The school district will participate in the 'Sustainable Jersey for Schools' program
By Matthew Pesyna
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP -- The Washington Township Board of Education is seeking to make the district more green, passing a resolution at its March 14 work session that seeks to have the school district participate in the "Sustainable Jersey for Schools" program. The board wishes to focus attention and efforts on matters of sustainability and pursue initiatives that will allow Washington Township to earn a Sustainable Jersey for Schools Certification.
Sustainable Jersey for Schools is a certification program for New Jersey public schools that desire to go green, conserve resources and take steps to create a brighter future, one school at a time, according to the non-profit organization's website (www.sustainablejerseyschools.com). Launched in fall 2014, the organization provides tools, training and financial incentives to support and reward schools as they pursue sustainability programs.
"The Washington Township Board of Education and District Superintendent seek to support and work with school staff and administrators, students and parents to ensure a safe and healthy environment for students by encouraging our school community to implement sustainable, energy-smart, eco-friendly and cost-effective solutions," the resolution reads.
The Board hopes to offer opportunities to teach students about ecological, economic and social sustainability, environmental health, and nutrition, as well as integrating sustainability education into the curriculum. Through the program, schools would follow "Green Building Standards" for construction and major renovations; all resources would be used to reduce, reuse and recycle; efforts would be made to purchase or produce clean energy; the district would purchase recycled paper, energy-efficient equipment and other green products.
By Matthew Pesyna
The Board "commits to the formation of at least one Sustainable Leadership team (also referred to as the 'Green Team'), based on the guidance of Sustainable Jersey for Schools," the resolution reads. This would help schools adopt policies addressing sustainable education and professional training, green purchasing, waste reduction, indoor air quality, energy-saving initiatives, and community partnerships. The Board will encourage each school to develop a "Green Team," providing networking and educational opportunities.
Board Vice President Bob Abbott will be the district's liaison to Sustainable Jersey for Schools.
"We currently wisely use our resources, reduce our impact on the environment and in turn save money for the taxpayers of the district," Abbott said. "By committing to form a Sustainability 'Green Team,' we will continue to make our schools cleaner, more energy efficient and educate our students to improve their environment both in school and at home. This is a big step forward toward doing more with less."
Sustainable Jersey for Schools helps schools to pursue a balanced sustainability program one policy, program, or resource audit at a time. Participating schools are alerted to grant opportunities to assist in program implementation, as districts complete actions to achieve points toward two levels of certification: Bronze and Silver.
Bronze certification means a school has made a commitment to sustainability and succeeded in implementing significant first steps, while silver certification means a school has made significant progress in a number of categories toward sustainability and is a state-wide and national leader.
Each level of certification requires the establishment of a mandatory green team. Schools accumulate points for taking actions in a variety of categories in the respective certification level. Along with attaining a certain number of points, a number of "priority actions" must be completed in order to qualify for certification. The associated number of points, priority actions, and actions taken within a certain number of categories for bronze and silver certification listed below must be met. For bronze, school must implement two priority actions and complete actions within six categories, scoring a total of 150 points. For silver, schools must implement three priority actions and complete actions within eight categories, scoring a total of 350 points.
Priority actions include: School Carbon Footprint; Energy Audit; Building Efficiency Measures; Green Building Policy; Green Purchasing Policy; Indoor Air Quality Review; Professional Development for Sustainability; Community Education & Outreach; Student Learning; School Wellness Council; and Waste Audit.
A full list of actions and their related point values can be found at www.sustainablejerseyschools.com/actions-certification/actions/.
Matthew Pesyna is Assistant Student Registration, Data & Information Manager with Washington Township School.