Ocean City is on a roll. First, the Shore town was awarded “Best Beach in America” this April by Coastal Living’s readers, and now it adds sustainability to its list of awards. Sustainable Jersey, an organization helping communities build a more sustainable New Jersey, granted Ocean City a silver rating in late October.
To earn the certification, Ocean City had to complete a number of actions provided by Sustainable Jersey: One mandatory action, two priority actions and a total of 350 points from eight categories. The town created a green team, who completed five priority actions to achieve the certification:
- A fleet inventory;
- municipal carbon footprint;
- sustainable land use pledge;
- natural resource inventory; and
- prescription drug safety and disposal.
Ocean City is the 40th New Jersey community to reach Sustainable Jersey’s silver level, and one of only five Shore towns to earn the title.
Certified towns excel in areas such as improving energy efficiency and health and wellness, reducing waste, sustaining local economies, protecting natural resources and advancing the arts, according to Sustainable Jersey.
