Getting Ready for Sustainable Jersey Certification March 20, 2013
Webinar Agenda 2013 Certification Cycle Focusing on your Green Team Planning for certification Case Study: Camden Submitting your application Common Pitfalls Sustainable Jersey support Wrap-Up
Introductions Sustainable Jersey Staff Presenters Winnie Fatton, Program Manager (Moderator) John Loyer, Project Coordinator Samantha McGraw, Project Coordinator Guest Presenter Chris Waldron Director of Sustainability, Camden County Chair, Winslow Township Environmental Commission Green Team, City of Camden
Benefits of Sustainable Jersey Certification Certification process guides your town s work towards sustainability Extensive support and training Priority access and notification on incentives and grants Showcase results and gain recognition internally and externally Fuels the statewide movement
2013 Certification Cycle June 16 Application Deadline Indicate all actions you plan to complete for credit by marking Ready for Review Mid-July First Round Review Comments Provided September 15 th Revision Deadline to be Eligible for Recognition at the 2013 NJLM Conference Mid-October Second Round Review Comments November 13 th Final Application Deadline Mid-December Final Decision on Pending Applications
Questions
Planning for Certification
Certification Requirements Bronze Green Team 150 Points 2 out of 7 priority actions 6 out of 16 categories Silver Green Team 350 points 3 out of 7 priority actions 8 out of 16 categories
Priority Actions Inventory and Upgrade All Buildings (50 points) Natural Resources Inventory (20 points) Energy Management & Tracking (10 points) Fleet Inventory (10 points) Municipal Carbon Footprint (10 points) Sustainable Land Use Pledge (10 points) Water Conservation Ordinance (10 points)
Action Categories Animals in the Community Arts & Culture Community Partnership and Outreach Diversity & Equity Energy Efficiency Food Green Design Greenhouse Gas Health & Wellness Innovative Demonstration Projects Land Use & Transportation Local Economies Natural Resources Operations & Maintenance Sustainability Planning Waste Management
Develop a Plan Get your Green Team organized Identify the Sustainable Jersey action you plan to pursue Form small groups to work on each specific action and identify a group leader Review documentation requirements for each action Review materials submitted by other towns Develop a list of tasks to complete the action and the associated target dates Track progress and adjust plan as needed Upload action documentation by June 16 th
Most Popular Actions Easy to Tackle Actions indicates actions that have been attempted the most by municipalities has the HIGHEST success rate of approval upon review May use to help guide you in identifying what actions to pursue Available here: http://www.sustainablejersey.com/grantsresources/green-team-resources-and-presentations/
Additional Actions to Consider Energy Efficiency Inventory and Upgrade All Buildings (50 points) Direct Install (New) Outreach Campaign to Local Business Community (10 points) Achieving Target Increase in Local Business Participation (10 points) Home Performance with Energy Star (New) Outreach (10 points) Municipal Program (20 points) Arts/Culture Establish a Creative Team (10 points) Greenhouse Gas Climate Adaptation and Flooding (Coming Soon!)
Actions to Consider Land Use & Transportation Complete Streets Program (20 points) Operations & Maintenance Green Fleets Fleet Inventory (10 points)
Partners Providing Technical Support Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Clean Energy Program (NJBPU CEP) Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions Citizens Campaign Clean Ocean Action Mayors Wellness Campaign Water Resources Program at Rutgers
Master Action Tracking Spreadsheet Download from Website Green Team Resources Page & Actions Page: http://www.sustainablejersey.com/grants-resources/green-teamresources-and-presentations/ http://www.sustainablejersey.com/certification/actions/ Helpful Planning Tool Track progress & checklist for uploading materials Spreadsheet Includes: Action name, submission requirements, shelf life, resubmission requirements, points
Questions
Sustainable Camden County Guest Presenter Chris Waldron Director of Sustainability, Camden County Chair, Winslow Township Environmental Commission Green Team, City of Camden
Questions
Applying for Certification
New Sustainable Jersey Website Access the website Primary Contact: Same email address and password Others: Sign Up for an Account Navigating the website Green Team Resources & Presentations Page Municipal Dashboard Create/Update Application, Municipal Profile, Manage Municipality Users (Owners & Contributors), Download Resolution
Working on Your Application Choose Begin Application or Update Application on Municipal Dashboard Use Training Needed and Action Planned columns Make note of Approved Actions, Completed Actions, and Planned Actions boxes on right hand side of page to track progress Think of your application as a living document; a filecabinet that will constantly change and get updated even after certified
Working on Your Application Upload Documentation to verify action was completed Click on action title Input narrative and upload any files Maximum 6 files per action Individual file size max is 20 MB Accepts most file types Click Save Action Submission
Submitting Your Application Submit application Mark actions that you plan to complete for credit; status will change to Submitted Recalculate totals in the Completed Actions Box and click Submit Application is locked while under review Cannot update those actions marked Submitted Receive Reviewer Comments Click on Comments at top of application to view all at once View comments in individual actions Address comments and resubmit Cannot edit recently Approved actions Editing of any actions (including Approved or Expired ) turns them back to In Progress
Why Actions Are Not Approved Why Actions Are Not Approved Pitfall Action Implemented Expired/Too old Proper documentation not submitted Misinterpretation of Action Goals Seeking credit for same activity under two different actions Not conducting outreach/education component required for many actions Not completing the prerequisite action How to Overcome Review Submission Requirements; Update action as necessary. Double check action submission requirements and documentation uploaded Be sure to closely read the What to Do and What to Submit portion of the action to verify that what you plan on submitting is in line with the intent of the action One activity may only be given credit under one action; Have someone that oversees entire application Read the submission What to Do and What to Submit sections closely Be sure to read the Introduction to each action and the What to Submit section to make sure the action does not have a prerequisite or that it has been completed.
Sustainable Jersey Support Technical Support Samantha McGraw: 609-771-2938; info@sustainablejersey.com Events & Trainings Listed on website (Events & Training Page) Ability to add your events Join the Sustainable Jersey Mailing List Follow Sustainable Jersey on Facebook and Twitter Creation of Regional Hubs Additional Support Needed?
Wrap-Up Additional Questions Online Survey Link will be emailed to you Tell us how we can better serve you Webinar Posted on Website Thank You for Your Participation