City of Newark Sustainability Initiative - ICLEI Local Governments for ...

CITY OF NEWARK
SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE
Presentation for the City of Newark
Chelsea Albucher, AICP

Background
Newark is New Jersey’s largest city (23 square
miles) and is home to a population of 281, 402. The
population density is 11,400/mile², after excluding
port land, is the second-highest in the nation of any
city with over 250,000 residents (after New York
City).
Minorities comprise 77.9% of the population.

Demographics
The City’s unemployment rate hovers at 12%,
nearly double the state’s average and in some
areas is nearly 4 times as high.
Per capita income citywide is $16,077, median
household income at $34,521 which is almost half
the state’s average and in some census tracks falls
as low as $9,000.

Framing Questions
We are the fastest growing city on the eastern seaboard. We are a
Port community in an air quality non-attainment area. How do we
ensure that this growth creates jobs and improves environmental and
public health conditions for Newarkers?
How do we build wealth for our residents and businesses?
How do we ensure our residents do not disproportionately bear the
burden of environmental pollution? How do we protect and restore our
air, water, land and habitat?
How do we reduce asthma hospitalization rates which far exceed our
homicide rates? And take an enormous toll on our children, our work
force, our households and our nation's healthcare costs? How do we
reduce diabetes, obesity and heart disease?
How do we green our homes, our lifestyles, our neighborhoods, and our
economy?

NEWARK'S GREEN AGENDA
Mission:
To make Newark a sustainable, vibrant community to live, work and play.
Motto:
City of Newark Go Green With Us
Objective:
Greening our Homes, Greening our Neighborhoods, Greening our Economy
with an emphasis on ‘Climate Prosperity: Connecting our public, residential and
commercial sectors to wealth building energy efficiency actions and clean power
choice.’

NEWARK’S GREEN FUTURE SUMMIT 2008
Led by recommendations from the Imagining Newark’s s Green
Future Report’s recommendations around three broad areas:
Green economic development
Green building
Open Space
Report available at http://www.apolloalliance.org

Newark’s Green Future Benchmarks
Create safe, healthy, high-quality jobs that provide pathways out of
poverty and opportunities for career advancement.
Make use of Newark’s existing assets, strengths, and opportunities.
Produce a healthier and more livable Newark by making our homes;
neighborhoods; and economy more sustainable.
Engage the community, especially youth and business, around a
collective vision for the future.
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.
Emphasize recycling, waste reduction, and reuse.

Vision Statement
By making our homes, neighborhoods and economy
more sustainable we will make Newark a healthier
more liveable and vibrant city with increased access
to fresh foods and open spaces; enhanced air quality
and lower asthma rates; reduced operating costs for
our homes and businesses and a hub of green
economic activity with family supporting living wage
jobs.

Charting a Sustainable Future
Where we are:
Highlights of Progress to Date
Where we are going:
Integrating & Institutionalizing

City of Newark: Go Green with Us
Together we are:
Greening Our Homes
Greening Our Neighborhoods
Greening Our Economy

Significant Milestones
Green Future Summit ‘07-08:
08: Defines Vision; Articulates Recommendations
Sustainability Office est. ‘08:
Coordination Mechanism
Climate Prosperity Initiative est. ’08:
Connecting Residents, Businesses, & the Public
Sector to Savings through Efficiency and Clean Power Choice.
Green Jobs Network est. ‘08
Environmental Commission est. ‘09
Departmental ‘09-10: Engineering, Economic Development, Neighborhood Services,
Public Engagement, Family & Child Well Being, and Municipal Council have all
made significant contributions.
Partnerships: With private, philanthropic & professional organizations established.

Greening Our Neighborhoods
Parks, Gardens & Trees:
Largest open space expansion and recreational
facility rehab in over a century—More than $40
million committed.
Recreation space already doubled.
Adopt-a-Lot program helping residents create
community gardens, build out is employing ex-
offenders.
Have significantly increased tree planting through
partnerships with residents, businesses who adopt a
tree.

Greening Our Neighborhoods
Riverfront:
Passaic River Superfund cleanup—Working with
EPA and community stakeholders
Newark Riverfront: Reclaiming the entirety of
Newark’s s Riverfront.
Beginning construction on first true riverfront park,
$5 million in funding committed. Partnering with
Trust for Public Land and others.

Greening Our Neighborhoods
Brownfields & Community Cleanups:
Leveraging federal and state funding, engaging
private sector. Over $5 million leveraged to bring
on line new commercial development.
Partnering with residents, organizations and
businesses for neighborhood cleanups – mobilizing
thousands of volunteers.

Greening Our Neighborhoods
Air Quality and Asthma:
Newark’s s asthma hospitalization rate exceeds
homicide rate
Working with Port and NJTPA.
Port is reducing polluting shipping fuel,
electrifying cargo-handling equipment, and
removing most polluting trucks.
Preparing for local enforcement of State
anti-idling idling law.

Greening Our Neighborhoods
Streetscapes: A sustainable community depends on
a vibrant economy, and the City is investing millions
in enhancing commercial corridors throughout the
City.
This complements our Go Green – Shop Newark
campaign.

Greening Our Neighborhoods
Increasing Fresh Food availability to fight obesity and
diabetes:
BCDC forgiveable loans to small grocers providing
produce, meat and dairy
Supermarkets to underserved areas
Farmstands with regionally grown produce
Facilitating establishment of community gardens
Supporting urban agriculture development.

Greening Our Homes
Energy Efficient Homes:
Hundreds of units of new Energy Star affordable
housing is coming on line.
Promoting weatherization for existing homes:
In 2009 Comfort Partners, La Casa de Don Pedro and
First Hopewell provided over 450 low income residents
with no-cost weatherization;
Over 1,000 households have enrolled in utility’s s no up
front cost energy upgrades.

Greening Our Homes
Energy Awareness:
NJ Clean Power
Community Partner
Over 11,000 Energy Star
light bulbs distributed
Energy awareness
workshops for residents &
students have reached
over 2,000 people.

Greening Our Homes
Greening Buildings
Property disposition and tax abatements to incent
Partnered with NJHMFA & NJ BPU to educate
developers and contractors
Seeing Results:
LEED qualified residential development (Lincoln
Park, Richardson Lofts)
Energy Star affordable housing

Greening Our Economy
Linking local businesses to cost saving energy
efficiency programs and clean power choice –over
60 enrolled, and 12 solar installations
Launching “Good&Green” business initiative to
support sustainable business practices:
Resource Conservation
Pollution Prevention
Local Buying & Hiring
Stewardship

Greening our Economy
Sector based strategies

Greening Our Economy
Attracting New Green Business:
Clean Energy Sector Hub
Green Business Hub
Seeing Results:
Two new solar companies; Two new biodiesel
companies
Green Ventures being sited & social venture
enterprise developments being scoped

Green Jobs

Greening Our Economy
Green Jobs Network: Over 20 local providers and
employers.
Seeing results:
‘Clean and Green’ horticultural; Electronics
Recycling; and brownfields training for ex-offender
Local 55 weatherization union jobs
Green summerwork youth employment
UEI solar job training
Green building workshops for contractors

Greening Our Economy
Greening Municipal Operations:
Greening capital construction and renovations
Pursuing energy efficiency projects to reduce
operating costs
Renewables: : Solar installation on East Ward roof
Fleets: Piloting 100% electric cars; bringing on-line
CNG sanitation trucks

Moving Forward
Inventory accomplishments & existing initiatives
Articulate Goals & Strategies: Sustainability Action Plan
Track Progress
Realize triple bottom line results that benefit our economy, our
environment and our community.

SHIFTING FORWARD 2025
NEWARK SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK
Harnessing Opportunity – Building on Assets

Overview
Official Sustainability
Action Plan
Master Plan
Framework for Sustainability
Action Plan
Shifting | Forward 2025:
Newark Master Plan
Re-Examination Report
Jobs for
Residents
Safe &
Healthy
Neighborhoods
City of
Choice

Sustainability Action Plan *Straw man for
Discussion

A Comprehensive Sustainability Framework
Incorporates the three E’s of sustainability into each of the following
areas:
Natural Resources: Energy, Air, Water, Waste
Built Environment: Green Neighborhoods, Buildings and Land Use, Transportation
Economy: Green Business and Workforce Development
Public Health: Fresh Foods, Obesity, Diabetes, Lead, Asthma
Geared to build off of what we are already doing and to strengthen overall capacity
Recognizes the importance of articulating ambitious yet achieveable goals; defining
actionable strategies; of establishing metrics and tracking; and incorporates system for
continuous improvement

Concerted focus on short-to-medium term practical
solutions, while acknowledging ambitious goals
Actions outlined are first steps in a long transformation process, and should
be pursued jointly with a state and federal legislative agenda that increases
the City’s capacity.

Recommendations Summary & Highlights (5):
Energy
Initiative 1:Decrease electricity and natural
gas consumption by Newark community
Initiative 2:Decrease energy consumption
by Newark’s government

Recommendations Summary & Highlights (7):
Transportation

Recommendations Summary & Highlights (6):
Green Business & Workforce
Three pronged approach
Ribbon cutting for the Newark Office of Solar Energy, LLC

Recommendations Summary & Highlights (1):
Waste Management
Recommendations:
1. Increase residential & commercial recycling rates
2. Implement demolition waste recycling requirement
3. Institutionalize composting in the city
4. Promote reuse on the part of residents and industry

Recommendations Summary & Highlights (2):
Water

Recommendations Summary & Highlights (3):
Green Neighborhoods

Recommendations Summary & Highlights (4):
Buildings & Land Use
City Regulations
Land revitalization strategy
Require building owners to
conduct energy audits at the
point of sale and share this
information with buyers
Expedite development of public
and privately owned vacant
lands
Balance needs for green space,
housing, and employment
An online database of vacant
lands with information each
parcel's ownership, zoning,
available incentives programs,
and contamination status

Recommendations Summary & Highlights (8):
Public Health
Obesity & Diabetes
• Ensure the
availability and
affordability of
healthy food
• Capture benefits
of open space
initiatives
Asthma, Respiratory Illness
•Reduce emissions
from the City’s
operations and
goods transfer
•Create an Indoor
Air Quality Unit
Lead Poisoning &
Toxics Exposure
• Reduce the risks
of hazardous
materials
•Structure and
adopt Integrated
Pest Management
procedures

Recommendations Summary & Highlights (9):
Sustainability Capacity & Partnerships
Critical:
1. Develop and institutionalize sustainability targets,
monitoring, and reporting.
2. Strengthen capacity and ownership within City
departments – link to budget allocations.
3. Engage residents, community & faith based
organizations, business, labor, educational and health
institutions, and other public & private entities in
developing and implementing the Sustainability
Action Plan.

Recommendations Summary & Highlights:
Sustainability – Policy & Procedural
Critical: Codify Sustainability via practice & policies
1. Baseline ordinances to direct municipal business, such
as green procurement; capital construction; green
fleets.
2. Baseline policies and practices to direct the
residential & private sector; e.g. expediting permits
for green building; enhancing storm water
regulations; building green into land use and
transportation planning; increasing recycling.
3. Green existing businesses and attract new green
industry.

Moving Forward
Our immediate next steps include finalizing our
Sustainability Action Plan;
Institutionalizing via municipal Green Team, developing
accountability & ownership via tracking;
Creating infrastructure via policy and procedures;
Continuously refining our strategies and, as necessary, our
goals.

Thank you
Thank you to ICLEI and participating cities; the resources and network are
an invaluable source of inspiration and support. Want to also thank
Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton for their assistance with the
Sustainability Framework.
- Chelsea Albucher, AICP, Sustainability Officer, City of Newark
973 733 6575 albucherc@ci.newark.nj.us or calbucher@gmail.com