The developing consensus that the problems of climate change, sustainability and environmental toxins must be addressed at all levels of government mandates the establishment of a dedicated Office of Environmental Affairs (OEA) within every municipality.

The OEA should have both the responsibility and authority to coordinate local governmental efforts, and to develop and maintain effective communications between residents and local decision makers, as well as with surrounding municipalities.

Many municipalities have environmental commissions or committees, and this provides a good starting point - but not a substitute - for a dedicated office. The immediacy and magnitude of the problems we face, and the catastrophic results of delay or inaction, can no longer be ignored.


Resources:

The Township of Montclair, New Jersey stands out as a model of a small town doing big things for the environment. In 1978 Montclair was the first municipality in the state to set up a recycling program, and one of the first to sponsor a farmers' market. Today the Office of Environmental Affairs Coordinator Gray Russell oversees all of the Town's efforts to be green, from biodiesel vehicles, to composting, to disposing of e-waste.