside of State government: Jeff Cotton, Interface Corp., Carl Henn, New Brunswick Environmental Commission.

 Finally, the Group would like to thank its Work Group Members who spent substantial amounts of time editing and writing drafts of sections outside of their professional areas: John Hazen, Department of Environmental Protection and Jeff Richter, Department of Personnel.

Return to Governing Home