GO GREEN II

1. Work with educational institutions such as Kean, Union County College and Union County Vocational Technical Schools to help promote and develop “Green Collar” job training.
2. Develop green components for the annual College for Teens program at Union County College. Introduce these students to conservation programs, careers in green technology, energy audits and more.
3. The Vo-Tech School and County College will begin a new teacher training program to prepare children and adults for careers in the emerging green industry.
4. Work on a number of measures aimed at efficiency and the development of alternative energy sources for our County buildings, including direct digital control systems that provide temperature resets, and programmable thermostats. Explore solar and geothermal applications.
5. Begin a pilot program to use biofuels in heavy duty County vehicles to reduce harmful emissions. Any other vehicles for consideration by the County must be Hybrid, Flex-Fuel or Biodiesel compatible, meeting all CAFE fuel mandates.
6. Continue to apply LEED green standards to the County’s construction and renovation projects as last year. LEED means Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The County is currently building the Veneri building in Westfield in order to meet the LEED standard. The County has made a commitment to build future facilities in line with these standards.
7. This month will also witness the distribution of grants to schools to promote unique ways of recycling.
8. Re-offer the Greening Union County grant program through the Open Space division, which has planted more than a thousand trees across the County.

A TRADITION OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMMING

Union County has a strong tradition of leadership in environmental preservation and protection. Following are Union County’s main environmental programs, some of which date back over sixty years.

1.  Union County was one of the first counties in the nation to preserve open space through a public parks system. The Union County Park System was established in the 1920’s with approximately 2,000 acres of land. Despite the rapid development of suburban towns in one of New Jersey’s most densely populated counties, our parks system has grown to include over 6,300 acres of land preserved for recreation and nature conservation.

2.  In 1941 Union County established New Jersey’s first natural history museum, the Trailside Nature and Science Center in the Watchung Reservation. Since then, Trailside’s slate of environmental education programming for children, adults, and educators has grown steadily. The facility itself was recently expanded and the exhibits were modernized. A planetarium, historic tree arboretum and demonstration garden are also located on the site. To make this resource more accessible to schools and communities, a traveling eco-van has been added.

3.  In 2000, the Union County Open Space, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund was established by referendum. Its ten-year goal was to preserve 100 new acres of land. As of 2008, the Trust Fund has far surpassed that goal. Over 300 acres have been preserved in less than eight years.

4.  Union County was one of the first counties in New Jersey to collect hazardous wastes from residents and dispose of them safely. We held our first collection events in the 1980’s, to help residents dispose of unwanted pesticides. Now we collect everything from paint and batteries to aerosol cans, computers, car tires, and more. We also added a free household paper shredding service, which steers more fiber into the recycling stream by providing residents with a secure way to dispose of personal papers.

5.  Every year, Union County plants hundreds of trees along County roads and on other County properties. We expanded our tree-planting programs in 2004 with Greening Union County, which provides matching trees to local governments for each one they plant on municipal properties. The County also provides free flowering trees for schools to plant in celebration of Arbor Day, and we conduct special tree planting events at County parks with volunteers on Earth Day.

6.  As a county host for the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Union County supports the Union County Master Gardeners and Master Tree Stewards programs. The County provides space for offices, a demonstration/sharing garden, a historic tree seedling nursery, and other Extension programs related to agriculture and conservation education.

Over the coming years, many more communities around the world will embark on a commitment to create a more sustainable way of living. As Union County joins this movement, we recognize that we have inherited a strong environmental legacy from past generations of County residents. The entire Union County family is committed to working together, to build a cleaner, healthier environment as our own legacy to the future.