Bloomfield Council Advances 2 Environmental Measures At Meeting

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Bloomfield Town Council advanced two measures aimed at improving environmental sustainability and assisting native pollinators at their meeting earlier this week.

Watch video footage from the March 11 meeting below, or view it online here.

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“Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our world, and while it is easy to feel helpless in the fight to save the planet, we can all do our part to help,” interim mayor Ted Gamble said.

Here’s what to know about each measure.

SUSTAINABLE JERSEY

The first measure expresses support for the town’s participation in the Sustainable Jersey Municipal Certification Program.

The program assists municipalities in New Jersey that want to go green, control costs, save money, and take steps to sustain their quality of life. Participants receive guidance and resources, including information on funding opportunities and grants to assist local governments in implementing sustainability measures.

The resolution directs Greener Bloomfield to work alongside the mayor, council, town administrator and other local organizations to pursue the certification.

It reads:

WHEREAS, sustainability at the municipal level of government means a policy in which decision making incorporates the “triple bottom line” of environmental stewardship, economic growth, and social equity so that meeting the needs of the present generation does not compromise the needs of future generations; and

WHEREAS, the Mayor and Council of the Township of Bloomfield strives to save tax dollars, assure clean air and water, improve working and living environments, and build a community that is sustainable economically, environmentally, and socially; and

WHEREAS, cities and communities around the world have adopted and are adopting sustainability as a goal of local government; and

WHEREAS, it is expected that implementing sustainability programs and projects will result in cost savings, improved public health, improved environmental health, preservation of property values, and quality of life benefits; and

WHEREAS, the Mayor and Council wishes to encourage all members of the Bloomfield community to take action for greater environmental sustainability by its example and through education and information; and

WHEREAS, Sustainable Jersey is a certification program for municipalities in New Jersey that want to go green, control costs and save money, and take steps to sustain their quality of life; and

WHEREAS, Sustainable Jersey provides comprehensive “how to” guidance and resources that enable municipalities to complete actions to become a Sustainable Jersey Certified Community, including information on funding opportunities and grants to assist local governments to implement specific actions

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mayor and Council of the Township of Bloomfield, in the County of Essex, that the Township of Bloomfield hereby endorses the concepts of sustainability as described above; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that to focus attention and effort within the Township of Bloomfield on matters of sustainability, the Mayor and Council wishes to pursue local initiatives and actions that will lead to Sustainable Jersey Municipal Certification; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Township authorizes Greener Bloomfield Organization, to serve as the Township’s Green Team and primary contact for the Sustainable Jersey Municipal Certification process and authorizes the organization it to complete the Municipal Registration and other program submissions and file same after approval of the Township Administrator or the Mayor and Township Council; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Township designates the Township Administrator as the program’s secondary contact; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Council hereby directs Greener Bloomfield organization to work with the Mayor and Council, Township Administrator, and other organizations in the Township in an advisory capacity to: (a) ensure the Township Administrator has the necessary information to approve the filing of the Municipal Registration on behalf of the Township of Bloomfield (b) assess the Sustainable Jersey program and the paths to certification that best fit the Township; (c) develop a proposal to the Mayor and Council identifying specific Sustainability Jersey actions for the Township to pursue for certification; (d) help coordinate the actions approved by the Mayor and Council to achieve certification; and (e) update the Mayor and Council on a regular basis as to the status of the Sustainable Jersey program and the progress toward the Township’s Sustainable Jersey ce.

MONARCH PLEDGE

The council also advanced the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge as a proclamation. It encourages residents to plant native milkweed and native nectar and pollinator plants to provide habitats for monarch butterflies and other pollinators.

The proclamation reads:

WHEREAS, the monarch butterfly is an iconic North American species whose multigenerational migration and metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly has captured the imagination of millions of Americans; and

WHEREAS, in 1996, more than one billion Eastern monarch butterflies migrated to Mexico, but in recent years the number has dropped to as low as 56 million – a decrease of more than 90 percent; and

WHEREAS, monarchs have lost an estimated 165 million acres of breeding habitat in the United States to herbicide spraying and development; and

WHEREAS, cities, towns and counties have a critical role to play to help save the monarch butterfly, and a number of organizations, schools and individuals in Bloomfield have already launched monarch preservation projects; and

WHEREAS, monarch butterflies, as well as other butterfly species, bees, birds and bats, help move pollen from one plant to another, fertilizing flowers and making it possible for plants to produce food needed to feed people and wildlife; and

WHEREAS, every citizen of Bloomfield can make a difference for the monarch by planting native milkweed and native nectar and pollinator plants to provide habitat for the monarch and pollinators in locations where people live, work, learn, play and worship.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, TED GAMBLE, as Mayor of the Township of Bloomfield, along with members of the Township Council, do hereby sign the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge; and I encourage other city officials across our great nation to take a stand with me to ensure that future generations have the chance to enjoy this iconic butterfly.

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