Sustainable Princeton is  seeking a BPI-certified home energy auditor to perform high quality home energy audits in Princeton at a reasonable cost. The  requirements, qualifications and criteria for selecting the home energy auditor are outlined in this downloadable RFP: Home Energy Audit Services RFP (pdf) and the May 3rd RFP Q&A Addendum.

Proposals responding to the RFP are due by 11:00 a.m. on May 7, 2013.

As part of our municipal-wide campaign to reduce Princeton’s energy use 20% by 2020, Sustainable Princeton is focusing on home energy audits as a key first step in reaching residential energy efficiency goals. Our specific goal is to have at least 100 audits completed by the end of 2013, and to increase the number of Princeton residents participating in the NJ Home Performance with Energy Star (HPwES) Program. The HPwES Program provides valuable rebates and zero interest loan financing for home energy improvements, but on-going funding for the program is not certain.

By pre-selecting and endorsing a home energy auditor, Sustainable Princeton can help streamline the audit process for homeowners. The selected auditor will be expected to provide a substantial outreach and marketing effort, including producing and distributing co-branded materials, in coordination with our efforts to publicize the home energy audit program.  Sustainable Princeton will be seeking a letter of support from the Town and the auditor will be expected to reproduce and mail this letter to at least 1,000 residents.

Once the audit is complete, a homeowner may choose any accredited contractor to complete the energy improvements.  However, we expect that some homeowners will prefer to continue working with the auditor, assuming that this individual or firm can perform the recommended home energy improvements (the auditor’s ability to perform this work is one of the selection criteria discussed in the RFP.)

We are very excited about this new program and opportunity for Princeton residents to get started on home energy improvements.  Please feel free to share the RFP with other interested parties and we look forward to your response!

For a copy of the RFP, download this pdf:  Home Energy Audit Services RFP or contact us via this email: info@sustainableprinceton.org

A resolution endorsing “Principles of Sustainability” was adopted by the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education at its April 23rd meeting at the JW Middle School cafeteria.  Kudos to the School Board and members of the Green Schools Coalition in supporting this important step forward for our school district!

The Sustainability Resolution is on the School Board’s April 23rd meeting agenda.

The resolution is based on a model developed by Sustainable Jersey and emphasizes the role of the school district in building a sustainable community. Under the resolution, PPS would join the Town of Princeton and Sustainable Princeton in supporting and encouraging:

• Student participation in learning experiences dedicated to sustainability, such as in class work, school gardens, health and wellness programs, and field trips.
• Professional development opportunities that will support educators in preparing students for a sustainable future.
• Sustainable practices related to energy efficiency, waste management, composting, recycling, and procurement and maintenance in Princeton Public Schools’ facilities.

If you would like more information about the resolution, please contact Karen Nathan or Stephanie Chorney, the co-chairs of the Green Schools Coalition.

Green Schools Coalition

Sustainable Princeton’s Green Schools Coalition serves as the voice for parents and others in the Princeton who seek to advance sustainability in our schools. As illustrated in the chart below, the group’s initiatives fall into two broad areas: Energy & Waste, and Health & Wellness. Specific goals and projects supported by the Green Schools Coalition include:

• composting of organic waste
• field trips and films to promote clean energy and waste reduction
• school gardens and cafeterias as health/science engagement opportunities
• tracking of energy efficiency improvements
• green food service (e.g. local food, eliminate styrofoam)
• cost savings from waste reduction and energy efficiency
• bicycling & walking campaigns

If you can help with any of these efforts, or have other ideas for green schools projects or initiatives, please let us know!  Contact Karen Nathan or Stephanie Chorney, Green Schools Coalition co-chairs, or add your name and a note about your interest via the email sign up form on our homepage.

Chart illustrating Green Schools Coalition 2012-13 initiatives.

This new logo can now be found on the green roll-out waste carts for the program. Thank you Anne Fahey for this great design!

There are many benefits to the town’s curbside composting program.  Its very easy to do, and a great way to learn how waste can be turned into a usable product, reducing its environmental impact. Curbside composting also saves money for the town due to increased recycle rates and lower trash dumping fees.  In the first six months of the program, residents saved over 60 tons of waste from landfill, equaling $7,500 saved in municipal trash disposal costs!

Weekly organic waste collection costs just $65/year.  For more information about the program, see the municipal website sign up page, or contact Janet Pellichero, Princeton’s Recycling Coordinator, at 609-688-2566.

Your street may win a prize if everyone joins the Princeton Composts program.  Of course, shorter streets, like Regatta Row (three of four homes signed up) do have an advantage, but the program may look at a block by block competition in the future.

Here are the top three streets for Princeton Composts sign-ups as of mid April:

• Jefferson Road – 20
• Dodds Lane – 14
• (Tie) Mount Lucas Road and Hawthorne Ave – 10 each

Help your street move to the top of the list by  joining the Princeton Composts program and asking your neighbors to join too.  Thank you to everyone for your support of this great program!

2012 Sustainable Princeton Leaders at Awards Ceremony

The awards ceremony took place at the Princeton Public Library as a kick off to the Princeton Environmental Film Festival.  Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert and Matt Wasserman, Chairman of Sustainable Princeton and the Princeton Environmental Commission, hosted the event.

This year’s awardees represent a diverse group, ranging from a seventeen year old who built his own electric car to a life long advocate for sustainability and the environment, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award, a new category for 2012.

The 2012 Sustainable Princeton Award winners are:

• Dr. Stephanie Chorney, Citizen Activist, is unstoppable.  She is a working pediatrician, a parent, the Community Park Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization President and the co-chair of Sustainable Princeton’s Green Schools Coalition. Her passions include all types of recycling, gardens and healthy food for our school cafeterias.  Stephanie is the kind of person who chooses to go to public meetings just to be sure the sustainable viewpoint is heard.  Her ability to ask the hard questions of any group makes her an invaluable addition to Princeton’s sustainability efforts.  Last year, Stephanie helped organize the first ever recycling effort at Communiversity and even followed the Public Works truck to make sure the recycling was taken where it was meant to go. We look forward to working with Stephanie Chorney for years to come.

• John Emmons, Science Teacher,has been the science teacher at Community Park Elementary School for five years.  During that time, he has transformed the once barren grassy areas of the school into beautiful and functional gardens.  Using the gardens as his classroom, Mr. Emmons teaches about soil, sun, planting, cultivating crops, life cycles and much more.  He has worked tirelessly to help establish and maintain four gardens at Community Park and one at Littlebrook Elementary School which include an edible garden, an herb garden, a prairie, a colonial garden and an alphabet garden.  His leadership and vision have ensured students have an opportunity to put their hands in the soil, plant, grow and enjoy the fruits and vegetables of their labor. John Emmons brings environmentalism to life for our elementary age children and the entire school community.

• Martha Friend, Science Teacher, is constantly finding new ways for Littlebrook Elementary students, families and staff to become more knowledgeable caretakers of the world around them.  She is a creative and dedicated teacher whose excitement about her subjects is infectious.  On top of her classroom responsibilities, Ms. Friend oversees the stewardship of Littlebrook’s Nature Trail and the Littlebrook School Garden – outdoor classrooms that are resources for the entire school community.  Martha uses the trail extensively to teach everything from decomposition to why we need to protect native species.  She uses the garden as the basis for lessons from plant reproductive strategies to the environmental impact of eating local versus imported foods.  In addition, she sets an example for others by turning off lights, cutting down on paper use and composting.  We honor Martha Friend for her passion and dedication to teaching our children and the school community about why caring for our environment is critical now and in the future.

• Robert Hrabchak, Student, Princeton Day School,  is the youngest award winner this year, and recently completed a yearlong independent project to convert a non drivable car that runs on fossil fuels/gasoline into an all electric vehicle which he will soon be driving carbon free around Princeton!  Robert has chronicled the importance of moving away from fossil fuels on his blog, in the Princeton Packet and on a YouTube video.  His goal is to continue to spread the word about the benefits of driving electric cars on our environment as well as our economy. We congratulate Robert Hrabchack for being a model of sustainable action for people young and old in our community.

• Jack Morrison, President, JM Group, owner Nassau Seafood, Blue Point Grill is a local resident, a business owner and a developer who also cares about trash, recycling and creating a strong and vibrant community.  He was instrumental in bringing the Princeton Farmers Market to Hinds Plaza and is the person who can be relied on to keep Hinds Plaza trash free.  JM Group staff, not Municipal staff, empty the trash and recycle bins in this public space two to three times daily to ensure it remains an attractive and clean town center.  Mr. Morrison has also been very active in numerous nonprofit groups in town including organizing fundraising for the Hurricane Sandy rebuilding efforts.Over the past 26 years, JM Group has expanded from Nassau Street Seafood to include Nassau St Caterers, Blue Point Grill and Witherspoon Grill. We look forward to working with Jack Morrison to ensure the entire town recycles in 2013

• Stu Orefice, Princeton University Dining Services Director, is always ready with a yes to any plan that matches town and gown.  He has supported the Princeton School Gardens Cooperative since its inception and worked closely with this nonprofit to bring his chefs into the public schools to cook and share healthy food.  On campus, he developed and opened Cafe Vivian, a “green café” serving only products that are organic, local, humanely raised and/or socially just. In the fall of 2012, Princeton University Dining Services led by Mr. Orefice, organized the “Community Dinner Under the Stars” to benefit Corner House in Princeton.  Dining services provided a locally sourced dinner for 350 high school students and community members. Stu Orefice’s work is a perfect example of how sustainability can bring a community together

• Bill Sachs, Tree Expert. Trees are a precious commodity in Princeton and Bill Sachs has been quietly and voluntarily tending to many of them for the past three years. Princeton and the rest of the Eastern U.S. are losing several important tree species to disease, insects and a rapidly changing climate.  To counter these challenges, Bill has acquired disease-resistant tress and worked with the Municipality to plant them in parks and preserves around Princeton.  His vigilance and dedication was best shown last summer when he planted new trees just before a serious drought hit the area.  Rather than give in to the heat, he was seen regularly dragging buckets of water to ensure the trees survived, which they did!  We thank Bill Sachs for his quiet and unsung efforts to preserve and revitalize our trees in Princeton.

• Grace Sinden, Life Time Achievement Award winner, has spent the past 42 years working to advance environmental and sustainability issues in Princeton as well as in the state of New Jersey.  Grace has been described as a citizen activist who recognizes the link between a clean environment and a healthy and just community.  Her knowledge of the ins and outs of public interest lobbying has been described as comprehensive, tireless and holistic.  Ms. Sinden served on the Princeton Environmental Commission for 13 years and worked for a decade on remediating hazardous waste in the State of New Jersey. She has been a model to many aspiring environmental advocates throughout her career, beginning with her legislative work with the League of Women Voters in the 1970s up to the preservation of the Princeton Ridge and then Avalon Bay this past year.  Her passion and detailed tactics have repeatedly been successful in passing environmental ordinances and initiatives that continue to improve our town.  We are honored to present our first Sustainable Princeton Lifetime Achievement Award to Grace Sinden.

• William A. Wolfe, Architect, is an all around sustainable citizen. Not only is his work focused on sustainable architecture and building but he lives in a home that uses sun and water for heating and cooling through solar panels and geothermal energy.  He is also an active volunteer, chairing the town’s Site Plan Review Advisory Board, and a member of the MRRO Zoning Task Force. While his knowledge of sustainable issues is vast, he recently returned to Princeton University to audit two courses in Environmental Science. William Wolfe is a resident who lives his work and models a sustainable lifestyle for so many of us in the community.

The Sustainable Princeton Leadership Awards are sponsored by Sustainable Princeton with support from the Princeton Environmental Commission. Each year a call for nominations is issued to help us identify Princeton’s best, brightest and greenest businesses, residents, teachers, school administrators, government employees, religious leaders and any others that are leading the way toward a sustainable Princeton. A volunteer review team comprised of representatives from each of these areas chooses the finalists.  (For lists of previous winners, see our 2011 SPLA and 2010 SPLA posts.)

Sustainable Princeton’s goals for the town of Princeton are to reduce energy use from fossil fuels, 20 percent by 2020 and to reduce waste by 50 percent by 2016.

For more information, contact Diane Landis or Andrea Malcolm, or visit us at One Monument Drive (former Borough Hall).

Help us find other local sustainability leaders like 2011 Award winner Charlie Yedlin (photo courtesy U.S. 1 Newspaper – article link below)

Sustainable Princeton and the Princeton Environmental Commission are seeking nominations for the 2012 Sustainable Princeton Leadership Awards. The awards will be presented to Princeton’s best, brightest and greenest businesses, residents, teachers, school administrators, government employees, religious leaders and any others that are leading the way toward a sustainable Princeton.

Nominations are due by Friday December 21, 2012.  To nominate an individual or organization, please email Andrea Malcolm, Sustainable Princeton’s Program Manager, with the following information:

• Name, email and address of nominee
• Name, email and address of person nominating
• Reason for the nomination

For the nomination reason, be sure to include how the nominee does one or more of the following:

• protects and improves the natural environment;
• conserves energy; uses energy more efficiently; and uses alternative energy sources;
• avoids the use of toxic substances;
• contributes to our community’s economic well-being, and,
• meets Princeton’s social needs fairly.

A list of previous Sustainable Princeton Leadership Award winners is provided in these previous posts: ”2011 Leadership Awards” and “Leadership Awards Announced for 2010“.  And read more about 2011 Award Winner Charlie Yedlin  in this U.S. 1 article.

The 2012 Sustainable Princeton Leadership Awards ceremony will take place on January 23rd at 7:00 p.m. at the Princeton Public Library.  We hope everyone will mark this date on the calendar and help us celebrate the Leadership Award winners!

You can see many of these curbside food waste bins in Princeton on Wednesday mornings.

The grant will support a campaign, spearheaded by Sustainable Princeton, to expand the town’s award-winning program.

The Curbside program, which was piloted by the Township Public Works Department, provides participating households with rolling waste bins that are picked up weekly.  Residents use compostable or biodegradable trash bags and fill the bins with food and organic waste, including everything from fish bones to pizza boxes, kitchen trimmings and plate waste. The waste is trucked to a compost facility which turns it into nutrient rich soil.  (See our previous post for more details about the pilot program.)

There are a number of benefits to the Curbside Food to Compost program. Not only does it save money for the town due to increased recycle rates and lower trash dumping fees, but it turns waste into a usable product.

“We are thrilled to accept this grant to assist Princeton in expanding its Curbside Food to Compost program. We believe the program is a model that can be replicated by towns across New Jersey.   Not only does curbside compost make financial sense for a community but it keeps organic waste out of New Jersey’s overburdened landfills and turns it into nutrient rich soil,” says Matthew Wasserman, Board Chair of Sustainable Princeton.

Currently, 460 Princeton households participate in the program, a small portion of the 9,500 housing units in the entire town of Princeton.  Through the grant, Sustainable Princeton aims to increase participation in the curbside organic program to 1500 or more households over an 18 month period.

The 2012 Sustainable Jersey Small Grants Program funded by the PSEG Foundation is providing a total of $200,000 in grants to local governments for sustainability projects.

“PSEG is committed to being a steward of the environment and making meaningful contributions to the communities it serves,” said Anne Hoskins, senior vice president of public affairs and sustainability for PSEG, one of New Jersey’s oldest companies and largest employers. “We are proud to support this program and to fund projects that will make life better in neighborhoods all over New Jersey.”

Sustainable Princeton’s vision is that everyone in Princeton lives and works in ways that are sustainable, including reducing energy use and waste, protecting the natural environment, and meeting human needs fairly and efficiently.

For more information about Sustainable Princeton’s programs and projects, please contact Diane or Andrea via our contact page, sign up for our email list, and attend our monthly meetings!  And be sure to see this recent post about our great volunteer opportunities!

• Housewarmers 2012: Attend a free two hour training with a LEED Accredited Architect on October 6th from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and become one of our Housewarming assessors who identify and help with simple energy fixes for mid-to low income homes for our neighbors in need in Princeton!
• Clean Bin Project: Work with a team to develop a community challenge to reduce the amount of waste that Princeton sends to landfills.
• Bin Buddies: Give an hour of your time to stand at the new recycle bins in town and document who throws what where so we can design an effective recycling campaign for downtown.
• BYOBag Campaign:  Continue this successful program and work with local businesses to reduce single use plastic bags and increase use of reusable bags!
• Green Schools Coalition: Be the voice for sustainability in Princeton Public schools supporting healthy eating, curricula ideas, and energy efficiency.
• Great Ideas Breakfast: Co-chair, set up, clean up or help us with breakfast donations for this lovely free community event that showcases the many voices of sustainability in Princeton.  It will be held at the Princeton Public Library in February, 2013.
• Green Drinks: Work with SP staff to organize a monthly social hour for green minded folks at a local restaurant.
• Skills Squad: Offer your specific skills to our board and committees:  We need marketers, artists, a lawyer, an accountant, writers, IT specialists, social media gurus, funraisers and fundraisers!
• Meeting Attendees:  Just come to our monthly meeting and hear what is going on in Sustainable Princeton’s world.  The last Tuesday of every month at Whole Earth Center, 260 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ.

Sign up today!  And please spread the word by sharing this information with anyone who you think might be interested!

Thank you.

The Housewarming team, funded by a $10,000 grant from the J. Seward Johnson Sr., Charitable Trust, completed work on three Princeton homes in April of 2012, providing $100 in free materials and labor to participating households.  The group is looking for seven additional households to take part in the pilot in the Fall of 2012.

“For most people, a twenty percent return on investment can be realized through home energy improvements. I don’t know any other investment strategy that is paying those kind of rates and simple energy fixes improve the comfort and value of your home,” says, Heidi Fichtenbaum, a Sustainable Princeton board member and LEED Accredited Professional with Farewell Architects, LLC who is leading the Housewarming project.

Participating households are asked to collect and share energy bills with Sustainable Princeton from one year before and one year after the Housewarming to note the savings that have taken place.

Each participating household is provided with a two hour assessment of each home’s unique energy issues. The Housewarming team returns to the home a second time to make any simple energy fixes such as weather stripping, caulking or installing outlet gaskets. Each homeowner is then provided a written description of the energy fixes that have been completed which includes suggestions for any additional work that could be accomplished with the help of a contractor.  Sustainable Princeton plans to expand the Housewarming program in 2013.

Reducing energy usage generated from fossil fuels in Princeton homes is one of Sustainable Princeton’s strategic goals for Princeton for 2012 and beyond  Sustainable Princeton’s vision is to create a community that makes a habit of living and working sustainably.

To learn about participation requirements in the Housewarming project, contact Diane Landis or Andrea Malcolm.  To download the Housewarming home improvement checklist see our Home Energy Use resource page.

D&R Canal State Park is one of the sites on the Green Map - great for biking or walking!

We have 60 sites mapped so far on the “Princeton Green Connections” Green Map, including our parks and other “green” places, eco-information sites, special trees, biking routes, hiking trails, and more.

Where is your favorite green place in Princeton?  And why is it special?  We  invite everyone to help add more sites, comments, photos, etc. to the map. Just click on the map icons and routes, and you will see options for adding comments/photos, and even rating the site’s impacts!

Check the map to find these 300-year old "Stamp Act" trees...and other special trees!

We would like to start other Green Map themes in the future, focusing on green building technology, green/sustainable businesses, green events/tours, etc. Please contact Andrea Malcolm if you are interested in helping us expand the “Princeton Green Connections” Green Map and/or coordinating a new green map for our community.

Use the paved path at Community Park South to connect to other sites on the Green Map.

Thank you very much to these organizations that helped Sustainable Princeton staff and volunteers with the initial mapping:

• D&R Greenway
• Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS)
• Princeton Borough Shade Tree Commission
• Princeton University Office of Sustainability

We also want to thank these organizations for their mapping ideas and information:

• Marquand Park Foundation
• Princeton Environmental Commission
• Princeton Joint Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Committee
• Princeton Public Library
• Princeton Recreation Department
• Princeton Regional Planning Board
• Princeton Township Engineering Department

For additional information about the “Princeton Green Connections” Green Map, Sustainable Jersey Green Map training, and the worldwide Green Map organization, see our February 7, 2012 “Green Map Coming to Princeton” post.

Here is "one way" recycling volunteers helped at Communiversity!

Beginning with a request for help from the Arts Council at Sustainable Princeton’s Great Idea Breakfast in February, many people came together to make recycling happen at Communiversity.  We would especially like to thank:

• Barbara Trelstad, Borough Council Member (who helped arrange for the recycling containers and public works staffing)
• Stephanie Chorney, Sustainable Princeton volunteer (who tirelessly made sure all the parties came together to make recycling a reality)
• Tom Janick, Sustainable Princeton Board Member and owner of Craft Cleaners (who championed the recycling team volunteers and provided them with great looking tee-shirts!)
• the 20 Sustainable Princeton Recycling Team volunteers, including local families, business people, Princeton University students and others (who helped monitor & publicize the recycling containers; and even changed some liners/removed non-recyclables when needed!)
• Princeton Borough and Princeton Township Public Works staff (who set up and took down the containers, plus replaced container liners throughout the event)
• the Mercer County Improvement Authority (who provided the recycling containers)
• the Princeton community and other visitors to Communiversity who supported this effort by using the recycling containers!

Thank you to all those who helped recycle at Communiversity!

Next year, we hope to have an even bigger and better recycling operation underway at Communiversity – with more recycling containers, better information about what to recycle, and maybe even a food & organic waste recycling option!

We also want to let everyone know about an upcoming demonstration project to improve recycling in the downtown/Hinds Plaza area, with better bins, better information and lots of publicity – stay tuned! If you would like to help with this effort, please contact Diane Landis.  (Also, see the photo below posted on a local sustainability blog, showing the need for more recycling bins in downtown Princeton.)

And don’t forget to do your own recycling at home, including recycling food and organic waste via the municipal organic waste curbside collection program!

Janet Pellichero, Twp. recycling coordinator, wearing a Recycling Team teeshirt at Sustainable Princeton's Communiversity table

Besides recycling, volunteers helped staff our table at Communiversity-thank you to all!!

A recycling bin on Nassau St. (accidentally left after Communiversity?) shows the need to do more! (Photo from local sustainability blogger Andrew Thomas.).