Photo Courtesy of Kristy Ranieri / At the grant-awarding event are, front row, from left, Kristy Ranieri of the Seth Boyden Green Team; Maplewood Deputy Mayor Kathleen Leventhal; South Orange-Maplewood School District business administrator Cheryl Schneider; Salimah Latham, co-president of the Marshall School PTA and Green Team; and Russell J. Furnari, manager of Environmental Policy Enterprise at PSEG. And, back row, from left, are Clare Payton of the Clinton Green Team; Heather McCall, director of Sustainable Jersey for Schools; Lisa Gleason, a stakeholder engagement specialist at PSEG; and Sustainable Jersey Co-Director Randall Solomon.
MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Sustainable Jersey for Schools announced the 31 New Jersey schools and four school districts selected to receive a Sustainable Jersey for Schools Small Grant funded by the PSEG Foundation on June 19. This first cycle of grants will support initiatives, including the planning of a green school building, achieving a no-foam cafeteria zone, implementing a districtwide green cleaning program, promotion of water-hydration stations, development of school teaching gardens, sustainability-education initiatives and more.
The South Orange-Maplewood School District and the Seth Boyden School were both awarded grants. The district will receive $10,000 and the school, $2,000.
The SOMSD will use its grant to purchase high-efficiency particulate-arrestance vacuums for district use and fund appropriate training for proper use of the vacuums as well as professional development in green cleaning in general. Funds will be used for the purchase of additional recycling containers for schools to support districtwide green team initiatives.
Seth Boyden will use its grant to support a teaching garden and the launch of a green team.
“We are very proud to have been awarded Sustainable Jersey for Schools grants both as a district, and for one of our elementary schools,” acting Superintendent James Memoli said in a release. “These awards will be invaluable as we continue our commitment to teaching students about sustainability, and modeling green practices ourselves.”
Currently, 81 districts and 220 schools have registered to work toward Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification.
“This is a win for schools across New Jersey. These grants, funded by the PSEG Foundation, will help support districts and schools as they participate in the first year of the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program,” Donna Drewes, who co-directs Sustainable Jersey with Randall Solomon, said in the release. “Grant funding will build capacity and support schools as they embark on sustainability projects.”
This is the inaugural funding cycle for the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program with $100,000 in funding from the PSEG Foundation for school districts and schools to use for sustainability projects.
“A core element of the PSEG Foundation is directing funding and resources to schools to aid them in building stronger, more resilient communities,” PSEG Foundation President Ellen Lambert said in the release. “Through our foundation giving, we support and partner with those organizations that set the pace and empower a brighter future.”
Along with the SOMSD, Egg Harbor Township School District, Middle Township Public School District and Barack Obama Green Charter High School will each receive $10,000.
Along with Seth Boyden, the following schools will each receive $2,000: Alder Avenue Middle School, Ann Blanche Smith Elementary School, Ashbrook Elementary School, Barclay School, Bartle Elementary School, Blairstown Elementary School, Bret Harte Elementary School, Cape May City Elementary School, Cherry Hill High-East High School, Clara Barton Elementary School, E.H. Slaybaugh Elementary School, Egg Harbor Township High School, Eugene A. Tighe Middle School, Fairfield Township School, Galloway Township Middle School, Green Hills Elementary School, Grover Cleveland Middle School, H. Russell Swift Elementary School, Hawes Elementary School, Henry C. Beck Middle School, Highland Park High School, Highland Park Middle School, Irving Primary, James Caldwell High School, Middle Township #4 Middle School, Millbridge Elementary School, Ocean City Intermediate School, Rutherford High School, Von E. Mauger Middle School and Watchung Elementary School.
Proposals were judged 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.