Sustainable Jersey for Schools has announced the 50 New Jersey schools and school districts selected to receive Sustainable Jersey for Schools small grants.
Ten $10,000 grants, and 40 $2,000 grants were distributed to fund a variety of projects including physical activity and wellness programs; an aeroponic greenhouse; school vegetable and rain gardens; food waste composting; mobile environmental carts; student green team capacity building; the greening of school festivals; bicycle racks; a creation station; an outdoor classroom; energy efficiency programs; enhanced recycling efforts and more.
Camden County’s Black Horse Pike Regional School District received a $10,000 grant to implement a wellness program. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Repici said, “The Black Horse Pike Regional School District thanks Sustainable Jersey for Schools and all of its sponsors for bestowing the grant award honor upon our district. We are very proud of our conservation efforts and our determination to improve the health and wellness of our students, staff and entire school community. We will utilize the grant funding to expand our wellness efforts and to support our attempts to bring awareness to a healthier life style and motivate the school community to move towards healthier life choices.”
The Joseph M. Ferraina Childhood Learning Center, within Monmouth County’s Long Branch Public School District, received a $10,000 grant for a 1,000-plant aeroponic greenhouse. Students from across the district will work in the greenhouse as part of the curriculum and crops will be sold at the municipal farm market and distributed to local food banks and senior centers. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Salvatore said, “The transformative process to create sustainable schools in Long Branch has begun! It started with raising awareness and altering practices, and now we are actually conserving energy, which translates to saving dollars. The guidance and support from Sustainable Jersey has allowed us to maximize our efforts by including the children in the learning and monitoring processes. We are now part of the change that needs to happen globally.”
The Sustainable Jersey for Schools Grants Program is made possible with generous funding from the Gardinier Environmental Fund, New Jersey Department of Health, New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) and the PSEG Foundation. The fifty grants announced with this funding cycle were funded by NJEA. The Sustainable Jersey for Schools grants are intended to help school districts and schools make progress toward a sustainable future in general, and specifically toward Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification.
To see all of the projects and recipients, visit Sustainable Jersey online.