Here is the latest press release from Dawn Zimmer regarding "Green Initiatives" she promises if elected Mayor. Feel free to comment below:
ZIMMER TO MAKE COST-SAVING GREEN
INITIATIVES A HIGH PRIORITY
Dawn Zimmer today announced that she will make an aggressive push to implement common sense cost-saving green initiatives as Mayor. Zimmer said, “When it comes to adopting cost-saving Green Technologies, Hoboken continues to drag its feet. I will harness the potential of green technologies to produce cost-savings in the areas of energy, garbage disposal and flood prevention.”
As Councilwoman, Zimmer led the way in pushing for a municipal energy audit and identifying and obtaining grant funding for it. According to Zimmer, Hoboken pays about $50,000 a month in energy costs. The energy audit, which will be completed over the next several months, will identify ways that Hoboken can reduce its energy costs. Zimmer said, “As Mayor, I will take the next step and aggressively work to implement the recommendations of the energy audit and to seek available grant funding to make Hoboken public buildings more energy efficient. This not only offers the potential for major cost-savings, but will reduce our carbon footprint.”
Zimmer pointed to reducing Hoboken’s trash output through stepped-up recycling as another significant cost-saving opportunity. Zimmer proposed a series of initiatives to accomplish this goal, including expanding recycling in the schools, working with the Housing Authority to initiate a recycling program and establishing a city-wide recycling program on our streets. Zimmer added, “A more comprehensive recycling program can make a major dent in the amount of trash that we must pay to dispose, offering Hoboken taxpayers a big cost-savings.
Last night’s rain once again resulted in flooding in western Hoboken. Flood prevention is another area that, according to Dawn Zimmer, can be done more cost-effectively by adopting green technologies. Zimmer said, “As Mayor, I will move forward with the use of state-of-the-art wireless monitoring technology to better plan an integrated and more cost-effective approach to our flooding problem. This technology will help us evaluate whether we need to build additional pumps beyond the critical Southeastern Pump, which experts tell us will solve 80% of the problem. The current four pump plan comes with a $44 million price tag and the wireless technology costs an estimated $100,000. Zimmer persuaded North Hudson Sewerage to change the order in which the pumps are scheduled to be built, so that the most important pump is now scheduled to be built first, not last.
Zimmer proposed supplementing the flood pumps with green technologies to reduce storm water run-off, such as green roofs, rain gardens, porous pavers on streets and grey water technology. Dawn Zimmer said, “These common sense, environmentally-friendly measures can be adopted quickly so that we can start to make a dent. in our flooding problem.”
Zimmer concluded, "The adoption of these new environmentally-friendly technologies has the added benefit of putting Hoboken in a better position to secure state and federal grants, since green technologies are a priority of the Obama Administration." ◦
