![]() ![]() From a devastating global pandemic and economic crisis to political and social upheaval, 2020 drew comparisons to other pivotal moments in modern history, particularly the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic and the Great Depression. Yet few could have imagined the extraordinary confluence of events that engulfed the world this year. With the approach of Earth Day’s 50th anniversary on top of a looming presidential election, 2020 was bound to be another consequential year for the planet. The department is beyond grateful for their passion and dedication to this project. The project would not have been possible without the devoted efforts of DEP librarian Tonia Wu and Communications content strategist Debra La Quaglia. The weekly presentation was the brainchild of several DEP employees who made up the education/awareness group in the DEP50 volunteer ranks, including Tonia Wu, Jennifer Van Istendal, Amber Perlmutter, Heidi O’Neill, Nicole Budzek, Christine Wang, Myla Ramirez and Claire Yeager. Murphy signed the nation’s strongest environmental justice law to send “a clear message that we will longer allow black and brown communities in our state to be dumping grounds, where access to clean air and clean water are overlooked,” the DEP Snapshot has documented this agency’s efforts to enrich and protect New Jersey’s environment and the public health. Cahill signed legislation creating the department, which he declared “was a giant step forward in our fight to preserve, protect and enhance the environment,” to this year, when Gov. 9, the DEP Snapshot has looked at a single year in the history of the department.įrom its beginnings in 1970, when then-Gov. However, one of its most highly visible projects was completed: Each week, since Jan. The DEP scuttled many plans centered around its half-century celebration. This year certainly did not turn out as anyone planned – or as anyone could have imagined. And though we’ve lost more than 16,800 New Jerseyans to COVID-19, we hold out hope for the day we can return to some semblance of normalcy. Wearing a mask when venturing out has become a way of life. During her weekly broadcast, Commissioner Catherine McCabe offered her many thanks for all that DEP employees did to adjust to a new working world – assuring employees that their efforts were being seen and recognized.Įventually, the state would see the curve begin to flatten and many parts of the state would reopen. No balloons, no cake, no big gathering, but there were huge kudos from the governor, who shared them with his 222.7K Twitter followers. The DEP’s birthday – on April 22 – passed somewhat quietly. The DEP’s more than 2,800 employees quickly moved to remote work options as much as possible. Governor Phil Murphy set a March 18 deadline for work-at-home plans to be developed for all state departments. Businesses eventually were required to close and New Jerseyans were asked to stay home. Patrick’s Day parades – in Morristown and Bergenfield – were postponed. Schools began closing Rutgers announced that it was moving to online classes temporarily and two of the state’s biggest St. In New Jersey, the first person diagnosed with COVID-19 occurred on March 4 the first death from the coronavirus would come just six days later, on March 10. Then, Americans across the nation began falling ill. Events were planned, promotions were created, commemorative projects were started – and the department’s big birthday bash was scheduled for April 22, also Earth Day, at the Trenton War Memorial. Colleagues, who had spent months coming up with creative ways to celebrate the DEP’s 50th birthday, welcomed 2020 enthusiastically. ![]()
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