The New Jersey Department of Human Services Division of Disability Services (DDS) has engaged the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy to manage the first round of the Division’s new Inclusive Healthy Communities (IHC) Grant Program.
Read the DHS IHC Grant Announcement Press Release.
Learn more about the IHC Grant Program here.
Jeanne Herb of the Bloustein School’s EAC Group will be a speaker on the upcoming Pew Charitable Trusts’ Coastal Habitat Learning Series. Ms. Herb will be joined by Lisa Auermueller of the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve to present their work on the state’s “A Seat at the Table” initiative to develop guidance, training, tools, and policy recommendations for the state’s CZM program.
The Webex Event is scheduled for September 23, 2020 from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm Eastern Time.
This virtual issue provides a compendium of papers from the 1980’s through the present that examine some of the risks and disadvantages that people and communities experience as a result of environmental injustices. Environmental injustice is one form of social injustice that refers to the disproportionate exposure of some individuals and groups to environmental hazards such as pollutants, industrial sites, and waste sites, without receiving the benefits deriving from the sites. The recent COVID-19 pandemic, the rise in police violence, and the recognition of our nation’s history of racial discrimination and violence, highlight the importance of addressing not only environmental justice, but the inequities of our societal norms.
Click here to access the virtual issue: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1111/(ISSN)1539-6924.environmental-justice-social-injustice.
As documented in this report, through a NOAA national Project of Special Merit, researchers from Rutgers University have developed decision-support tools, resilience planning guidance, and training and policy options to advance efforts to address the needs of socially vulnerable populations as part of coastal climate resilience planning.
Click here to access the report
Herb, J. and L. Auermuller. May 31, 2020. A Seat at the Table: Integrating the Needs and Challenges of Underrepresented and Socially Vulnerable Populations into Coastal Hazards Planning in New Jersey 2020 Prepared for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. New Brunswick, NJ
EAC staff are collaborating with others at Rutgers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to develop data, guidance and policy recommendations for integrating the needs of underrepresented and socially vulnerable populations into coastal climate change resilience planning. Supported as a Project of Special Merit by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the project is designed to offer important and constructive input to climate change resilience planning in New Jersey through more systematic involvement of socially vulnerable populations.
Follow this link to read the Stakeholder Engagement Summary: http://eac.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/PSM-Stakeholder-engagement-report-v.6-final.pdf.
Featured image from United States Global Change Research Program (2016).
Join EAC Director Jeanne Herb in a Digital Dialogue about improving disaster recovery of low income households through The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Risk Management and Decision Making Process Center.
Ms. Herb joined over a dozen others to address the questions: “How can federal disaster aid programs be improved to assist low income households?” and “What policy changes need to be made to support effective recovery for low income households?”
Follow this link to read Jeanne’s contribution to this Digital Dialogue: https://riskcenter.wharton.upenn.edu/digital-dialogues/improvingdisasterrecovery/
Jeanne Herb, Executive Director of the Bloustein School’s Environmental Analysis and Communications Group, will be working with Rutgers scientists David Bushek and Michale DeLuca, among others, to develop a GIS based tool for spacial planning and management of shellfish aquaculture in New Jersey. The project was one of 42 projects awarded funding by NOAA Sea Grant to advance U.S. aquaculture.
Follow this link to more information: https://sebsnjaesnews.rutgers.edu/2019/09/rutgers-led-projects-among-those-awarded-16-million-in-noaa-sea-grant-funding-to-advance-u-s-aquaculture/
Photo by Aileen Devlin, Virginia Sea Grant
Rutgers scholars have been at the forefront of promoting Health in All Policies (HiAP) as a collaborative approach to reducing disparities and improving the health of all communities and people by incorporating health considerations into decision-making across sectors and policy areas.
As part of the EAC team’s continuing HiAP efforts in New Jersey, they prepared a set of insights on opportunities to integrate health considerations into New Jersey’s draft Energy Master Plan, based in part on collective knowledge in the health impact and health equity fields, and in part on a literature review conducted on prioritized portions of the EMP. The report offers a “health lens” through which to view some of the potential impacts of implementing elements of the EMP. This analysis focuses on health equity, or the concept of equitable access to conditions and resources that allows one to live the healthiest life possible. It pays strong attention to impacts on populations and communities that may already suffer disproportionate health, social, environmental, and economic inequities, which may be exacerbated by a proposed decision. Thus, this evaluation is in effect a public health prevention model intended to help to prevent potentially unanticipated negative outcomes and costs, and to provide guidance on policy decisions that will improve health and reduce disparities.
Read the report here: http://eac.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/EMP-HIA-1.pdf
Lowrie, Karen W. and Leigh Ann Von Hagen. 2019. The New Jersey Draft Energy Master Plan: Opportunities to Integrate Health and Health Equity. Submitted as comments on the Draft New Jersey Energy Master Plan, September 16, 2019. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University. New Brunswick, NJ.
On September 5th, 2019, experts at Rutgers University released Field Notes: Equity and State Climate Policy, an independent study based on more than 70 interviews with state officials, stakeholders and advocates. Led by Jeanne Herb and Marjorie Kaplan of Rutgers, this report takes an in-depth look at the challenges and opportunities faced by states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) region to direct program benefits to disadvantaged communities and individuals in equitable ways. This independent study, part of the RGGI Project Series, provides a comprehensive review of initiatives underway in the states participating in RGGI (ME, NH, VY, MA, RI, CT, NY, MD and DE), NJ and VA as well as two states (CA and IL) and two cities (Austin, TX and Columbus, OH) outside the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast region.
The report finds the states in an active “period of innovation”, trying pilots and new approaches to address this intersection of equity and state climate policy, from which best practices will emerge. The study also includes perspectives from many equity, environmental justice and environmental leaders on state policies and practices that enhance participation and benefits for disadvantaged communities and households. The report provides a valuable resource for the states and stakeholders to learn from each other, as they continue to advance equity and climate progress.
Rutgers researchers release report examining efforts in 15 states across the country designed to promote coastal resilience with an emphasis on sea-level rise programs and policies.
The report “An Overview of State Coastal Zone Management Policies Designed to Promote Coastal Resilience” can be found here.
Suggested citation: Herb, J, M. Kaplan, M. Campo, S. Kennedy, A. Wainwright, and H. Berman. 2019. An Overview of State Coastal Zone Management Policies Designed to Promote Coastal Resilience. Prepared for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. New Brunswick, NJ: The Environmental Analysis & Communications Group, Rutgers University Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and Rutgers Climate Institute. DOI: https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-p3mx-bs83
Malone, Sara, Karen Lowrie, Jeanne Herb and Michael Greenberg. 2019. Delaware River Watershed Initiative Restoration and Land Protection Practice Diffusion Survey. Prepared for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The Environmental Analysis& Communications Group. Rutgers University Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. New Brunswick, New Jersey.
The primary purpose of the survey was to find out if organizations that are not funded by NFWF’s DRWI program have undertaken restoration and land protection efforts in or near the DRWI cluster and Delaware River watershed boundaries, and the extent to which any knowledge and uptake of practices has diffused from communication from or collaboration with DRWI members.
With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leaders program, EAC staff are working to develop a set of health inequity indicators for New Jersey. The focus of this project is on examining “upstream” or social determinants of health. The EAC team developed a screening approach to better understand disproportionate environmental burden as a potential indicator of health inequity. Additional indicators are under development.
Link to report: Intersection of Race, Income and Environmental Factors in New Jersey: A Screening Analysis, July 2019
Malone, S.J., R.G. Lathrop, E. Pyshnik, J. Blum, J. Whytlaw, and J. Bognar. 2019. State of the Raritan Report, Volume 2. Sustainable Raritan River Initiative, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ. Rutgers University’s Sustainable Raritan River Initiative has released a second report on the status of watershed health for the Raritan River. The State of the Raritan Report, Volume 2 continues efforts to update key indicators of water quality and watershed health for the Raritan River basin. The health of the Raritan basin was originally assessed in the 2002 Raritan Basin: Portrait of a Watershed as developed by the New Jersey Water Supply Authority and updated in the Sustainable Raritan River Initiative’s 2016 State of the Raritan Report, Volume 1. The objective of those reports, and this one, is to inform watershed management planning and water supply protection needs in the Raritan basin.
Rutgers experts, including Jeanne Herb of the Environmental Analysis and Communications Group, provide sound science and evidence-based recommendations on how to be more resilient to climate change-related impacts in four essays. Read their recommendations here and access online resilience tools that can help New Jersey, counties, towns, businesses and residents adapt to climate change-related impacts.
Dr. Jennifer Whytlaw produced a new story map that shows how the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal is being used to inform discussions on potential locations for offshore wind farms in the New York Bight. The story map was produced for Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute where Dr. Whytlaw is an Instructor of GIS.
For more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Whytlaw.
This year’s Sustainable Raritan River conference will be a joint effort with Rutgers Climate Institute, New Jersey Climate Change Alliance, and Rutgers Coastal Climate Risk and Resilience program to explore the impacts of climate change on Raritan basin communities and environs, and to advance renewed watershed planning efforts that will promote resilience throughout the Raritan River, basin and bay.
Conference date is Friday, June 7, 2019 and will take place at the Richard Weeks Hall of Engineering on the Rutgers Busch Campus in Piscataway, NJ.
Two-thirds of New Jerseyans are concerned about the impact that climate change will have on them, according to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton Poll conducted in collaboration with the New Jersey Climate Change Alliance at Rutgers University. The Alliance is facilitated by Rutgers University through the Rutgers Climate Institute and the Environmental Analysis and Communications Group at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
Thirty-seven percent say they are “very concerned” about the effects of climate change on their life or family members and the people around them. Another 30 percent are “somewhat concerned,” and the remaining third is “not very” (15 percent) or “not concerned at all” (18 percent).
Moreover, New Jerseyans have varying levels of knowledge about different aspects of climate change. Almost four in ten say they know “a lot” about its causes (37 percent) and its impact on the environment (38 percent); a third (32 percent) say the same about climate change’s effect on the future, and one in five (22 percent) say the same about how to prepare. About three in ten say they know only a “little” or “nothing at all” about the first three components; four in ten have little or no knowledge about how to prepare.
Residents are most likely to say they “frequently” get information about climate change from the mass media (53 percent), followed by social media (29 percent) and other people (18 percent). Just one in ten cite “frequently” getting news from their local community organizations or state government.
On the policy side, more favor the state government combating climate change by offering incentives (45 percent) to reduce greenhouse emissions rather than imposing limits (29 percent). Yet when asked who should pay to make New Jersey more resilient to the impact of climate change, 62 percent want the fuel producers and heavy users that cause the most greenhouse gas emissions to pay a “major share” of the cost; another 22 percent say they should pay a “minor share.” Forty-three percent believe state government should pay a “major share” from the taxes it collects; another 35 percent say they should pay a “minor share.”
Residents are largely in favor of helping low-income households meet energy efficiency standards. Eight in ten support (50 percent “strongly,” 29 percent “somewhat”) requiring affordable and low-income rental homes to meet energy efficiency building standards. The same number supports (50 percent “strongly,” 30 percent “somewhat”) requiring utility companies to provide financial incentives to help low-income customers cover the cost of energy-saving improvements to their homes.
“These results underscore the challenges that New Jersey and other states face when addressing climate change,” said Jeanne Herb of the Rutgers Bloustein School of Policy and Planning New Jersey Climate Change Alliance at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. “Most New Jerseyans show some concern about climate change but are uncertain of how to address it both personally and through public policy.”
Results are from a statewide poll of 1,008 New Jersey adults contacted by live callers on landlines and cell phones from March 29 through April 9, 2019. The sample has a margin of error of +/-3.5 percentage points.
Read the full press release here.
Jeanne Herb was interviewed by Jill Horner of Comcast News on April 18, 2019 about the lessons on health and climate change equity that Jeanne brought back from a recent trip to Cuba with the Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Leaders Program.
View the video here: https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2019/4/22/NJ190418-2
Coastal Community Resilience: an overview of strategies, tools and scienceCoastal Community Resilience: an overview of strategies, tools and science
May 3, 2019
Offered by Rutgers Continuing Professional Education
Instructors: Jeanne Herb and Lisa Auermuller
Co-chair Michael Catania, DEP Commissioner Catherine McCabe, First Lady Tammy Snyder Murphy, Co-chair Kathleen Ellis and NJIB Executive Director David Zimmer
The New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance was one of eleven recipients of the 19th Annual Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards given in Trenton on Tuesday, December 10, 2018. The Alliance received the award in the Environmental Education (Educator-led) category. The award description read, “Facilitated by the Rutgers Climate Institute and Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, the New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance is a diverse network of leaders who self-organized in 2011 to advance shared goals for addressing climate change. The Alliance has offered recommendations for evidence-based climate-change and resilience policies, convened stakeholders to build consensus-based models, developed decision support tools in use by communities and produced extensive outreach and educational material. The alliance of more than 45 organizations representing public, private, non-governmental and academic sectors has also undertaken research and policy analysis to assess climate impacts in New Jersey as well as outlining policy and other actions that can address sector-based impacts.”
The New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance is facilitated by the Environmental Analysis and Communications Group in partnership with the Rutgers Climate Institute. Over the past year, the Alliance has also won awards for its work to advance sound climate change policy in New Jersey from the New Jersey Local Boards of Health Association, the New Jersey Association for Flood Plain Management, and the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association. For more information, visit: http://njadapt.rutgers.edu
Visit the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards Website.
Read the full NJDEP Press Release on the Awards.
Image of recipients from https://www.nj.gov/dep/awards/pastwin2018.html.
Karen Lowrie, Ph.D. received the Richard J. Burk Outstanding Service Award at the 2018 Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) Annual Conference in New Orleans on December 4, 2018. The award is granted in recognition of extraordinary service to the Society that deserves special recognition. She has served as Managing Editor for the SRA’s international journal, Risk Analysis since 2008.
Pictured left to right:
Karen Lowrie, Managing Editor, Risk Analysis
Terje Aven, President, Society for Risk Analysis
L. Anthony Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Risk Analysis
EAC Team members, Dr. Michael Greenberg, Jeanne Herb, Dr. Karen Lowrie and Sara Malone will design and implement a survey to assess the effectiveness of efforts to inspire and motivate restoration and protection efforts in and around the Delaware River basin. The survey, funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, will assess knowledge diffusion and behavior change of organizations engaged in Delaware River watershed restoration and conservation.
For more information, contact Sara Malone.
Slider image of Delaware River by Nicholas A. Tonelli from www.nfwf.org/delaware
The Fourth National Climate Assessment identified the NJ Climate Adaptation Alliance as a key program to develop and implement climate adaptation strategies that assist Northeast municipalities, counties and states in efforts to build resilience to environmental changes and adapt to a changing climate (Chapter 18, Executive Summary). The NJ Climate Adaptation Alliance is co-facilitated by the Environmental Analysis and Communications Group at Rutgers’ Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and the Rutgers Climate Institute. The 4th National Climate Assessment was released on Friday, November 23, 2018.
Learn more about the NJ Climate Adaptation Alliance here.
Access the Fourth National Climate Assessment, Chapter 18 here.
Slider and post images from Fourth National Climate Assessment.
Join Jennifer Whytlaw at the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, April 3-7 2019 in Washington, D.C.
Follow this link for more information: https://annualmeeting.aag.org/
EAC’s Karen Lowrie and Leigh Ann Von Hagen of the Voorhees Transportation Center wrote an article about the training sessions that they have conducted for professionals on Health Impact Assessment in conjunction with the Rutgers Office of Continuing Education. This “Perspectives from the Field” article is in the November 2018 issue of the Chronicles of Health Impact Assessment.
Click here to read the full article.
Health Impact Assessment: Incorporating Health into Planning and Decision-Making
Feb. 1, 2019
Offered by Rutgers Continuing Professional Education
Instructors: Karen Lowrie and Leigh Ann Von Hagen
CEU’s Available
Join EAC Executive Director, Jeanne Herb, at the annual Restore America’s Estuaries Summit, December 8-13 in Long Beach, California.
Follow this link for more information or to register: https://www.estuaries.org/2018-summit-general-info
Jeanne Herb, EAC Executive Director, joined Rutgers Climate Institute Associate Director Dr. Marjorie Kaplan in presenting insights regarding state sea level rise policies at a Coastal Resilience Summit organized by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. See the slide presentation here.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Doug Mills, Pool
EAC Executive Director Jeanne Herb, along with Senior Research Specialists Matt Campo and Dr. Jennifer Whytlaw, presented an analysis of social vulnerability in New Jersey’s 239 coastal municipalities at a Coastal Resilience Summit convened by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. See their slide presentation here.
Congratulations to the New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance for winning the Coastal and Ocean Champion Award from the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute.
The New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance is facilitated by the Environmental Analysis and Communications Group in partnership with the Rutgers Climate Institute. Over the past year, the Alliance has also won awards for its work to advance sound climate change policy in New Jersey from the New Jersey Local Boards of Health Association, the New Jersey Association for Flood Plain Management, and the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association. For more information, visit: http://njadapt.rutgers.edu
For more information visit: https://www.monmouth.edu/uci/symposium-and-awards/2018-state-and-ocean-champion-awards/
Compiled by EAC’s Dr. Karen Lowrie, (Managing Editor of Risk Analysis) and Dr. Louis Anthony (Tony) Cox, this special virtual issue of Risk Analysis, prepared a year after Harvey and in the wake of Florence, offers insights on how best to anticipate, communicate, manage, mitigate, respond to, recover from, and learn from such disasters. The issue consists of papers drawn from past issues of Risk Analysis, with a deliberate bias toward the most recent and up-to-date papers. It is an update of a virtual issue originally prepared following Hurricane Harvey, updated in September of 2018 to provide the most recent advances to readers and researchers.
Click here to access the Virtual Special Issue
For more information, contact Karen Lowrie
In the Fall of 2018, EAC’s Dr. Karen Lowrie is leading a class of MCRP students in a studio class that focuses on Farley Towers, a senior living facility managed by the City of Elizabeth Housing Authority. Students will examine the opportunities to improve and expand outdoor areas to accommodate passive and active recreation for older adults. Students will conduct an assessment of the property, collect input from residents, and develop plans and recommendations for improvements to the property grounds and connections to the Elizabeth River trail that is directly adjacent to the property.
This studio project dovetails with the Lifelong Elizabeth project, a foundation-supported and city endorsed initiative to support the implementation of plans to make improvements in built environment design, transportation, social programming or planning policies to make the community a healthy place to grow old in Elizabeth.
Dr. Jennifer Whytlaw will be presenting a poster in the inaugural year for a new Geohealth track at the American Geophysical Union’s Fall Meeting (December 10-14). She will be presenting EAC’s work on examining data on environmental factors to inform community-based efforts to address “upstream” determinants of health through the use of existing authoritative data, namely the Center for Disease Control’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network and the Environmental Protection Agency’s EJScreen database.
The Bloustein School, in conjunction with the School of Social Work and AARP, is hosting a discussion on the benefits of building communities of all ages in New Jersey at the Special Events Forum at the Bloustein School at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, October 10, 2018. Speakers include Mayor Brian Whaler, Danielle Arigoni, Karen Alexander and Dr. Emily Greenfield. A light reception will follow. Event is Free and Open to the Public! RSVP requested by visitig http://go.rutgers.edu/vow45ur8.
EAC’s Dr. Whytlaw has developed and teaches a GIS Applications in Marine Science and Policy class to Monmouth University students. The course has students gather and analyze spatial data to critically examine uses of the ocean in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States, including working through NOAA’s Ocean Economics Methodology to examine coastal economies.
Learn more about the Monmouth course here: https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/stories/monmouth-university.html
EAC created and presented a three-part webinar series on resiliency planning co-sponsored by the Together North Jersey (TNJ) Resilience Task Force and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA).
Webinar 1: “Climate Change and Wetland Restoration”
Rutgers University’s current projections estimate a 1.4-foot rise in water by 2050, leaving coastal and riverine communities increasingly vulnerable to inundation, flooding, and storm surge. Encroaching sea waters threaten to destroy the integrity of North Jersey’s wetlands, the loss of which means the loss of an important ecological resource and a critical barrier that protects communities from flooding and storm surge. However, by dedicated efforts to maintain existing or new wetlands, communities can reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change while preserving important ecological systems. This webinar will introduce participants to:
Webinar 2: “Green Infrastructure and Urban Resiliency”
Numerous communities across North Jersey have turned to Green Infrastructure (GI) as a stormwater management solution, often with community input on planning and design. In an urban setting, GI affords wide-ranging benefits. GI is an economical approach to water management that mimics the natural water cycle through the planting of trees and other vegetation. GI also enhances aesthetics and creates opportunities for traffic calming and pedestrian safety.
This webinar explores:
Webinar 3: “Web-Based Coastal Resilience Planning Tools”
Many online tools are available to local decision-makers to understand the future impacts of climate change. This webinar will briefly illustrate the key points of several tools, provide information on useful applications, and direct participants to tutorial and demonstration resources. Communities can use these tools as a starting point to plan for future scenarios. Mapping outputs can be incorporated into conversations with the public or into planning documents or to begin to identify areas for future development based on projected climate impacts. The webinar includes information on:
And can also be found on the Together North Jersey Website at: https://togethernorthjersey.com/?page_id=25349
Our 2018 conference explored emerging contaminants affecting the Raritan and renewed watershed planning efforts that will address new and ongoing threats on our path to achieving fishable and swimmable status for the Raritan River, basin and bay. The program included Lightning Talks, Poster Sessions, Exhibitors, two Panel Sessions, a World Cafe, a Keynote address by Debbie Mans, Deputy Commission of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the annual Awards ceremony.
Click HERE to visit the SRRI site to view the conference materials and presentations.
Karen Lowrie co-facilitated a workshop on May 9 at the Rutgers Atlantic Cape campus with Leigh Ann Von Hagen as part of the Planning Health Communities Initiative. Health Department members from four Southern New Jersey counties learned about Health Impact Assessment and Health in All Policies, in preparation for selecting projects in their counties that could benefit from these tools to incorporate health into decision-making. The workshop was organized with the Society of Public Health Educators and funded by the County Health Ranking and Roadmaps project.
Join EAC’s Jeanne Herb at the Regional Plan Association annual Assembly. Jeanne will be participating in a panel titled, “Expanding the Region’s Carbon Market.” For more information or to register, go to: http://assembly.rpa.org/.
Read Jeanne Herb’s Op-Ed in NJSpotlight on achieving health equity in New Jersey. Follow this link.
On Thursday, March 22, EAC Executive Director Jeanne Herb joined Rutgers professors David Robinson and Robert Kopp as part of a Rutgers panel testifying in front of the New Jersey Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee outlining impacts of changing climate conditions on New Jersey’s coastal zone.
View Jeanne’s testimony here.
Senior Research Specialists Matt Campo and Stacy Krause participated as conference moderator/presenter on panels focused on climate resilience at the annual conference held at the Hyatt Hotel in New Brunswick, NJ.
EAC’s Matt Campo moderated a panel titled “Moving Toward Resiliency: A Look at the Past and Directions for the Future in New Jersey”. The panel included Kelly Pflicke (Senior Planner, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Coastal and Land Use Planning), Linda Brennen, AICP (Supervising Planner, Monmouth County Division of Planning), Julie Krause (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Quality), Chris Testa (Supervising Administrative Analyst, New Jersey Office of Emergency Management), and Tim Dillingham (Executive Director, American Littoral Society). Panelists discussed prior experiences in incorporating climate into existing planning efforts, how the practice can continue to change to enable New Jersey to become resilient, and how governmental and non-governmental partners can help practitioners prepare plans that affirmatively and effectively address risks. The panel covered topics including: integrating hazard mitigation planning and master planning efforts; integrating planning efforts across municipalities and regions; changes that could be made to the municipal land use law to address resiliency; design responses to planning efforts; and the changing nature of how the flood insurance program and finance industry acknowledge of climate risk with regard to municipal finance.
EAC’s Stacy Krause, PP/AICP, CFM presented as part of a panel titled: “Practical Resiliency Planning at the Municipal Level”. Other panelists were Craig A. Wenger, P.E., AICP, CFM, LEED GA (Senior Associate, Technical Manager, Water Resources, Michael Baker International) and Erika F. Stahl, PP, AICP, (Assistant Township Planner, Township of Toms River). The panelists discussed community vulnerability assessments, Hazard Mitigation Plans, and various planning tools that can help communities adapt to natural disasters and sea level rise now and in the future. Michael spoke on the update to the State Hazard Mitigation Plan and Erika presented on how Toms River Township is adapting to natural disasters and sea level rise by incorporating resiliency into redevelopment plans, zoning, and other measures. Included in the Toms River work is a sustainable and resilient guidance report for municipalities, identifying all current planning tools, when and how to best utilize them, state policy recommendations to improve the existing tools, and questions and concerns that must be addressed at the state and regional level. Stacy presented a Coastal Vulnerability Assessment she completed for Long Beach Island in Ocean County NJ. The assessment pinpointed areas and assets vulnerable to future sea level rise and storm surge, past mitigation efforts, and recommended future areas of focus.
Photo credit: APANJ
A Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) is a cooperative planning effort between local governments and military installations. Working with the County of Monmouth, NJ, a team from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy worked with Maser Consulting, P.A, HR&A Advisors, and AECOM to help develop climate resilience analyses and recommendations for the communities surrounding Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Earle. In addition to being the first JLUS to consider climate resilience, the project recommendations also encourage the municipalities to work collaboratively with the base to plan for compatible development and maintain resilient transportation infrastructure that will protect the sustainability of the surrounding communities. You can find out more, and download the full report, from the Monmouth County project website.
Image from NWS Earle Joint Land Use Study, prepared by Maser Consulting for Monmouth County, NJ. 2017.
EAC Director Michael Greenberg was recently appointed as a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Plutonium Disposition Committee. The objective of the committee is to evaluate methods and locations to dispose of 34 metric tons of U.S. plutonium.
The New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance – facilitated by Rutgers University–New Brunswick – has launched a social media campaign to enhance public education and to guide people to a wealth of information on climate change resilience on its website.
You can follow the campaign on Twitter (@NJAdapt and @RutgersRCI; hashtags include #njadapt and #climatechange), on the alliance website, and on Facebook.
The campaign will run through spring and include promotion of an infographic and six videos. The infographic – “Reducing New Jersey’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A guide to policy options” – is based on the report, “An Examination of Policy Options for Achieving Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions in New Jersey,” by the Georgetown Climate Center, Rutgers Climate Institute, the Bloustein School and World Resources Institute. The New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance has many other resources, including videos, analysis and decision-support tools, on its website.
Bloustein School hosts Dr. Brian Smedley March 27 lecture on “Place, Race and Poverty: Advancing Health Equity in New Jersey and Nationally.” Event is free but registration is required. Read more or register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/place-race-and-power-advancing-health-equity-in-new-jersey-and-nationally-tickets-41249904575
EAC’s Executive Director Jeanne Herb was quoted in a recent article in the New York Times about the links between extreme weather impacts, such as increased frequency and severity of flooding, and amplified risk of toxic spills at chemical sites. Read the full article here.
Read about the EAC group’s related work on using geographic tools to identify industrial and commercial facilities in flood-prone areas. Learn more here.
Image from article by Hiroko Tabuchi, Nadja Popovich, Blacki Migliozzi and Andrew W. Lehren, New York Times, February 6, 2018.
Bloustein School joins Sustainable Jersey and New Jersey League of Conservation Voters in hosting Mayor’s Climate Summit
Learn more about it here: http://www.sustainablejersey.com/events-trainings/nj-mayors-climate-summit/
Photo credit: Event co-hosts with First Lady Tammy Murphy from SustainableJersey.com
Join EAC for an upcoming training course, Health Impact Assessment: Incorporating Health into Planning and Decision-Making, offered through the Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education. In this session, facilitators from the Planning Healthy Communities Initiative will lead an introductory training on health impact assessment as a tool to promote community health and equity in planning processes and decision-making.
Friday, February 23, 2018
9:00am – 3:00pm
For more information and to sign up: http://www.cpe.rutgers.edu/brochures/intros/health-assessment.html. Course is approved for 0.5 Rutgers CEU’s, and eligible for 10 points toward certification in the Sustainable Jersey program under the “Health in All Policies Professional Development Training” action.
EAC Executive Director Jeanne Herb is quoted in an article regarding New Jersey rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
Read the full article here: https://thinkprogress.org/new-jersey-to-rejoin-rggi-0d2d8dbde287/
Image from ThinkProgress.org
Greenberg, Michael R., Dona Schneider. 2017. Urban Planning and Public Health: A Critical Partnership. American Public Health Association.
Michael R. Greenberg wears many hats at the Bloustein School. Besides serving as Interim Dean, Dr. Greenberg is a Distinguished Professor and Director of the Environmental Analysis and Communications Group. Along with co-author Bloustein Associate Dean and Professor Dona Schneider Ph.D., MPH, Professor Greenberg’s latest book, Urban Planning & Public Health: A Critical Partnership, was published by the American Public Health Association Press in 2017. The book provides an in-depth summary of the historic connections between the fields of public health and urban planning beginning in the Industrial Revolution. It also draws the connections between urban planning and public health through practical and understandable case examples and outlines critical challenges to integrate science, policy and politics to further the health of communities across the U.S. Dr. Greenberg has studied environmental policy and environmental health at Rutgers for more than four decades.
Save the Date: Annual Sustainable Raritan River Conference. The 10th Annual Sustainable Raritan River Conference and Awards Ceremony will be held on Friday, June 8, 2018. Mark your calendar now and visit http://raritan.rutgers.edu for more information soon.
Join EAC at Social Coast 2018! NOAA’s Social Coast Forum brings together researchers and practitioners from around the U.S. to share how social science tools and methods can address the nation’s coastal challenges. EAC Team member Matt Campo will discuss his collaborative work with Jennifer Whytlaw to integrate dynamic web-based mapping tools into static user guidance to more thoughtfully consider the unique roles of water-dependent uses in adaptation and land use planning.
Bloustein School co-sponsors Sustainable Jersey Mayors Climate summit. February 3, 2018.
Read more or register: http://www.sustainablejersey.com/nc/events-trainings/?tx_cicevents_eventslisting%5Bevent%5D=831&tx_cicevents_eventslisting%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_cicevents_eventslisting%5Bcontroller%5D=Event&cHash=875b9c853f108670922d2e9c966ec0a8
Bloustein School hosts Dr. Thomas Burke January 30, 2018 lecture on “Adapting to Change: Environmental Science and Policy in the Age of Trump. Event is free but registration is required. For more information or to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/adapting-to-change-environmental-science-and-policy-in-the-time-of-trump-tickets-40909603726
Join EAC at NJ-APA Annual Conference. EAC Team members Dr. Karen Lowrie, Matt Campo and Stacy Krause will be participating in panels at the annual conference of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association. https://njplanningconference.org/register/
This Fall 2017 studio focused on environmental, conceptual design, regulatory and health and safety aspects of planning two components of Rutgers 2030: Rutgers University Physical Master Plan – the Raritan River boardwalk and the bicycle/pedestrian bridge across the river that will jointly help reestablish an intimate relationship between the City of New Brunswick, Rutgers University and the Raritan River. These Rutgers 2030 plan components propose to enhance bicycle and pedestrian access between the Livingston and College Avenue campuses via a new bicycle/footbridge across the Raritan and will reconnect the Delaware and Raritan canal and trail network at the north end of College Avenue campus to Boyd Park and the Rutgers Boathouse at the foot of Douglass campus via a riverwalk on the New Brunswick side of the river. The guest lecture style studio taught by Sara Malone examined important considerations in the planning and design of the components that are intended to address a variety of objectives including maximizing multi-modal access via Rutgers campuses, increasing student and overall access in and through the tidal reach of the Raritan River, and contributing overall to the redevelopment of the New Brunswick campus. (final report pending)
Our 2017 conference showcased a series of status and trends reports by Raritan stakeholders from across the region. Presentations described several decades of change in key indicators of watershed health for the Raritan River, basin and bay. And during lunch, keynote speaker, Andrew Johnson of the William Penn Foundation reflected on the strategic approach developed and applied through the Delaware River Watershed Initiative to address the same types of issues we face in the Raritan. What do these reports say about the health of the Raritan and what are the key concerns that still need to be addressed? How do we best leverage existing resources to tackle them? These are a few of the questions panelists and participants considered during this day long conference.
We also presented the 2017 Sustainable Raritan River Awards to recognize outstanding achievements in efforts to revitalize, restore and protect Raritan River resources and to make the Raritan region a premiere place to live, work and raise a family. Eight recipients were recognized. You can follow the link below to learn more about them and their good works for a more sustainable Raritan.
New at this year’s conference was a Data Blitz. The Data Blitz — a series of eleven five-minute long lightning talks — covered a broad range of topics highlighting current academic research, community actions, policy and planning efforts by stakeholders across the Raritan region. Each talk was supported by a poster, and the conference closed with a poster session and networking reception.
Click HERE to visit the SRRI site to view the conference materials and presentations.
May 22, 2017
Click Here to Register and Learn MoreHealth Impact Assessment (HIA) can be used to evaluate a proposed plan or project’s potential effects on the health of a population. HIA provides evidence-based recommendations aimed at enhancing positive health impacts and minimizing negative ones, providing an approach to the decision-making process by:
More Information about Health Impact Assessment
In celebration of Rutgers University’s 250th Anniversary, the conference showcased efforts of Rutgers’ faculty, staff and students, and Collaborative partners in the Raritan Basin, provided a forum for identifying a University-wide agenda for stewardship of the Raritan, and established a network for collaboration among University-based research, extension and outreach-efforts related to the Raritan Basin.
Click HERE to visit the SRRI site to view the conference materials and presentations.
Join us for a half day workshop on June 3, 2016 to learn about how a changing climate may affect public health in New Jersey and about strategies to better prepare New Jersey’s public health practitioners and professionals to address these impacts.
The workshop will provide an overview of how a changing climate may affect human health, the latest research on public health implications of climate change, and leading efforts around the U.S. to prepare public health professionals and agencies to address impacts from climate change. A panel of New Jersey public health practitioners will discuss challenges and opportunities and lay out possible next steps for action in New Jersey.
The June 3 workshop is sponsored by the New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance (http://njadapt.rutgers.edu/) in partnership with the New Jersey Public Health Association, the New Jersey Association of County and City Health Officials and the Rutgers University School of Public Health, and the New Jersey Department of Health.
Click here to register:
If you have any questions, please contact Jeanne Herb at Rutgers University at (848) 932-2725 or jherb@ejb.rutgers.edu.
Congressional budget authorization language in 2014 directed the DOE to “retain a respected outside group … [to] undertake an analysis of how effectively the Department of Energy (DOE) identifies, programs, and executes its plans to address those risks [to public health and safety from the DOE’s remaining environmental cleanup liabilities], as well as how effectively the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) identifies and elevates the nature and consequences of potential threats to public health at safety at the defense environmental cleanup sites.” EAC Director Michael Greenberg led this effort. A report was submitted to Congress in 2017, and a scholarly article is currently in peer review.
Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy
Rutgers University
Douglass Student Center, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
On Friday, June 12, 2015, more than 200 leading representatives from government, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and businesses as well as concerned citizens from New York and New Jersey came together to discuss the challenges and opportunities for managing the bi-state waters of the beautiful Raritan Bay. Through expert presentations and collaborative discussions, the participants identified key steps for advancing regional efforts for habitat restoration, coastal resiliency, water quality, fisheries management, and public access.
Click HERE to visit the SRRI site for updates from the 6th Annual Sustainable Raritan River Conference.
Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy
Rutgers University
59 Biel Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Cook Campus Center, Rutgers University
The 6th Annual Sustainable Raritan River Conference focused on the intrinsic values that the Raritan brings to the communities, businesses, and residents (human and non-human alike) throughout the region by exploring the theme of Valuing Natural Capital and Ecosystems Services.
Click HERE to visit the SRRI site for updates from the 6th Annual Sustainable Raritan River Conference.
Duke Farms
Coach Barn
Hillsborough
This conference started with a guided bird walk and ended with a tour of the wetlands restoration work along the Raritan River. Packed in-between were a film on the removal of the Nevius Street Dam and informative workshops covering public access, climate resiliency, regional conservation planning, and wetlands restoration and stormwater.
Click HERE to view mini-conference materials and speakers presentations.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy
Rutgers University
33 Livingston Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
The 5th Annual Sustainable Raritan River Conference was all about Water!
Is there enough for the people and businesses in our communities? Is it clean? How do we keep it safe? How do we manage it when there is too much? What can we do on a personal level, on a business level, on the municipal level, in the region and state-wide to ensure it is a resource we can rely on in the future? How do we make it better so we can ultimately eat the fish from it and safely swim in it? These were some of the questions we explored in the 5th Annual Conference.
Click HERE to view the conference materials and presentations.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
7:45 AM to 5:00 PM
59 Biel Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Cook Campus Center, Rutgers University
Hosted by the New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance
The purpose of this conference is to highlight climate preparedness and resilience activities underway in New Jersey,as well as leading practices throughout the United States, in order to enhance climate change adaptation capacity in New Jersey.