Green Building & Environmental Sustainability Element Tool (CM |1.5)

The Green Building and Environmental Sustainability Element (GBESE) is an adopted element of the Municipal Master Plan. In August 2008, the NJ Municipal Land Use Law was amended to include the GBESE in the list of permitted Master Plan Elements. It describes the Element as the following: “A green buildings and environmental sustainability plan element, which shall provide for, encourage, and promote the efficient use of natural resources and the installation and usage of renewable energy systems; consider the impact of buildings on the local, regional and global environment; allow ecosystems to function naturally; conserve and reuse water; treat storm water on-site; and optimize climatic conditions through site orientation and design.” This webinar will address the creation and adoption of a GBESE which, like all Master Plan Elements, is intended to guide land-use decisions and provides the basis for ordinances addressing sustainability and land use issues. Representatives from the planning community, including the acclaimed Sustainable JerseyTM certification program, will discuss the program’s GBESE tool for certification, how to introduce sustainability concepts into local planning documents, and will highlight some examples from high performing sustainability plans. The APA-NJ’s Sustainability Committee will discuss another approach to developing sustainable master plan language by infusing sustainability concepts throughout each of the Master Plan’s traditional plan elements. And a planning practitioner will discuss the process for working with your town planning board to develop the appropriate sustainability language for your community’s GBESE.

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