In at least one New Jersey town, going green is serious business.
Secaucus, a Hudson County town with just about 18,000 people, is doing its part to make sure it stays green all year. One of only about two-dozen certified sustainable communities in the Garden State, the town has made a major push to be more eco-friendly in recent years.
“People really like living in communities that are green, they're more attracted to communities that care about the environment,” said Amanda Nesheiwat, the town’s environmental director.
Among the town’s initiatives are common efforts – like roadside cleanup and urging businesses to phase out Styrofoam – to more unique solutions, like solar panels in most municipal buildings, recycled planters and marsh revitalization.
Secaucus is also making efforts to defend the town against climate change. Officials in the town struck by Sandy have invested in inflatable dams to hold back flood waters.
One town volunteer, Ladi Solola, said she is glad the town is making efforts to be as green as possible.
“The way global warming is, the weather just being totally off, I feel like we should just definitely play our part and trying to clean up wherever we can,” she said.
