Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • October 24, 2012 Upper Saddle River Sustainable Jersey representatives have announced that Upper Saddle River, a certified Sustainable Jersey community, has received a Sustainable Jersey Capacity-Building Grant. This $2,000 grant will assist the community’s Green Team members as they lead and coordinate sustainability activities in the community. As part of the 2012 Sustainable Jersey Small Grants Program, $14,000 has been funded by Walmart and the Walmart Foundation in grants to local governments for sustainability projects. Upper Saddle Municipality receives Sustainable Jersey grant River achieved certification in March 2012. “The borough is committed to preserving and enhancing our natural resources. Our designation as a Sustainable Jersey community, combined with the efforts of a dedicated and talented Green Team and Environmental Committee, made this grant possible,” Upper Saddle River Mayor Joanne Minichetti commented. “I especially endorse the educational aspect of the projects to be funded by this grant for change will only be achieved by instilling awareness.” The Green Team’s projects that the grant will support were designed to inspire the community to partner with the borough’s sustainable efforts. They focus on visual demonstrable projects to provide a physical anchor to foster sustainable education and community volunteerism. Included are proposed plans for an outdoor nature kiosk as a nature center near the bank of the Saddle River. The kiosk will be designed as an environmental outdoor informational display to meld residents’ appreciation for the borough’s natural resources and rich heritage, with the goal of preservation. It aims to promote an understanding of our river, trees, and natural habitat, as a catalyst to inspire residents of all generations to protect these resources. The grant will also be used to create a rain garden/water harvest system at borough hall. The perennial garden will be designed for beauty and function: to reduce the amount of storm water runoff and pollutants that reach the Saddle River. The goal is to inspire homeowners to incorporate these practices into their own landscaping. A rain garden workshop featuring design installation, planting, and maintenance will follow. Students, volunteer organizations and the community will be involved in both projects. “Over the past few years, through Walmart’s sponsorship of Sustainable Jersey grants, municipalities across New Jersey have taken on the task of making their communities greener and more sustainable,” said Jennifer Hoehn, Walmart senior manager of public affairs for New Jersey. Sustainable Jersey is a certification program for municipal- Members of the Upper Saddle River Environmental Committee gather support at a recent event. ities in New Jersey. Launched in 2009, Sustainable Jersey is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that supports community efforts to reduce waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and improve environmental equity. Sustainable Jersey is empowering New Jersey towns to build a better world for future generations. It provides tools, training, and financial incentives to support and reward communities as they pursue sustainability programs. New Jersey is the first state in the nation to have a comprehensive sustainability program for communities that links certification with strong state and private financial incentives, and a fully resourced program of technical support and training. Sustainable Jersey is 100 percent voluntary and each town can choose whether it wants to get certified and the actions it wants to take in order to achieve enough points to get certified.