Environmental Leader Sue Fenili Honored

At the December 9 Vineland City Council meeting, CU Maurice River Trustee Emeritus Sue Fenili was presented with a Proclamation from Mayor Anthony Fanucci for her service on the Vineland Environmental Commission.

Vineland’s Environmental Commission studies and makes recommendations concerning open-space preservation, water-resource management, air-pollution control, solid-waste management, noise control, soil and landscape protection, environmental appearance, marine resources, and protection of flora and fauna. The Commission may also recommend to the City Planning Board elements and programs for inclusion in the City of Vineland’s Master Plan.

Fenili has served on the Vineland Environmental Commission and its predecessors since 1972. She will be retiring from the Commission after 53 years of service, during which she advocated for maintaining the community’s quality of life by promoting healthy habitats, sustainability, and ecologically sound municipal planning. 

In 2007, Fenili advocated for New Jersey’s open space referendum. In her role with the Commission, Fenili was instrumental in the City’s Arbor Day efforts. She often joyfully recollects her experiences interacting with the residents and the littlest of stewards when delivering trees to schools, planting them in parks, and handing them out to her fellow community members. she has always put the fun into conservation and outdoor learning.

Fenili has championed environmental stewardship by bringing the outdoors into her elementary classroom, leading in her municipality, volunteering with CU Maurice River, advocating for monarch butterflies, and in too many other ways to list here.