| DEP
HONORS ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS AND INNOVATORS AT
AWARDS CEREMONY
(02/122) ATLANTIC CITY
- Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP) Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell honored environmental
leaders at a ceremony last evening, handing out the annual
Environmental Excellence Awards to winners in eight categories.
The awards recognize individuals, businesses, and communities
who have made significant contributions to environmental
protection in New Jersey.
“These awards recognize men and women,
corporations and communities that have left an indelible
imprint on New Jersey,” said Commissioner Campbell.
“The innovative leadership of these award recipients
benefits us today and future generations in the long term.”
Winners were selected from a pool of more
than 50 nominations and were judged on the basis of documented
environmental benefits, innovation, and long-term impact
to the environment. Award recipients were selected in eight
categories: Clean Air, Clean Water, Safe and Healthy Communities,
Abundant Open Space, Healthy Ecosystems, Innovative Technology,
Environmental Stewardship, and Environmental Leadership.
At the ceremony, former Governor Jim Florio
was honored as this year’s winner of the Environmental
Leadership Award. Governor Florio was recognized for his
efforts to advance environmental protection, including his
authorship of the Superfund Law, his work on Right-to-Know
legislation, and his continued support of Pinelands preservation.
“Governor Florio has repeatedly demonstrated
an unrivaled commitment to and support for strong environmental
protections for New Jersey and the nation,” said Campbell.
This is the third year the awards, co-sponsored
by DEP and the New Jersey Corporation for Advanced Technology
(NJCAT), have been bestowed on state environmental leaders.
Past winners include the Delaware River Port Authority,
the City of Trenton, Lockheed Martin, and the Naval Air
Engineering Station at Lakehurst.
NJCAT is a public-private partnership that
pools the resources of business and industry, entrepreneurs,
university research centers, utilities and government to
promote New Jersey’s emerging environmental technologies.
ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE
AWARD WINNERS
ABUNDANT OPEN SPACE – Borough
of Gibbsboro
The Borough of Gibbsboro
is located in the heart of Camden County, southern New Jersey’s
most urban and densely populated county. The community has
been very active in the preservation of its natural and
historic resources, developing numerous novel and innovative
techniques to retain its small town character and large
open expanses.
For nearly eight years, Gibbsboro has worked
on the Gibbsboro Greenway – a concept that spawned
New Jersey’s Planning Incentive Grant program. The
greenway has been acquired using virtually every acquisition
or conservation method known. The town has now acquired
and preserved 25 percent of its land area.
CLEAN AIR – Lucent Technologies
Lucent Technologies designs
and delivers networks for the world’s largest communications
service providers. With headquarters in Murray Hill, New
Jersey, Lucent is a leading global supplier of communications
networking equipment, optical networking, wireless networks
and communications networking support services. Lucent developed
and implemented an innovative and effective greenhouse gas
emissions reduction program.
CLEAN AND PLENTIFUL WATER –
Whippany River Watershed Action Committee
The Whippany River Watershed Action
Committee is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grass roots
watershed association in Morris County, New Jersey. Thirteen
municipal governments and the Board of Chosen Freeholders
lead the committee. The Action Committee was also awarded
a 2001 Environmental Quality Award by US EPA in recognition
of its accomplishments.
In 2002, the Committee organized a community-based
Technical Advisory Committee to foster acquisition, ownership,
and use of waterway assessment and monitoring technology
and knowledge. The results of the Committee’s original
scientific studies are aiding the development and adoption
of water resources protection technologies and practices
by local governments.
HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS – Paul
Bologna and Lynch, Giuliano & Associates
Paul Bologna is an Assistant
Professor of Biology at Fairleigh Dickinson University and
the director of the Marine Biology Program. His research
focuses on seagrass biology, plant-animal interactions,
and community ecology and has led to the development of
seagrass restoration projects and assessments of the health
and biomass of coastal communities.
Dr. Bologna currently works jointly with
Lynch, Giuliano and Associates, Inc. (LGA)
on coastal research projects, habitat restoration, and system
evaluations. LGA is a professional association of environmental
scientists, biologists, hydro-geologists, and planners who
use a multidisciplinary approach to provide land planning,
environmental assessment, and research for coastal communities.
SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES – New Jersey
Transit Corporation
The New Jersey Transit Corporation
is New Jersey’s public transportation cooperation.
Covering a service area of 5,325 square miles, NJ Transit
is the nation’s third largest provider of bus, rail
and light rail transit, linking points in New Jersey, New
York, and Pennsylvania.
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY – PSEG
Power
PSEG Power is one of the
nation’s largest independent power producers with
approximately 16,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity
in operation, construction, or development. It is a subsidiary
of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG),
a diversified energy holding company, and an affiliate of
Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), New
Jersey’s oldest and largest electric and gas utility
company.
PSEG Power designed and installed a reverse
osmosis water treatment system at its Bergen Generating
Station in Ridgefield to treat wastewater for use in its
cooling stations.
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP –
Dr. George Van Orden, Chair, Whippany River Watershed Action
Committee Advisory Committee, Inc.
Dr. George Van Orden is
a leader in watershed protection and enhancement, dedicated
to the issues of water quality and public health in Morris
County for two decades. Since 1981, he has served as the
Health Officer and Environmental Specialist of the Hanover
Township Regional Health Department. He has also taught
classes at Rutgers University, Cook College, since 1983.
Dr. Van Orden is a founding member of the
Whippany River Watershed Action Committee and Chairman of
its Technical Advisory Committee. He has conducted studies
and published scientific reports that have contributed to
public health and water resources protection. Dr. Van Orden
is also a Borough of Madison Environmental Commissioner
and a member of the Ten Towns Great Swamp Committee.
ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP –
Governor Jim Florio
Governor Jim Florio was
an assemblyman in the New Jersey General Assembly for three
terms, an eight-term Member of Congress, and one-term Governor
of New Jersey.
Governor Florio has been a consistent leader
in environmental protection. He is the father of the Superfund,
which he wrote and guided through the Congress in 1980.
He sponsored a key amendment to the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act that placed strict limits on the methods
and locations for toxic waste disposal. In 1985, he introduced
landmark worker and community “Right to Know”
legislation.
As Governor, he signed the toughest
water pollution enforcement law in the nation in 1990 and
created the nation’s first Office of State Environmental
Prosecutor. He also signed the Industrial Site Recovery
Act and the Pollution Prevention Act. He now teaches a Public
Policy course that focuses on Energy and the Environment
at the Blaustein School. He was recently nominated by Governor
James McGreevey to serve as chairman of the Pinelands Commission.
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