Princeton Montessori School Switches To Solar Energy

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton Montessori School announced Wednesday that its campus is now primarily solar-powered.

The whole process took a year and included research, procurement and installation. The school flipped the switch to solar energy last month.

“Over a 100 years ago, Dr. Maria Montessori emphasized the importance of humanity’s relationship with nature and the need to educate children to be a positive force of change in the world,” Michelle Morrison, Head of School, said. “We are so proud to be modeling these values with our transition to solar energy and we are excited to do our part to contribute to a better world.”

Last year, Morrison appointed Gery Juleff to the role of Sustainability Coordinator and Ecology teacher. He was charged with developing a sustainability plan and leading a variety of initiatives, including the solar energy project, the Farm-to-School program, the school’s vegetable garden and composting.

“Our installation of the solar panels will enable the school to make its contribution to the fight against climate change, inspire students, and save on energy costs,” Juleff said.

“The key to finalizing this project was a partnership between my colleagues at the school and on the Board, including HOS Michelle Morrison and Trustee, Peter Egbert, along with our local partners: the Circadia Group, Plankton Energy, and Green Power Energy.”

With the solar panels fully functioning, the school array offsets over 3,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions over the 20-year agreement. The array should also, depending on future utility prices, save the school more than $720K in electricity bills during that time and even more over the lifetime of the installation.

Founded in 1968, Princeton Montessori School is an independent, coeducational day school that serves approximately 200 students from infancy through 8th grade.

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