City of Trenton awarded $20,000 sustainability grant

TRENTON, N.J. – The City of Trenton was awarded a $20,000 Sustainable Jersey grant funded by the PSEG Foundation. Four $20,000 grants, seven $10,000 grants and twenty-five $2,000 grants were distributed to municipalities in fifteen New Jersey counties.

The grant awards will fund a range of projects including green infrastructure, park restoration, single-use plastic reduction campaigns, raingardens, environmental resource inventories, creative placemaking, green team capacity building and more.

“We will be using the funds to develop the Trenton Artwalk,” said Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora. “This project will make the gateway corridor from the Trenton Transit Center to surrounding neighborhoods friendlier and safer for pedestrians and other non-vehicular traffic. In collaboration with Artworks Trenton, we will install public art, creative lighting, wayfinding, and other measures.”

“From climate change, to water, waste and equity issues, so many of the big sustainability concerns are reaching a crisis point. This investment in sustainability projects will have lasting benefits to New Jersey,” said Randall Solomon, executive director for Sustainable Jersey. He extended his congratulations to all of the towns that received grants. “We’re seeing exciting results from previous grant projects, and we are looking forward to similarly productive, innovative progress from the current group of awardees,” Solomon added.

The PSEG Foundation has contributed 1.9 million dollars in funding to the Sustainable Jersey grants program for municipalities and schools. “Supporting local municipalities in their efforts to build sustainability programs puts resources where they’re needed and aren’t always available, and PSEG is proud to do so” said Barb Short, president of the PSEG Foundation. “Sustainable Jersey helps bring real change and has a lasting impact to neighborhoods throughout New Jersey.”

Proposals were evaluated by an independent Blue-Ribbon Selection Committee. The Sustainable Jersey grants are intended to help municipalities make progress toward a sustainable future in general, and specifically toward Sustainable Jersey certification. Nearly 90 percent of the New Jersey population lives in a registered or certified Sustainable Jersey community. Currently 450 municipalities, or 80 percent of New Jersey municipalities, are registered with Sustainable Jersey.