There is no stopping February’s FoHVOS Force of Nature, Joann Held. In 2013, FoHVOS presented Joann with our prestigious Jack Gleason Environmental Award for a lifetime of achievement as an environmental activist. At the time she was the founder and co-chair of the Hopewell Valley Green Team, founder and board member of the Pennington Farmer’s Market and a member of the Pennington Environmental commission.Recently, she was part of the Pennington Borough team that includes representatives from the Environmental Commission, Shade Tree, Open Space, Parks & Recreation and Borough Council that obtained a $1,500 ANJEC grant to work with FoHVOS to create a plan for a native plant arboretum in Howe’s Woods.

Today, she is still doing all of that and more. If you live in Hopewell Valley, you have probably benefited from her efforts. Under her leadership, the Hopewell Valley Green Team has expanded their reach as members of the Mercer County Sustainability Coalition, organized or promoted every type of recycling imaginable, and are currently supporting methods to reduce food waste.

Her committed work has provided more options for Hopewell Valley residents to protect the environment. The choices we make in our homes, our travel, the food we eat, and what we buy and throw away all influence our carbon footprint and can help ensure a stable climate for future generations.

In addition to recycling, the Green Team has tackled everything from water conservation, auto emissions, and open space. They have helped our local municipalities receive Sustainable Jersey certification and were a key player in the The 2017 Solar Challenge.

The 2017 Solar Challenge sponsored by Sustainable Jersey, was a unique competition among seven New Jersey towns to educate the public about the benefits of solar energy. The Hopewell Valley Green Team partnering with the Hopewell Township Environmental Commission succeeded in having the greatest number of new solar installation contracts per capita and won the $10,000 prize that is to be used to support a “green” energy project.

Yet, the reason we are naming Joann Held our Force of Nature goes beyond her success promoting sustainability.

For the last fourteen years, Joann has been the president of the League of Women Voters. In 2017, in addition to offering forums for local Hopewell Valley elections, the LWV offered Voter Registration and information opportunities including several in Trenton, participated in the National Day for Racial Justice, and gave voter registration materials to new citizens.

Additionally, Joann was an early researcher in environmental justice and explored air pollution in Camden through her work at the DEP. Documented evidence of environmental discrimination included data showing that the amount of pollution increased in areas where the numbers of minorities increased. Today, she is the Secretary for The State of New Jersey Environmental Justice Advisory Council.

Joann’s entire career has been dedicated to environmental protection.; After receiving a Harvard Master Degree in air pollution control, she went to work at the Center for Coastal and Environmental Studies at Rutgers. From there she went on to spend 26 years working for the NJ-DEP where she received numerous citations and publications.

Our Valley is lucky to have Joann Held, our February Force of Nature, working tirelessly to improve our environmental outcomes that help preserve the character of Hopewell Valley.

A version of this post also appears in the February issue of Hopewell Express.