Dear Editor:
There is money in each of our homes, condos, retail stores and offices. Each day our buildings waste electricity, water, natural gas or oil, we are sending money out of Jersey City, while our neighbors lose their homes, their jobs, their ability to feed their families.
By renovating the buildings where we live and work, we create jobs here in Jersey City. Jobs evaluating these buildings to find the biggest sources of waste. Jobs installing insulation and weather-stripping, installing low flow showerheads and toilets, installing more efficient furnaces or geothermal heat pumps for heating and cooling. And for larger buildings, jobs in engineering, project management and finance.
The money for all of this work comes from lower utility bills: take that savings and pay off the cost of the renovations, and a few years later, you start saving money. More local jobs means more money spent in Jersey City, which creates even more jobs, and more revenue for our City Budget, which means lower tax rates. It means Jersey City will be hiring more workers, not firing them. It means Second Chance can expand its program. It means our teenagers have more career choices. It means our homes and offices will be safer, healthier, and more comfortable.
Please join me in encouraging our Jersey City administration to fulfill the promise of Resolution 11-168, and to fully fund and support related programs. Please contact a BPI certified analyst to evaluate your building so we can all enjoy the benefits of more efficient buildings. If you have questions or would like to help, please contact me via the Sustainable Jersey City website: sustainablejc.org
Andy Velwest