To the Editor:

As I was walking to work this morning, I passed a hybrid electric delivery truck, bikers using the bicycle Sharrows, and people walking with their goodies in reusable bags. The scene was heartening. We’ve come a long way as a town in just a few years. I wondered though, as the New Year dawned, how might Princeton further embrace sustainability?

To answer this question, I gathered some of Sustainable Princeton’s visionary volunteers to come up with a list of sustainable New Year’s resolutions for our town to aim for in 2014. One volunteer laid out her vision from the start, “I want Princeton to become the most sustainable suburb in the Mid-Atlantic.” So with that big goal in mind, we made our list. We envision:

Recycling bins on every downtown sidewalk;

The green Curbside Organic Waste bins in front of every home and business;

100 home energy assessments conducted by June 2014, and at least 25 Princeton homes completing the recommended energy upgrades;

A community that buys local first because it is good for our economy and the environment;

Fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables on the plates of every public school student, less plastic water bottles sold at school and an uptick in recycling at all public schools;

100 percent of shoppers using reusable bags rather than single use plastic bags that clog our oceans and sit for years in the landfill;

A sustainable vision for the town shared and acted upon by the government, schools, businesses and residents;

Princeton earning Silver Certification as a Sustainable Community from Sustainable Jersey;

50 new Sustainable Princeton volunteers to help us reach our goals and;

A vibrant, walkable, bike-able, earth-friendly, sustainable community to live in.

If you want to meet the people in our community who are making these goals a reality, there are two upcoming events you should attend at the Princeton Public Library: The Sustainable Princeton Leadership Awards on January 29 at 7 p.m. and The Great Ideas Breakfast on January 31 at 8:30 a.m.

Diane M. Landis

Executive director, Sustainable Princeton