State of New Jersey
Executive Order #96

Governor Christine Todd Whitman

WHEREAS, the State of New Jersey is committed to protecting the resources we have today to ensure that the New Jersey we pass on to our descendants will be healthy, efficient and just; and

WHEREAS, the State of New Jersey is at the forefront of becoming a "sustainable" state by encouraging economic, social and environmental goals that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; and

WHEREAS, in 1995, in partnership with the Governor's Office, the nonprofit New Jersey Future engaged in a wide-ranging community dialogue aimed at identifying long-term goals intended to enhance the quality of life for all residents of New Jersey, now and in the future, and identifying important economic, environmental and social indicators which could be utilized to measure our progress toward achieving these goals; and

WHEREAS, the results of New Jersey Future's findings have recently been compiled in the first-ever Sustainable State Report, "Living with the Future in Mind", which sets 11 goals, concerning economic vitality, transportation and land use efficiency, public health, equity, education quality, natural resource protection, ecological integrity, pollution prevention, housing, good government, and strong communities, culture and recreation, as well as indicators to measure our progress toward these goals; and

WHEREAS, the goals and indicators outlined in the New Jersey

Future report offer valuable practical guidance to the State of New Jersey in our efforts to achieve long-term sustainability for the benefit of current and future generations;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1. All State Departments and agencies shall:

a. Pursue, as appropriate, policies which comport with the 11 sustainability goals outlined in New Jersey Future's "Living With the Future in Mind" report.

b. Collaborate in the exchange of information among departments and agencies, and establish institutional mechanisms to encourage and facilitate achievement of these goals.

c. Report to the Governor on June 1, 2000, and every year thereafter, on their progress toward goal attainment.

2. This Order shall take effect immediately.

GIVEN, under my hand and seal
this 20th day of May in the Year of
Our Lord, One Thousand Nine
Hundred and Ninety Nine, and of
the Independence of the United States,
the Two Hundred and Twenty-Third.

/s/ Christine Todd Whitman
Governor

[seal]

Attest:

/s/ John J. Farmer, Jr.
Chief Counsel to the Governor