SJC's Rain Gardens +ART Campaign

Sustainable JC believes that more Green Infrastructure in Jersey City will alleviate our exasperated problem of combined stormwater and sewage overflows, which are polluting the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers and our urban landscape.  This is not only a community health issue.  It is now estimated that the economic cost to taxpayers to remediate our dilapidated sewer system will be upwards of $55M, which doesn’t include the local above-ground damages experienced during flooding events to households and businesses.  Green Infrastructure solutions can cut these costs by 50% or more.

SJC’s response to the problem is a citizen led Rain Gardens +ART Campaign which is intended to do the following:

• educate the community about low-cost green infrastructure options such as Rain Gardens and how they can help to prevent flooding.
• engage substantial community support for the initiative to show that this is a priority, which we hope will energize municipal officials to develop a long-term plan to integrate a full array of Green Infrastructure solutions in Jersey City.
• highlight how effective collaboration across organizations in JC and around the region can have a greater and longer lasting impact, engage wider participation and educate more people.
• use the Arts to reflect on the personal aspects of what sustains community members who live and work here and inspire a cultural shift that embraces transforming Jersey City into one of the most sustainable cities in our region.

Sustainable JC has been planning this project for some time.  We have been active over the last two years creating a dynamic collaboration amongst technical advisors, host sites, funding partners and building a local Project Team.  Community education about the positive environmental and economic impacts Green Infrastructure can have has been ongoing, including our just-launched, groundbreaking Certificate Program in Urban Sustainability for Jersey City.  Offered at Hudson Community College, the Certificate Program is intended to activate neighborhood stakeholder groups toward sustainability projects that can transform their neighborhoods. 

The only thing we have left to do is the installation of this first demonstration site at St. Paul's by the NJ Tree Foundation.  This will be followed by more artist installations in and around the footprint to create awareness and enage more community members as we ramp up for the next project.  To this end, we are including a start-up fund to pay artists for their time and materials as outlined in our budget.

In 2011 Jersey City was levied with an EPA Consent Decree in for Violations of the Federal Clean Water Act, stemming from raw sewage being released into the Hackensack and Hudson Rivers as well as Newark Bay and Penhorn Creek.  This Decree requires the city to address the issue within eight years.  The release of untreated sewage into waterways results in an increase in water-borne illnesses, reduced recreation abilities and environmental crises. 

Rain Gardens are a low-cost infrastructure method that allow rainwater and snowmelt to be collected and seep naturally into the ground.  This prevents polluted runoff and sewer overflows, thereby reducing both environmental and public health impacts on the city.

Our way of thanking you...

• The first 100 donors to the rain garden will receive:
  
• Drawing amongst donors who give $50:
  
• Drawing amongst donors who give $100:
  
• Highest Donation Reward