Trenton residents continue to grapple with environmental hazards and barriers that not only put public health at risk, but also hold back efforts to create sustainable, eco-friendly communities.
Thus, the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NJLCVEF) made its third and final stop on its statewide Enviro Fix in ‘26 tour in Trenton, highlighting the city’s struggles and spotlighting local organizations advancing solutions it says can be supported by the state’s next governor.
“We’re so happy to have this conversation here in Trenton, the capital, to really talk about the environment, environmental issues affecting communities such as Trenton, and to really point to the need for strong environmental leadership from our next governor, from our next legislator,” said NJLCVEF Campaign Manager Luke Pavlov.
Partnering with Isles, a community development organization that has worked in Trenton since 1981, the League drew attention to the city’s pressing issues. Lead, for example, has contaminated the city’s soil due to the pottery factories that reportedly operated in Trenton from the 1850s to the 1930s, organizers said.
Compounding on environmental issues, Trenton residents have also faced barriers to employment, education, and healthcare access due to a lack of transportation. To help counter this, Isles showcased GOTrenton!, an eco-friendly service that provides affordable transportation in and around Trenton via electric shuttles and vans with zero tailpipe emissions.
“If you do not have a way to get somewhere, you have a tough time getting services, [and] you have a tough time being engaged in your community,” said Kep Short, Program Director of GOTrenton!. “And so, I also recognize this, in our work with our clients, but also with our partners, and several years ago, [we] began the process of figuring out how we could address this issue of transportation.”
GOTrenton! opened its services in October 2023 with funding from the state Department of Transportation and the Mercer County Department of Environmental Protection. After beginning by providing rides in the central part of Trenton, this service expanded in April 2025 to cover the entire city.
Two GOTrenton! shuttles transported guests to the Tucker Street Garden to highlight the importance of food sovereignty as an environmental justice solution. Established in 2004, this urban agriculture site is where Isles grows fruit and produce in healthy, unpoisoned soil that they harvest for their farm-to-table food program.
Otha Caldwell, Director of Food and Gardens, Isles Inc., discussed how this incubator garden has given Trenton residents the knowledge and resources they need to grow their own crops, increasing self-sufficiency in the local community.
“We educate the community on growing and growing healthy food,” said Caldwell, “being resilient in this community, making sure that we eat healthy, we’re breathing healthy, we’re drinking healthy…and we’re running a ton of healthy workshops in terms of cooking, how to make healthy teas, because you don’t want our people buying all these poisonous juices that have a ton of preservatives and things like that, that’s not bringing up the next generation problem.”
Along with food and transit, Isles is also addressing generational challenges through workforce development. The Isles Youth Institute, trains young adults in career pathways, including eco-friendly fields like solar energy development.
In particular, the Institute has educated local youths working in eco-friendly industries, including solar energy development, furthering Isles’ goal of enhancing and enriching the local community.
“We’re going green,” said Allen Killebrew, career and life development coach at the Isles Youth Institute. “Isles, again, [is] all about helping the community and bringing our community up to the best, you know, highest moment possible, which is going to be this thing called going green.”
Having assembled a sizable number of local leaders and advocates, including U.S. Rep. Herb Conaway (D-3rd), the NJLCVEF and Isles emphasized Trenton’s progress but also the need for state leadership. At the same time, they stressed the community’s power to organize and push for change.
“Whether it’s EPA remediation training, whether it’s solar installer training, there’s ways for [anyone] to engage within the community itself,” said Ben Haygood, Isles’ director of policy and partnerships. “We have plenty of areas for everyone to plug into, and whatever their capacity is, I think the list is endless.”