Environmental Leadership Awards Given To Madison Officials

MADISON, NJ — Madison has been recognized as an environmental leader among New Jersey's 564 towns for the fifth year in a row.

The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) has given Councilwoman Rachel Ehrlich the Municipal Leadership Award, following in the footsteps of Mayor Robert H. Conley, who received the award in 2021.

In addition, Friends of the Drew Forest received a nonprofit award for their efforts in this area. Jennifer Coffey, Executive Director of the ANJEC, praised the Friends of the Drew Forest for their "exceptional educational awareness campaign."

“We’re lucky to live in a town that values environmental stewardship,” Madison Environmental Commission Chair Claire Whitcomb said. “We’re also lucky to live in a part of Morris County that understands water and wildlife protection doesn’t end at municipal boundaries. Five neighboring towns have passed resolutions to conserve the Drew Forest. And multiple towns collaborated on plastic bag ordinances. Environmental work needs all of us.”

In honoring Ehrlich for her climate work, ANJEC emphasized the councilwoman's forward-thinking strategy of incorporating climate action into borough planning.

“This is work that involves goals, measurements and collaboration,” Ehrlich said. “By working with department heads and experienced borough staff, green teams in towns like Madison can help plan for cost and energy savings while cutting carbon pollution.”

Friends of the Drew Forest, a group of local volunteers, were praised by ANJEC for "establishing the conservation value of a local forest."

The nonprofit's efforts have included farmer's market table tabling, a Thanksgiving parade float, and the commissioning of third-party environmental reports, one of which was filed as part of the group's amicus brief in the ongoing legal dispute between Drew University and the Borough of Madison.