Nominees in this category should demonstrate a commitment to addressing the current and/or future impacts of climate change in New Jersey. Examples of projects include:

• Increase local resilience through improvement of land use policy, local land conservation, or resilience planning and projects.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions through projects such as building decarbonization, vehicle electrification and/or electric vehicle charging station projects, technologies and infrastructure or green power purchases to lessen the impacts of climate change.

Nominees in this category should demonstrate a commitment to and experience in one or more of the following areas and activities:

• Decrease the amount of air pollution and/or lower people’s exposure to harmful air pollutants outdoors. This can be done through practices that prevent pollution or by using new technologies that control or eliminate air contaminants.
• Decrease the amount of air pollutants that end up on land and in water by reducing or avoiding the use of fossil fuels. Examples include using renewable energy sources like solar, wind, biomass, and energy storage.

Nominees in this category should demonstrate a commitment to and experience in one or more of the following areas and activities:

• Improve surface or ground water quality and reduce pollution through stormwater and wastewater management strategies and technologies.
• Address emerging drinking water contaminants.
• Promote or develop land use policies, including acquisition and restoration, watershed management approaches and green infrastructure projects, to improve protection of water sources, especially when considering climate change.

Nominees in this category should demonstrate a commitment to and experience in programs or techniques that have resulted in improving the state’s ecological resources including forests, wetlands, estuaries and coastal areas, as well as habitats of nongame and/or threatened and endangered species. Improvements could have been made through:

• Restoration – Assist in the recovery of ecosystems that have been degraded or destroyed. Restoration projects can include erosion control, reforestation, removal of non-native species and weeds, reintroduction of native species, and habitat and range improvement for targeted species.
• Protection – Preserve and enhance NJ’s natural environment. Projects can include expanding protection of lands and waterways to safeguard ecosystem health and providing habitat connectivity and corridors to support wildlife adaptation to changing conditions.
• Resilience – The ability of social and ecological systems to absorb and adapt to shocks and stresses resulting from a changing climate, while becoming better positioned to respond in the future. Projects can include installing green infrastructure, urban reforestation as well as programs to assist and promote better land management practices.

Nominees in this category should demonstrate a commitment to and experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Implement policies and projects that improve public health outcomes (e.g., reduced asthma) and/or promote overall public wellness through restoration, preservation or enhancement of, and increasing access to, the natural environment (e.g., urban forestry, green and open space); and/or reduce/remove local pollution sources (e.g., lead) or situations that expose humans to hazardous conditions (e.g., extreme heat, flooding).
• Create community-based initiatives that foster involvement, action and effective solutions to combat the adverse effects of pollution and climate change on overburdened and low-income communities.

Nominees, such as businesses, community organizations, or municipalities, should demonstrate a commitment to and experience in one or more of the following areas and activities:

• Conserve resources, including water, natural lands, wood and other limited natural resources.
• Increase energy efficiency and/or reduces fossil fuel use.
• Reduce local pollution or waste reduction.
• Incorporate improved product stewardship, including recycling, reuse, repair, and repurposing of products to reduce waste.

Nominees in this category should demonstrate a commitment to and experience in one or more of the following areas and activities:

• Deliver improved environmental quality, public health and access to natural resources for New Jersey’s historically disadvantaged and overburdened communities through the reduction of stressors, such as environmental pollution, and/or the increase of environmental benefits, such as trees and open space.
•  Empower residents of disadvantaged and overburdened communities to participate in meaningful decision-making that affects their public health and the environment.
• Develop innovative practices or technologies that have resulted in the private or public sector cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated/brownfields sites in overburdened communities.

Nominees in this category should demonstrate a commitment to and experience in one or more of the following areas and activities:

• Incorporate environmental education into lesson plans with a focus on creative, innovative ways to incorporate climate change education into classes
• Mentor other colleagues in environmental education
• Promote environmental education to the public (community members, parents, etc.)
• Incorporate experiential/place-based learning into lessons

Please note if your school district participates in an environmental program such as the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program, Eco-Schools USA, the U.S. Green Ribbon Schools program, or another environmental program.

This award honors a young New Jersey resident who demonstrates exceptional leadership and outstanding accomplishments in environmental protection.

Nominees for this award should be 24 years or younger. Students are welcome to apply. Nominees should demonstrate a commitment to and have experience in one or more of the following:

• Events or programs: Coordinate environmental sustainability events or actions within the state that furthers positive environmental awareness and action.
• Leadership: Make a valuable contribution to the environment by serving in a leadership position, as a role model, achieving innovations and mentoring or supporting a diverse group of other individuals in work, school and/or community.
• Impact: Demonstrate implementation of a program or project that has measurable positive impacts in environmental protection and competency of environmental

Describe the overall environmental benefits of this program/project or individual accomplishment over the past 12 months. (If available, you are welcome to include information or data from previous years to bolster the application.)

Examples of environmental benefits:

• Amount of pollution prevented
• Resources or energy conserved
• Acres preserved
• Tonnage recycled
• Emissions reduced
• Community impacts (number of people served, measurable health data, measurable engagement, etc.)
• Other

Describe how this program/project or individual accomplishment addresses the environmental needs or challenges of New Jersey.

Examples:

• Physical/mental health (e.g. Infectious diseases, respiratory issues, depression, PTSD)
• Water supply and quality (e.g. impacts of drought, increased water runoff, exposure to pollution)
• Animals and ecosystems (e.g. invasive species, habitat destruction, biodiversity)
• Wildfires
• Storms and flooding (e.g. tropical storms, “sunny day flooding”, flash floods)
• Sea level rise
• Extreme heat
• Shift in seasons (e.g. less snow, earlier spring)
• Air quality
• Environmental Justice

Describe how this program/project or individual accomplishment shows originality and leadership in the environmental field.

Examples:

• Collaboration (community members, nonprofits, government, businesses, schools, etc.)
• Unique features or methodologies
• Replicability (created/shared resources to help others do similar work; how can the project serve as a model for others to successfully recreate it?)

Describe what education and/or outreach activities were undertaken to reach or educate affected individuals, employees, students/faculty, stakeholders, contractors, consultants, community members, etc.  Also, describe the impact of the outreach/education on the target community.

Outreach/Education Examples:

• Community meetings
• Hands-on activities
• Presentations
• Informational materials
• Social media outreach
• Website development

To boost awareness and encourage future projects, up to five additional points may be awarded to projects that are located within or are easily accessible from an Overburdened Community (OBC), and, based on the review by the judges, show measurable environmental improvements within the project community/communities. Not all award nominations may fit the criteria to apply for these extra points.

Background: Central to the Department’s mission is protecting environmental quality and public health, and creating vibrant, sustainable communities. Historically, New Jersey’s low-income communities and communities of color face a disproportionately high number of environmental and public health stressors and, as a result, suffer from increased adverse health effects. New Jersey seeks to correct these outcomes by furthering the promise of environmental justice.

Instructions: Note whether the project site is located within an OBC. If the project site is not located within OBC but is easily accessible from (see definitions) and will directly benefit residents of a nearby OBC, describe the project site’s relative location and benefits to the OBC.

Definitions

Overburdened Community (OBC) – New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law defines an overburdened community as any census block group, as determined in accordance with the most recent United States Census, in which:

1. at least 35 percent of the households qualify as low-income households (at or below twice the poverty threshold as determined by the United States Census Bureau); and/or
2. at least 40 percent of the residents identify as minority or as members of a State recognized tribal community; and/or
3. at least 40 percent of the households have limited English proficiency (without an adult that speaks English “very well” according to the United States Census Bureau).

Easily Accessible From an OBC – Less than ¼ mile away with no barriers to pedestrian access.  Barriers include impediments to people walking to the site, such as highways or impassable waterways.  Pedestrian access distance is measured not “as the crow flies,” but using GIS to follow the roads an ACS/OBC resident would need to walk to get to the site.