The Town of Westfield is going for the Green!

The Town of Westfield is a proud participant in Sustainable Jersey™ and was recently awarded Silver Certification as well as the Rookie of the Year Award for 2020.

Town Actions to Become Green

All levels of government play a role in ensuring a healthy environment - federal, state, county, and local. The Town of Westfield has long been proactive in promoting a healthy environment.

While the vast majority of responsibilities and regulatory roles in environmental matters fall under the jurisdiction of the federal and state governments, the Town of Westfield has long been proactive in promoting a healthy environment. The following is a sampling of the Town's actions:

• Preserved open space by dedicating over 200 acres of municipal lands to 10 parks around town, and because most of the land was preserved by way of the state's Green Acres program, the acreage is preserved in perpetuity.
• Values the voluminous tree inventory and canopy, both in the parks and alongside our roadways, and the benefits they offer. Nearly 100 trees have been planted by the Town in 2016 and 2017 .
• Updated and fortified the Tree Preservation ordinance, requiring all developers to present and comply with a tree preservation or replacement plan.
• Many years ago adopted an "Integrated Pest Management" policy to minimize the use of pesticides on public properties and facilities.
• Mindful of Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) standards and recommendations regarding the use of salt on the roadways and leaf pick ups to minimize contamination of the waterways through storm water drains.
• Participates in the New Jersey Sustainable Energy Meeting (NJSEM), a knowledge-based energy purchasing group of nearly 200 towns.
• Participated in the Board of Public Utilities' (BPU's) Clean Energy Program and retrofitted all the lighting in all the Town's buildings and in all traffic signals with energy efficient fixtures and lamps.
• Westfield Regional Health Department has environmental health ordinances and services in place to ensure the public's well being, including protection from construction dust, lead paint abatement, and radon testing kits.
• Employ common sense fleet maintenance practices such as regular tune-ups of our trucks and other vehicles to minimize emissions.
• Provide curbside pick-up of recyclables as well as drop off facilities at the conservation center. Recycling opportunities at the center were expanded to include e-waste, textiles, "white good" appliances, scrap metal, and household bulk waste.
• Solar panels have been installed on the roof of the Westfield Memorial Library.
• When purchasing new vehicles and equipment, alternative sources of power, fuel efficiency, and emissions are three of the major factors considered. For example, new vehicles for the Parking Division are hybrids and paystations are solar powered.
• The Town worked with Public Service Enterprise Group (PSE&G) to have over 800 mercury vapor street lamps replaced with lamps that last longer, contain less mercury, and use 30 to 40% less electricity than their counterparts.
• Adopted a comprehensive Municipal Stormwater Management Plan to minimize the adverse impact of stormwater runoff on water quality and water quantity and the loss of groundwater recharge that provides base flow in receiving water bodies.
• Energy Star appliances are utilized wherever possible in municipal facilities.
• Operators of Town vehicles comply with New Jersey DEP's idling requirements pursuant to New Jersey Administrative Code (NJAC) 7:27-14, 15.
• Understanding the role that mass transit plays in the reduction of auto emissions, the Town successfully advocated for the "one-seat ride" on New Jersey Transit trains to provide non-stop service into Manhattan, and continues to advocate for expanded "one-seat ride" service.
• Bicycle and moped racks are provided for commuters. At the urging of the Town, additional bike racks were installed by NJ Transit at the train station.
• The Town Engineer and Town Planner are well-versed in green building practices (promoted by the U.S. Green Building Council, USGBC, developer of the LEED Green Building Rating System).
• Instituted annual Town-wide clean ups to celebrate Earth Day
• Repurpose fallen limbs and other discarded tree parts by grinding them into mulch which is then made available at no charge to residents