RECOGNIZED TODAY FOR MEETING TOMORROW’S GOALS: Princeton elected leaders and officials were recognized last month for achieving Sustainable Jersey Silver Certification and a Gold Star in Health at the annual New Jersey League of Municipalities conference in Atlantic City. Pictured from left, are Mayor Mark Freda, Princeton Health Department Outreach Coordinator Alyssa Desantis, Princeton Human Services Director Rhodalyn Jones, Princeton Administrator Bernard Hvozdovic, Princeton Deputy Administrator and Health Officer Jeff Grosser, Sustainable Princeton Executive Director Christine Symington, Sustainable Princeton Program Manager Jenny Ludmer, Sustainable Princeton Program Associate Madeline Stahl, Sustainable Princeton Communications and Outreach Manager Elana Berk, Princeton Councilman Brian McDonald, and Sustainable Jersey Executive Director Randall Solomon. (Photo courtesy of Sustainable Jersey)
By Matthew Hersh
Princeton has renewed its silver certification sustainability status and boasts a Gold Star in Health for its efforts to improve environmental stewardship while taking steps toward creating healthier communities.
The town received recognition in these areas in November at the annual Sustainable Jersey awards event at the New Jersey State League of Municipalities conference, where communities across the state convene to hear about advances in best sustainable practices from other towns.
This year, Princeton achieved a record number of sustainability points, thanks to the new municipal Food Scraps program, with 10 drop-off sites throughout the town, Witherspoon Street’s safety and pedestrian improvements, and rain garden installation, as well as the Environmental Resource Inventory, and improvements to emergency planning and communications.
Sustainable Princeton, which is a nonprofit organization located at 1 Monument Drive that works directly with the municipality, led energy-efficiency outreach campaigns for residents and businesses and is pursuing community solar for low- to moderate-income residents, both of which add to Princeton’s tally.
“Sustainable Jersey provides a framework for actions, so our office reviews those actions with the administration of the town and we try to think of the mayor and Council’s goals that might intersect with particular actions,” said Jenny Ludmer, program manager for Sustainable Princeton.
“We’ve been silver-certified for many years, but now we do yearly certification so we can build our points more quickly and meet our goals,” Ludmer said. “It’s also a fun competition with other towns.” She added that certification opens the town up to additional grants through Sustainable Jersey.
The practical implementation of the town’s sustainability goals is where the rubber meets the road, said Ludmer. The Princeton Food Scraps drop-off program makes hands-free, app-controlled drop-off sites accessible throughout the community “Most residents now have a convenient place to drop food scraps,”
Ludmer said.
The benefit? Lower greenhouse gas emissions. Food scraps in landfills produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is 20 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. “We know that when food waste goes to the landfill, it’s an extreme greenhouse gas emitter,” said Ludmer.
Municipal efforts to prevent stormwater runoff have also received statewide recognition. As part of the Witherspoon Street Improvements Project, Princeton installed a new rain garden this spring that was planted along Witherspoon Street between the sidewalk and the Princeton Municipal Building parking lot. The garden is designed to manage stormwater runoff and enhance the visual aesthetics of the Witherspoon Street corridor.
The project’s innovative design filters stormwater runoff through layers of triple-shredded mulch, a bio-media soil mix, and sand, according to Princeton’s project description. Beneath those layers, a stone reservoir temporarily holds the water. An underdrain then carries the filtered water to the storm drain system, which empties into Mountain Brook across Route 206. In addition to filtering water, the garden’s plants absorb moisture and return it to the atmosphere through a natural process called evapotranspiration.
Sustainable Jersey’s Gold Star in Health program recognizes efforts to improve community health in playgrounds, schools, workplaces, and parks, recognizing that the built physical environment can have direct effects on short- and long-term health outcomes.
“We were just coming out of a massive vaccination effort in 2021 and at the time, the program was new and it caught our attention,” said Princeton Deputy Administer and Health Officer Jeffrey Grosser. “We thought it was a great opportunity to continue our efforts to improve community health while doing something different, and what I liked about the Gold Star program was that it had a lot to do with implementing local, innovative practices in the community that have to do with improving health priorities.”
Two areas the town pursued were pandemic-related, but not related to the virus. Social isolation and mental health were the “unforeseen consequences of the pandemic,” Grosser said. These issues were born out of community interest and concern and gave space for Princeton to collaborate with other local institutions to find solutions for struggling residents.
As a result, Princeton worked closely with the Center for Modern Aging Princeton on addressing social isolation and providing art classes for older residents. Princeton also partnered with the Princeton Public Library to host a series of book talks with people from the mental health field.
“We were able to leverage those two areas and put together some really collaborative programming,’ said Grosser. “We were able to step back from that COVID response and get back to what we really love, and that’s boots on the ground.”
Princeton’s work continues, Grosser said, but with Sustainable Princeton working with the town to achieve environmental and health sustainable goals, it allows for an ongoing, cross-agency assessment of community health.
“We’re proud of the collaborative work across departments and with our residents,” said Mayor Mark Freda. “This recognition reflects Princeton’s deep commitment to building a healthier, more sustainable community for all. From improving air and water quality to expanding access to wellness resources, affordable housing, and sustainable transportation, our efforts are grounded in equity and long-term impact.”