Ramping Up Sustainable Schools: New Funding Available
on Aug 03, 2020
Application process open for Sustainable Jersey for Schools grants funded by the New Jersey Education Association
Today, Sustainable Jersey for Schools announced that it is accepting grant applications from New Jersey elementary through high-school public schools and school districts for sustainability projects. The 2020 Sustainable Jersey for Schools Grants Program cycle, funded by the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), will award: ten $10,000 project grants to school districts or schools and forty $2,000 grants to support school projects and green teams. Applications are due on October 30, 2020.
With this contribution, NJEA has provided $1.5 million to support a sustainable future for children across the state through the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Program. “As we face climate change, the mass extinction of many species, and the clogging of our oceans with plastic, we must make better choices so that we leave the next generation a planet that is in much better shape,” said NJEA Vice President Sean M. Spiller. “When our students can learn, at an early age, that sustainable and healthy practices often go hand in hand with economic efficiencies, we all benefit from the positive changes. To that end, it is imperative that we emphasize the value of sustainability. NJEA is proud to work with Sustainable Jersey on this important program and channel resources directly into our schools to aid in that mission.” In addition to the grant funding, NJEA supports Sustainable Jersey for Schools as a program underwriter.
“The funding will enhance the work of students, teachers and school communities as they address our most pressing issues including health, social equity and climate change. Together we will create a new era of sustainability in New Jersey—one that secures economic, environmental and community well-being,” said Randall Solomon, Sustainable Jersey’s executive director. In recognition of the radically altered environment schools face due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the national movement for racial justice, project proposals that support teaching and learning in a virtual or hybrid environment, and equity and anti-bias initiatives are encouraged.