2 Mountainside Schools Achieve Sustainability Certification

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ — Two Mountainside schools have met the requirements to achieve Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification.

Beechwood and Deerfield Schools in the Mountainside School District are the only ones in Union County to join a group of 91 schools that achieved the Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification in 2017.

A total of 679 schools and 273 school districts are participating in the program overall.

“We are so proud of the efforts of our students, faculty, community members, administrators, and board members who all collaborated to achieve this recognition,“ notes Dr. Nancy Lubarsky, Chief School Administrator. “This was definitely a team effort!”

Mountainside School District, a small 750-student K-8 incorporates sustainable environment from the board level through to daily activities at each school and the cafeterias. Teachers incorporate sustainability lessons into their everyday instruction across the curriculum.

Sustainable Jersey for Schools, a program for kindergarten through 12th-grade public schools in New Jersey, is voluntary. Each school that is certified at the bronze level must submit documentation to show it has completed a balanced portfolio of the program’s sustainability actions, attaining a minimum of 150 points. Silver-level certification requires a minimum of 350 points of sustainability actions. Over 2,700 sustainability actions were completed by schools and districts participating in the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program - from performing energy audits and boosting recycling efforts to integrating sustainability into student learning and promoting student and staff wellness.

On Oct. 24, the certified schools and their districts will be celebrated at a reception held during NJSBA Workshop 2017 in Atlantic City.

Workshop 2017 will feature Sustainable Jersey for Schools sessions along with NJSBA sustainability support programs for schools.

(Image via Mountainside Schools: Students at both Deerfield and Beechwood Schools demonstrate sustainability efforts through cleaning up the grounds and maintaining a garden.)

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