'A Cleaner, Greener East Brunswick': Student Makes Case For Sustainability In Local Schools

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — A high school junior stood before the East Brunswick Board of Education this week with a message: the district's own buildings could be doing more for the environment — and a local task force is ready to help make that happen.

Rohin Kudeti, a junior at East Brunswick High School and student representative of the East Brunswick Sustainability Task Force, addressed the board during its last public meeting, calling on the district to expand sustainable practices in its schools and partner with the task force to do it.

"Our town is known for teaching responsibility and civic duty and preparing the next generation for the future," Kudeti told board members. "Practicing effective sustainability practices inside our own buildings will strengthen these values."

Kudeti traced his environmental awareness back to fifth grade at Chittick Elementary School, where a unit on waste management and renewable resources first shaped his thinking. Those lessons resurfaced in eighth grade through coursework on pollution, contamination and climate change.

Now an aspiring engineer with a background in robotics, Kudeti said he joined the task force in 2024 looking to apply his technical skills to environmental causes closer to home.

"I saw an opportunity to combine my expertise in robotics with a passion for the environment," he said.

The East Brunswick Sustainability Task Force, which includes both adults and high school students, has spent recent years organizing community events and developing programs aimed at reducing waste and shifting public habits. Its initiatives include a Repair Cafe, a sustainable business partners program, a TerraCycle collection site at the local recycling center for hard-to-recycle items, and annual recycling events.

Kudeti told the board the task force sees clear openings for improvement within the school district — specifically around recycling infrastructure, waste reduction and environmental education for students and staff.

"We see opportunities to improve in our recycling, waste reduction and educating students and staff about local environmental issues," he said.

He framed the pitch as a natural extension of lessons already being taught in East Brunswick classrooms, pointing to the elementary school waste management curriculum as a foundation the district could build on.

"The task force would love the opportunity to help the school district build upon these lessons and to help implement more sustainable practices in our schools," Kudeti said.

He closed his remarks by urging the board to take even modest first steps, describing the goal as "a cleaner and greener East Brunswick for all of us."

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