On a per capita basis, in 2005 New Jersey residents emitted an estimated 16.7 metric tons of carbon dioxide from three principal sources: transportation (34 percent); residential, commercial and industrial fuel use (32 percent); and electricity consumption (24 percent).
Environment and Agriculture
Fighting Climate Change Starts at Home
Friday, April 4th, 2008Higher Gas Prices are on the Horizon but NJ is Well-Positioned to Weather Storm
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008Since peaking in 1989, per-capita fuel consumption has declined in New Jersey. Nationwide, public transportation ridership grew by 2.1 percent in 2007; NJ Transit ridership grew by 4.1 percent.
Leed-ND: A New Framework for Sustainable Development
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008There are currently 238 projects in 39 states and six countries participating in the LEED-ND pilot program.
Brownfields: Urban Blight or Redevelopment Opportunity?
Friday, December 7th, 2007Former industrial sites, known as brownfields, are a prominent feature of New Jersey’s urban landscape. More than 10,000 brownfields have been identified in the state.
NJ Still Has Room to Grow. But Where…and How?
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007A recent study commissioned by the Council on Affordable Housing found that: Of New Jersey’s 4.98 million acres, 1.24 million (25 percent) are vacant and unconstrained. These vacant acres have the capacity for 1,169,697 residential housing units and 1.63 billion […]
Preserving NJ’s Landscape is a Daunting Challenge
Wednesday, October 31st, 2007A 2002 snapshot of New Jersey’s landscape shows the state divided roughly into quarters: 28 percent is developed, 24 percent permanently preserved with public funds, 23 percent undevelopable or constrained by regulation, and 25 percent vacant and unconstrained—or “up for […]
Trash and Landfills-A Smart Land Use?
Tuesday, October 16th, 2007New Jersey is currently home to more than 800 active and closed landfills. Together, these landfills cover more than 10,500 acres—an area twice the size of the city of Trenton, and equal to eight months’ worth of new land development […]
The Link Between Energy Use and Land Use
Tuesday, June 19th, 2007Population density in Hudson County is about 13,000 people per square mile, the highest among New Jersey’s 21 counties and one of the most densely populated counties in the country. At the other end of the spectrum, Hunterdon County’s density […]
TDR Implementation – Keen Interest, Slow Progress
Friday, June 1st, 2007Just over three years ago, the State Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Act was signed into law, authorizing municipalities across New Jersey to adopt programs to “transfer” potential development from conservation areas to designated growth areas, typically at higher densities […]
New Sewer Rules, New Hope for Smart Growth?
Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007NJ Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Jackson celebrated Earth Day by announcing a new regulatory regime to govern the extension of wastewater infrastructure in New Jersey. This huge new rule—all 464 pages of it—will be published in the NJ […]