GARDEN STATE'S ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS HONORED WITH
GOVERNOR'S EXCELLENCE AWARDS

TRENTON - New Jersey's environmental leaders will be honored tonight with Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards for their dedication to making the Garden State a greener place to live and work.

"These winners epitomize the talent, creativity and vision needed to meet the complex challenges of protecting the environment in the 21^st century," Gov. Jon S. Corzine said. "They come from our universities, our public schools, our local governments, and our business community. I congratulate them for their dedication to principles and projects that have made our state a better place to call home."

"This group represents one of our most diverse ever, ranging from a university that has embarked on a greener future through wind power to a husband and wife who have spent decades championing protection of a vast freshwater wetlands complex just a few miles from the State House," Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson said. "I'm delighted to see them receive the recognition they so richly deserve."

The DEP established the New Jersey Environmental Excellence awards program in 2000 to recognize outstanding environmental performance, programs and projects. In 2006, the program was renamed to reflect Governor Corzine's commitment to environmental protection.

Nominees are judged on the basis of documented benefits their work has achieved, innovation, and the long-term impact of their work. The award categories include Clean Air, Clean and Plentiful Water, Environmental Education/Student Activity, Healthy Ecosystems, Innovative Technology, Land Conservation, Safe and Healthy Communities, Environmental Leadership, and Environmental Stewardship.

The DEP coordinates the program. The New Jersey Corporation for Advanced Technology and the New Jersey State League of Municipalities are co-sponsors. NJCAT is a public-private partnership that pools resources of business and industry, entrepreneurs, university research centers, utilities, and government to promote emerging environmental technologies.

To learn more about the awards program, including past winners, visit the Governor's Environmental Excellence Web site at www.nj.gov/dep/eeawards.

 2007 Award winners by category:

1. Clean Air

Rowan University, Glassboro

Rowan University has taken numerous steps to combat air pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The school purchases wind energy, adopted a landscaping plan that planted numerous trees and native plant species, integrated clean energy and sustainability into the classroom, and became the first university in New Jersey to sign the American College President's Climate Change Challenge. Rowan has implemented energy conservation standards and constructed a co-generation facility to supplement energy use. The university also has committed to getting 25 percent of its electricity from wind power, which will allow Rowan to significantly reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.

2.  Clean and Plentiful Water

South Branch Watershed Association, Flemington

In 1994, the association embarked on a baseline water quality study to look at long-term water quality trends in the South Branch of the Raritan River and its watershed. It is one of the longest running biological stream monitoring programs in New Jersey. Published in June, the group's long-term trends analysis provides indicators for sources of pollution as well as guidance for steps that should be taken for stream monitoring, restoration and preservation. The watershed is home to approximately 200,000 people. Some 1.2 million additional people who live outside the watershed depend on it for water supplies.

3. Environmental Education/Student Activity
 
Rutgers Environmental Steward Program, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, New Brunswick

The program equips graduates to find solutions to environmental problems in New Jersey communities. Students learn about basic earth science processes and biological systems. In the process, they learn to recognize the importance of sound science in developing public policy. The 60-hour course is followed by a mandatory 60-hour internship. Since its inception, the program has graduated 110 people.

4. Healthy Ecosystems

Verizon Corporate Services Group Inc., Basking Ridge

Verizon Communications Inc. and the New Jersey Audubon Society are partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore habitat around Verizon Center, the company's operations facility in Basking Ridge. Through the Partners in Fish and Wildlife program, Verizon has restored natural wildlife communities to a 25-acre area consisting of grassland, riparian, and wetlands habitats. The company removed invasive vegetation, implemented delayed mowing practices, started a policy of using no chemicals, installed sand pits for nesting turtles, erected numerous bird boxes, and constructed a vernal pool. Additional areas around the campus have been enhanced with the planting of more than 500 indigenous trees and shrubs; another 500 are to be planted in 2008.

5.  Innovative Technology

Medford Township Public Schools, Medford

The Medford School District has been a model for other school districts with its comprehensive program that uses innovative and sustainable technologies to conserve energy and provide significant reductions in air pollution. The district uses energy-efficient lighting and windows, automatic temperature controls and upgraded boilers, geothermal energy, high-efficiency power-delivery transformers, and waterless lavatory fixtures. The district also has been nationally recognized for its use of biodiesel fuel in its school buses, a program that is in its 10^th year. The district also implemented a program to reduce idling of buses.

6. Land Conservation

Burlington County Open Space Program, Mount Laurel

Over the years, Burlington County's Strategic Plans for Open Space and Farmland Preservation program had resulted in the protection of 25,000 acres of farmland and 5,000 acres of open space. The plan targets land along waterways, particularly the Rancocas Creek. More than 1,500 acres of open space is targeted for parks with connecting trails or canoe trails. The county's open-space preservation fund generates more than $16 million annually. In November, county voters extended the program by an overwhelming three-to-one margin.

7. Safe and Healthy Communities

Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, Newark

The commission has an aggressive Pollution Prevention Outreach program that promotes environmentally responsible behavior by reaching into the schools and general public with lessons about water pollution. During the past four years, the program has visited an average of 70 schools per year. The commission has also sponsored more than 440 cleanups that have removed 750,000 pounds of waste. The cleanup program fosters in students a greater understanding of their connections to the environment and the importance of environmental protection in promoting economic prosperity and a healthier society.

8. Environmental Leadership

Joseph Biluck, director of operations and technology, Medford Township Public Schools

Long before global warming and high gasoline prices became the hot topics they are today, Joseph Biluck recognized the need to convert the district's fleet of school buses to alternative fuel. His passion for protecting the environment led to the formation of New Jersey's first school bus fleet fueled with soy-based biodiesel. Each year the fleet eliminates thousands of pounds of smog-forming emissions and harmful particulate matter. Last year, the district's use of biodiesel fuel replaced 35,000 gallons of petroleum-based diesel, reducing greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Since the program's inception, the district has replaced more than 210,000 gallons of diesel fuel with biodiesel.

 9. Environmental Stewardship

Drs. Charles and Mary Leck, Friends of the Marsh, Trenton

Since the 1970s, the Lecks have been researching and educating others about the Hamilton-Trenton-Bordentown marsh, a 2,800-acre freshwater wetlands complex along the Delaware River. Charles Leck is a retired professor of ecological sciences at Cook College and is former state ornithologist. His wife, Mary, is a retired professor of biology at Rider University. She has studied plant ecology in the marsh since 1975. Together they have developed marsh-related school programs, trail guides, and brochure. They also developed teacher training opportunities, organized marsh photography exhibits and helped organize nature walks, paddle-and-picnic events, and marsh cleanups. Their dedication led to the formation of the Friends of the Marsh.

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Photos and audio and video clips from Governor Corzine's public events are available in the Governor's Newsroom section on the State of New Jersey web page, http://www.nj.gov/governor/news/