34 Schools Receive Grants to Implement Sustainability Projects

PSEG Foundation funds 34 grants to support integrating sustainability concepts into student learning experiences

At an event held today, Sustainable Jersey for Schools announced the 34 New Jersey schools selected to receive a Sustainable Jersey for Schools small grant funded by the PSEG Foundation. Four $10,000 grants and thirty $2,000 grants were distributed to fund a variety of projects including food composting, outdoor classrooms, sustainability education, rainwater collection, recycling and more.

“The grants create an opportunity for teachers, administrators and their respective communities to shape the future of their students and schools for years to come,” said Donna Drewes, who co-directs Sustainable Jersey with Randall Solomon. She extended her congratulations to all of the schools and districts that received grants. “Grant funding will build capacity as schools embark on sustainability projects making today’s real winners the students,” Drewes said.

The PSEG Foundation has contributed over one million dollars in funding to the Sustainable Jersey Small Grants Program. “Our long standing partnership with Sustainable Jersey has helped to empower schools to develop projects that provide students with the opportunity to learn more about sustainability, protecting the environment and STEM education,” said Ellen Lambert, president of the PSEG Foundation.

SUSTAINABLE JERSEY FOR SCHOOLS SMALL GRANTS RECIPIENTS (project descriptions below):

Four $10,000 Grant Recipients: Bergenfield High School, Chairville School in Medford, Zane North Elementary School in Collingswood and Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools in Piscataway
Thirty $2,000 Grant Recipients: Anastasia Elementary, Cedar Creek Elementary School, Charles H. Bullock Elementary School, Community Park School, Folsom Elementary School, Forked River School, Frog Pond Elementary School, George L. Catrambone Elementary School, Glen Rock High School, Governor Livingston High School, Gregory Elementary School, Jefferson Elementary School, John Witherspoon Middle School, Joseph M. Ferraina Early Childhood Learning Center, Lacey Township High School, Lacey Township Middle School, Lanoka Harbor School, Lenna Conrow Elementary School, Littlebrook School, Mill Pond School, Morris Avenue Elementary, Mount Arlington School, Oak Tree School, Princeton High School, Reeds Road Elementary School, Riverside Elementary School, South Mountain Elementary School, West Cape May Elementary, Weymouth Township Elementary and Woodbury Heights Elementary School.

Proposals were evaluated by an independent Blue Ribbon Selection Committee. 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. Currently 161 districts and 427 schools have registered to work toward Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification.

$10,000 GRANT RECIPIENTS

*County*	*Recipient*	*District*	*Project*
Bergen	Bergenfield High School	Bergenfield	Waste NOT!: Will create a school food composting initiative that educates students about sustainability, food production and waste disposal. As a hands-on composing program, the project will promote sustainable practices, and also provide applied academic lessons.
Burlington	Chairville School (Sustainable Jersey Certified)	Medford	Outdoor Classroom: Will create an outdoor classroom for K-5 students to explore information and learning outside of the traditional classroom: a place to educate the “whole child.” The outdoor classroom, which will also be open to all schools in the district, will allow students to enjoy nature, experience a different kind of learning, and understand firsthand the magnificence and importance of the environment.
Camden	Zane North Elementary School	Collingwood	Living Learning Landscape: Will create a conceptual design to green the 1960’s blacktop school ground with partner Community Design Collaborative. Will create a storm water collection area with block edging, pervious stone bed, overhead downspout extension/distribution system and plantings around existing inlets. The project will reduce storm water runoff and create exciting, educational opportunities.
Middlesex	Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools in Piscataway	Middlesex	Farmstand Project: Will collaborate with the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station to start a Youth Farmstand Project. Through a four week summer program based in the school garden, students will work with local community partners around Piscataway, experiencing the entrepreneurial and sustainable aspects of owning and running a business.

$2000 GRANT RECIPIENTS

*County*	*School*	*School District*	*Project Title*
Atlantic	Folsom Elementary School	Folsom	Building a Sustainable Culture: Will build a greenhouse and raised garden on site which students will maintain. Student projects will build awareness for sustainable resources in the school environment.
Atlantic	Reeds Road Elementary School	Galloway	Bubba's Compost Project: Using the school mascot as a role model, will teach the entire school that composting can be an integral part of creating a brighter future for generations to come.
Atlantic	Weymouth Township Elementary	Weymouth	Seeds to Stand: Will organize a farmers market to sell the produce grown at the school garden, promote healthy eating, build on the town’s rural heritage, and increase students’ financial literacy.
Bergen	Glen Rock High School	Glen Rock	Revamping Recycling: Will reorganize and revamp the recycling program with new bins, better sustainability education and more efficient organization.
Cape May	West Cape May Elementary	West Cape May	Professional Development for Sustainability: Will provide summer training in sustainability and project-based learning for teachers focusing on sustainable foods and schoolyard habitats.
Essex	Charles H. Bullock Elementary	Montclair	Reduced Waste Hot Lunches: Will obtain reusable stainless steel utensils to accompany the school's hot lunch program. This will eliminate the need for disposable utensils, reducing the school's waste on a daily basis.
Essex	Jefferson Elementary School	South Orange Maplewood	Once Is Not Enough: Will expand the school’s capacity for recycling by supplying more bins for rooms, teaching students to participate in the recycling process, and conducting a waste audit.
Essex	South Mountain Elementary	South Orange Maplewood	Capacity Building: Will organize its Green Team and kick-off several sustainable actions throughout the school.
Gloucester	Woodbury Heights Elementary	Woodbury Heights	Recycling Club: Will fund the formation of a recycling club for interested third grade students. The students want to participate in school recycling and raise awareness of recycling opportunities.
Mercer	Community Park School	Princeton	Green Team: Will support the newly formed school green team, conducting team meetings, sending out communications, and acquiring materials for a recycling and outdoor composting project.
Mercer	John Witherspoon Middle School	Princeton	Green Team: Will support the newly formed school green team, conducting team meetings, sending out communications, and acquiring materials a recycling and outdoor composting project at the four elementary schools in Princeton.
Mercer	Littlebrook School	Princeton	Green Team: Will build a strong organizational foundation for the green team in its first year that will sustain it efforts, going forward, to achieve certification through the Sustainable Jersey process.
Mercer	Princeton High School	Princeton	Green Team: Will support including more students with interest across various groups for sustainability. Initially, students will improve the current gardens, analyze locations of current recycle and trash bins and enhance the recycling program.
Mercer	Riverside Elementary	Princeton	Green Team: Will support a sustainable outdoor learning environment and pilot a classroom composting project.
Middlesex	Oak Tree School	Monroe	Growing up Green: Will expand the school garden by purchasing a greenhouse that would promote yearlong use of the garden, specifically in the cold months. Students will have access to the greenhouse and it will be on display in the school courtyard to promote observation and participation.
Monmouth	Anastasia Elementary	Long Branch	Teaching Sustainability through a Cafe and Garden: Will build on school garden program, adding benches, plants, and a cafe for the special education classes to learn life skills. Students will use the harvest to make and sell soups and sandwiches, learning about growing food, healthy cooking, and commerce.
Monmouth	George L Catrambone Elementary	Long Branch	Recycle and Create a Greenhouse Made of Plastic Bottles! Will expand the garden with a greenhouse made from plastic bottles. Students will start to collect and prepare the bottles while promoting sustainability in the school.
Monmouth	Gregory Elementary School	Long Branch	Gardens to Help Feed Community through Foodbanks! Will build an aeroponics garden, plant crops/saplings, and conduct sustainability lessons. A percentage of the crops will be sent to their school run farmers market.
Monmouth	Joseph Ferraina Early Childhood Learning Ctr.	Long Branch	Teach Sustainability and Help the Community Foodbanks! Will benefit from the integration of garden lessons into classroom curriculum for the students. The garden, which can produce a crop of 600 plants every 4-6 weeks, will provide a place for students to explore sustainability education.
Monmouth	Lenna Conrow Elementary	Long Branch	Aeroponic Gardening for FoodBanks! Will help support an aeroponic gardening project that donates crops to a local food bank and other sustainability initiatives relating to recycling and indoor air quality.
Monmouth	Morris Avenue Elementary	Long Branch	Community Garden and Air Quality: Will plant a school garden and start recycling and air quality programs with the students. Will focus efforts on improving air quality, and also explore Asthma Friendly School Certification.
Morris	Mount Arlington School	Mount Arlington	Adopting Our Watershed for a Sustainable Future: Will expand the role of the school’s onsite rain garden as an educational resource. The rain garden will be used as a demonstration for the community, support students as they conduct research on other potential spaces for rain gardens, and help identify additional rain garden projects.
Ocean	Cedar Creek Elementary School	Lacey	Rainwater Harvest: Will create a rainwater harvest space to recycle rainwater, help hydrate animal and plant life habitats, and create a calming reflection area in which all can relax and observe.
Ocean	Forked River School	Lacey	Hand Dryers: Will install hand dryers in the bathrooms to drastically eliminate the use of paper towels and added waste.
Ocean	Lacey Township High School	Lacey	Sustainability Program: Will increase awareness of sustainability concepts by focusing on professional development, cross-curricular lesson plans, and increased emphasis on best practices for sustainability.
Ocean	Lacey Township Middle	Lacey	Local Plant Sustainable Rain Garden: Will create a local plants garden, sustained using rain barrels. Plants will be identified and used in instruction, and also to beautify the school.
Ocean	Lanoka Harbor School	Lacey	Rain Garden: Will construct a rain garden to absorb extra water, creating less runoff. It will create a habitat for birds, attract beneficial insects, reduce pests, and be used to teach students about nature.
Ocean	Mill Pond School	Lacey	Birds at the Pond: Will construct birdhouses to supplement the current school garden. Will create a more substantial environment, and provide more educational opportunities for students.
Ocean	Frog Pond Elementary School	Little Egg Harbor	Composting of Kitchen Food Waste/Education of Students: Will construct a compost bin, allowing the school to reduce food waste while educating students about sustainability.
Union	Governor Livingston High School	Berkeley Heights	Environmental Science Full Year Research Project: Students in the Environmental Science course will design long- term research projects for sustainability. Students will implement these projects, many of which will align with the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program.