The West Windsor Environmental Commission will discuss a new initiative aimed at making the township a more environmentally sustainable community at its meeting on Thursday, November 17.##M:[more]##
“With all of the development and redevelopment that will be taking place in West Windsor, it is a good time to define better ways to protect our environment today and tomorrow,” says Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh of the initiative titled, “Sustainable West Windsor”
The project is being funded by a combination of township funds and a $3,”000 grant from the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions.
Sustainable development is defined as construction that addresses the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs, says Hsueh, who was an administrator in the state Department of Environmental Protection before he retired after being elected mayor.
He adds that although the concept was originally applied to decisions with global or national implications, it is more recently and increasingly being adopted at the community level.
The initial focus of the Sustainable West Windsor project will be on “greening” municipal policies and decisions, says the mayor, with a long-term goal of introducing the concept and importance of sustainability to the wider community, including businesses and residents.
According to Environmental Commission Chairman Michael Hornsby, the ultimate objective is to develop and implement an action plan. One focus will be on making recommendations for green processes and practices. Another will be to disseminate and implement environmental sustainable practices more widely in the community.
The Environmental Commission has endorsed the initiative as a key piece of the its efforts to “think globally act locally,” says Hornsby.
“Sustainability implies the opportunity to save taxpayers’ money as well as enhance West Windsor as an attractive place to live,” says Council President Charlie Morgan. “I look forward to a plan that will help us to identify changes we can make.”
The Environmental Commission kicked off the initiative at its meeting of October 27, which featured a presentation by Jennifer Senick, a consultant hired by the township to help develop the plan. Senick has been working with township landscape architect Daniel Dobromilsky.
The commission introduced the first draft of the plan at the meeting, outlining general goals leading to sustainable land use, sustainable circulation, sustainable society, sustainable natural resources, and sustainable government.
The November 17 meeting of the Commission will be held at the municipal building at 7 p.m.
