Working on Certification
The resources listed below will your help green team organize and implement efforts to achieve certification. Additional information about the certification process, cycle timeline, and requirements can be found on the Certification page.
Request a help session with our staff to make progress on your certification application. Someone from our staff will reach out to finalize a time for a Zoom meeting or phone call.
Quick Start Resources
Application User Guide
This document provides step-by-step guidance on all aspects of the District Dashboard, School Dashboard and online certification application including using the online application, updating the District or School profile, and adding users to the account.
Download Application User Guide
Master Action Tracking Spreadsheet
This spreadsheet provides an inventory of program actions, abbreviated submission requirements, look back and approval periods, resubmission requirements, and point values. It is a great tool to help a green team identify which actions should be completed by the district or the school. The spreadsheet can also be used to assess which actions the school or district may already be doing and plan for new actions it hopes to pursue. It can also be used to track progress in completing actions and compiling the required documentation.
Sustainable Jersey for Schools Brochure
This brochure lists all of the actions in the program and the general certification requirements. It is an excellent resource for green team meetings or events.
Recorded Webinars
The webinars listed below walk through making a plan to achieve certification for the first time to moving up to Silver certification. They provide step-by-step guidance to green teams just getting started, renewing efforts, or striving for higher levels of achievement.
- Successful School Green Teams (October 2023)
- Ready, Set, Certified (September 2022)
- Countdown to Certification (December 2023)
- Planning for Recertification (October 2021)
- Leveling Up: Going for Silver & National Recognition (November 2020)
Working with Municipal Green Teams
Municipal green teams have access to resources and experience beneficial to school green teams, and vice versa. Working together could lighten the load for all and result in a greater impact in the community. In addition, there are actions where a collaborative effort would result in the municipal green team and the school green team both earning points towards certification. These actions are listed below:
- Anti-Idling Education & Enforcement
- Community Education & Outreach
- Civic & Stewardship Volunteer Initiatives
- School Community Asset Mapping
- Green Challenges
- Green Fair/"Green" Your Green Fair or School Event
- Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety & Promotion Initiatives
- School Travel Plan for Walking & Biking
- Recycling Non-Mandated Materials
- Waste Audit
Learn more about the Sustainable Jersey municipal certification program.
Not sure if your town or sending districts are participating in Sustainable Jersey? Find your municipal contact here.
Collaborative Platforms
A number of free online platforms are available for green teams to help make the certification process more collaborative. These are some of the platforms frequently used by green teams in addition to monthly meetings/calls:
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- Basecamp
- Slack
- Freedcamp
District vs. School Application
Sustainable Jersey for Schools Certification is awarded at the SCHOOL level. There are two online applications available – a district and a school application – to support the accumulation of points towards an individual school certification. Program actions have icons designating which actions can be completed by the district, school or both.
District Only Actions
District only action: Must be documented in the district application
School Only Actions
School only action: Must be documented in the school application
For all other actions, the green team can choose which application to submit the action documentation. However, if the action is completed at the district level, the documentation in the district application must show that the action was completed in all the schools. For example, the Breakfast After the Bell action can be completed in the district application or individual school applications. If ALL the schools are offering breakfast after the bell, if may be more efficient to submit for that action in the district application and provide the district-wide documentation. If all the schools in the district ARE NOT offering breakfast after the bell, then the action can only be submitted in applications of those schools offering breakfast after the bell.
Any points earned at the District level are automatically included in the approved point totals for any participating schools in the district. There are over 490 points that can be documented at the district level to support school certification.
Districts and schools should collaborate closely when working towards Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification. Both applications will need to be submitted by the certification cycle deadlines for the documented actions in the district application to be reviewed and approved in support of the school point totals.
The resources listed below will help your green team organize and implement efforts to achieve certification. Additional information about the certification process, cycle timeline, and requirements can be found on the Certification page.