A Healthier New Jersey: Transforming Our Future Together
A Healthier New Jersey: Transforming Our Future Together
Dear New Jersey Residents,
As your candidate for Governor of New Jersey, I need to address a critical aspect of our well-being that often goes overlooked in traditional healthcare discussions: the fundamental connections between our health, the environment, and our economy. While many candidates may focus on reducing healthcare costs, I believe we must tackle the initial threats to our health to foster real, sustainable change.
The Health-Environment Connection
In New Jersey, we face escalating health challenges, many of which stem from environmental factors and the quality of our food. As we work to improve our healthcare system, we must prioritize making New Jersey the first fully organic farming state. This initiative will ensure that every child in our schools, every patient in our hospitals, and every resident in our nursing homes has access to fresh, organic produce that nourishes their bodies and engages their minds.
Imagine a future where organic farming is not just a goal but a reality across our state. This isn’t just about access to healthy food; it’s about ensuring that our agricultural practices promote sustainability, biodiversity, and soil health. By supporting new farmers, we can empower our agricultural community and enhance food security for all. One example is implementing school gardens that will educate our children about nutrition and the origins of their food, fostering a generation that prioritizes healthy choices.
To achieve these goals, we propose working closely with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the Northeast Organic Farming Association, the Rodale Institute, the USDA, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Together, we can:
Help Current Farmers Transition to Organic Farming: Many New Jersey farmers currently grow conventional grains, which often depend on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. By transitioning to organic produce, we can reduce these chemical inputs and enhance the health of our soil and water systems.
Introduce Industrial Hemp to Crop Rotations: Adding industrial hemp as part of crop rotations provides multiple benefits. Hemp is a versatile crop that can be used for food and fiber, serves as a carbon capture plant, and helps prevent soil erosion. Additionally, introducing industrial hemp creates significant opportunities for economic growth by paving the way for new processing and manufacturing industries within the state. Hemp’s versatility allows it to be transformed into products such as food, animal feed, textiles, bioplastics, construction materials, and even biofuels, which can stimulate job creation and attract investment. Establishing facilities for processing hemp and manufacturing hemp-based products will diversify the economy, increase employment across multiple sectors, and generate substantial revenue for the state. By integrating hemp into farming practices, we not only support environmental sustainability and soil health but also position New Jersey as a leader in the burgeoning hemp industry.
Provide High Tunnels to Extend Growing Seasons: Through partnerships with government agencies and non-profits, we can supply high tunnels to farmers, enabling year-round production of organic crops. This reduces our dependency on cross-country transportation, lowers greenhouse gas emissions, and increases local revenue for farmers by allowing them to grow and sell fresh produce year-round.
Expand the Seafood Industry and Address Ocean Health: New Jersey’s seafood industry has significant potential for growth. By tackling issues such as ocean acidification and erosion, we can protect our waterways and ensure sustainable seafood production. Innovative ocean farming methods, such as incorporating kelp into farming practices, not only enhance water quality but also create additional income streams for our fishermen. Kelp is a natural carbon sink that helps mitigate acidification and can be used for food, animal feed, and biofuels.
Support Education and Training for Farmers: Transitioning to organic farming requires knowledge and resources. By offering workshops, grants, and technical support, we can make it easier for farmers to adopt sustainable practices and integrate innovative solutions into their operations.
Develop Composting Programs: Healthy soil is the foundation of organic farming. Composting programs that divert food waste from landfills can provide farmers with nutrient-rich compost, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers while simultaneously addressing the issue of food waste.
Integrate Organic Produce into Public Institutions: By partnering with schools, hospitals, and nursing homes, we can create a guaranteed market for organic farmers. This ensures steady demand for their products while providing communities with access to high-quality, nutritious food.
By implementing these solutions, New Jersey can lead the nation in sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship. We have the opportunity to transform our state into a model for organic farming, benefiting our health, economy, and environment.
Tackling Food Waste and Promoting Healthy Living
Food waste is a significant issue that affects our environment and health. By creating comprehensive composting programs, we can turn waste into valuable resources while promoting healthier soil and sustainable practices. This initiative not only reduces landfill contributions but also ensures that we maintain a sustainable food supply chain, keeping our communities nourished and thriving.
Working with grocers to collect expired produce, educational school district cafeterias to manage leftover food, municipalities to recycle leaf collections, and local tree removal businesses to dispose of wood chips, we can establish local and regional composting facilities that serve as hubs for sustainable waste management. These facilities would create employment opportunities in waste collection, compost processing, and distribution. Additionally, the final compost product can be marketed and sold to local farmers, landscapers, and garden centers, generating revenue to sustain the program.
This program will also help reduce disposal expenses for municipalities and businesses, which currently spend significant funds on transporting and tipping waste at landfills or incinerators. By cutting these costs, municipalities can allocate savings to other critical needs, ultimately reducing property taxes incrementally for residents. Lowering waste management expenses can ease the financial burden on local governments while creating a more efficient and environmentally responsible system.
To strengthen this initiative, partnerships with businesses and nonprofits can help fund infrastructure development, such as building modern composting systems capable of handling large-scale organic waste efficiently. Public awareness campaigns can educate residents and businesses on proper waste sorting, encouraging widespread participation and minimizing contamination in compost inputs. Schools can incorporate composting into their curriculum, teaching students the value of reducing food waste and fostering habits that contribute to long-term environmental stewardship.
Moreover, policymakers can implement incentives such as tax breaks for businesses that contribute to composting programs or penalties for excessive food waste disposal in landfills. By tying these efforts into broader sustainability goals, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing soil health, the program can play a critical role in combating climate change while improving agricultural yields across the state. This collaborative approach ensures that food waste is no longer seen as a problem but as a key resource in building a resilient, eco-friendly, and economically sound future for all.
Transforming New Jersey's Food Deserts: A Vision for Urban Agriculture
New Jersey is home to 50 food desert communities, impacting approximately 1.5 million residents across all 21 counties. For these residents, daily life is marked by limited access to nutritious food, transportation challenges, economic constraints, and the resulting health risks. But a transformative opportunity exists to turn these challenges into a success story of urban agriculture and community empowerment.
The Challenges of Food Deserts in New Jersey
Limited Access to Healthy Food: Many communities lack supermarkets, leaving residents reliant on fast food or corner stores with scarce fresh produce. This lack of options often leads to poor dietary choices.
Transportation Barriers: Poor public transit and long distances to grocery stores create significant obstacles for residents trying to access healthier food options.
Economic Constraints: High poverty rates and low incomes limit the ability of residents to afford nutritious food, even when available.
Nutritional Impact: These systemic issues result in diets heavy in processed foods, contributing to higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
A Bold Solution: Urban Agriculture Hubs
As candidate for Governor of New Jersey, I am looking to spearhead a major program across the state to transform these communities into Urban Agriculture hubs.
The challenges of food deserts can be met with a forward-thinking approach inspired by successful urban agriculture programs. By transforming food deserts into thriving urban agriculture hubs, New Jersey can empower its communities, improve food security, and foster economic growth.
Key Features of Urban Agriculture Programs
Urban Farms: Establish farms and greenhouses within food desert communities to produce fresh, affordable food locally.
Sustainable Agriculture Practices: Utilize cutting-edge techniques such as aquaponics, vermiculture, and large-scale composting to promote sustainability and maximize productivity.
Community Engagement: Involve local residents in planning and development to ensure programs address their needs and gain their full support.
Education and Training: Offer workshops and hands-on training in urban farming, aquaponics, and nutrition to empower residents with new skills.
Cooperative Ownership: Develop community-owned grocery stores or food co-ops to ensure long-term investment and access to nutritious foods.
Partnerships: Collaborate with local nonprofits, schools, and organizations to expand resources and reach.
Job Creation: Prioritize local hiring, providing living wages and contributing to economic development.
Food Distribution: Create food hubs and distribution networks to supply fresh produce to schools, restaurants, and community markets.
Nutrition Education: Promote healthy eating habits through cooking classes and food preparation workshops.
Healthcare for the People, Not for Profits
The rising cost of healthcare is one of the most urgent challenges facing New Jersey residents. For decades, our healthcare system has prioritized corporate profits over the health and well-being of our citizens. Insurance companies and pharmaceutical corporations treat patients as numbers on a balance sheet rather than as people deserving of care and compassion.
I believe healthcare is a fundamental human right—not a commodity. My vision for New Jersey’s healthcare reform focuses on creating a system that prioritizes the needs of people, not profits. Every resident must have "Every resident must have high quality healthcare". Period, shifting the focus from profit-driven motives to patient-centered care that ensures health and dignity for all.
A 2022 Rutgers-Eagleton Poll highlights this sentiment:
71% of New Jersey residents support expanding Medicare to all U.S. residents.
Among supporters, 93% would back New Jersey implementing its own program to provide basic healthcare coverage to every resident, even ahead of federal expansion.
Support spans race, gender, income, education, and age groups.
To address this, I support forward-thinking legislation like NJ S304, which proposes:
Enrolling every New Jersey resident in Medicare through a demonstration program with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Prohibiting other health plans in New Jersey from offering coverage included in Medicare, ensuring a unified system.
Leveraging federal waivers under the Affordable Care Act or Medicare experimentation provisions to implement the plan without requiring an act of Congress.
Benefits for New Jersey Businesses
A single-payer system could lead to significant reductions in healthcare costs for businesses. By eliminating the need for expensive employee health benefits, companies could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars per employee annually, allowing them to reinvest in growth, innovation, and jobs.
Investing in Prevention and Wellness
Healthcare reform isn’t just about coverage—it’s about transformation. By supporting community-based health initiatives and preventive care programs, we can lower overall healthcare costs while improving quality of life. Investing in wellness today means reducing the need for costly treatments tomorrow.
Innovative Insurance Models
I envision health insurance models that incentivize healthier lifestyles. By rewarding individuals and businesses for prioritizing health, we can create a culture of wellness and reduce long-term healthcare costs.
Key Features of a Proactive Healthcare Program:
Health Status Assessments
Regular evaluations to establish baseline metrics like BMI, blood pressure, and cholesterol.Personalized Health Plans
Customized fitness, diet, and wellness goals tailored to individual needs.Engagement Incentives
Premium reductions or refunds for achieving health improvement goals (e.g., lower cholesterol, consistent exercise).Wellness Programs
Access to fitness classes, mental health support, smoking cessation programs, and nutrition counseling.Preventive Care Utilization
Additional discounts or rebates for regular screenings and preventive care visits.
Together, we can build a healthcare system that serves New Jersey residents—not corporations. Let’s make healthcare about care again.
Creating Jobs Through Sustainable Practices
As we work towards these goals, we can simultaneously create economic opportunities for New Jersey residents. My plan aims to create 50,000 new jobs through sustainable initiatives, including the promotion of renewable energy and organic farming. By integrating renewable energy into our agricultural practices, we can generate new jobs while reducing our carbon footprint. This is not just about protecting the environment; it’s about building a resilient economy that benefits everyone.
Additionally, I propose establishing a Public Bank of New Jersey to help finance these transformative initiatives. This bank would provide crucial funding for organic farming, renewable energy projects, and community wellness programs, creating a sustainable economy that uplifts all residents of New Jersey.
A Collaborative Future
To achieve this vision, we need your support. This is not just about policies and programs; it’s about changing the narrative around health in New Jersey. By combining our efforts, we can create a healthier, more vibrant state for ourselves and future generations.
Let’s address the threats to our health together. We have the opportunity to build a sustainable future that prioritizes our well-being, reduces healthcare costs, and creates a thriving economy. Together, we can make New Jersey a model for health and sustainability.
Join me in this journey. Together, we can transform our state into a healthier place to live, work, and thrive.
Sincerely,
Stephen N. Zielinski Sr.
Candidate for Governor of New Jersey
