For Princeton Junior School, "being green" means to educate children and the wider Princeton Junior School community about environmental sustainability, to strive for efficient use of resources and energy, and to provide a healthy indoor and outdoor school environment. In spring 2007, a Green Committee was founded with faculty, staff and parent members. The Green Committee reviews common practices in the school and supports changes towards greener alternatives. For example, electronic communications and double-sided photocopying are promoted to reduce paper use. All classrooms and common areas have recycling buckets. Children, teachers, and staff are encouraged to reduce waste by preparing “waste-free” lunches and by using reusable containers or mugs for drinks. Cleaning products have been replaced by more environmentally friendly products. Energy usage is monitored and improvements are made when possible.
For changes to its outdoor property management, Princeton Junior School was awarded the River-Friendly Certification from the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association (www.thewatershed.org/). The school also joined the Living Lawns Campaign by Sustainable Lawrence (www.sustainablelawrence.org/), and the Certified Wildlife Habitat program of the National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org/). The school is a member of OASIS (Organizing Action on Sustainability in Schools), an association of independent and public schools in the greater Princeton area.
The Green Committee publishes Green Tips in the emailed Weekly Friday FYI. A compilation of these tips is available by clicking on “Green Tips and Survey Results” on this page. Green Tips on organizing events were compiled in a special edition (available by clicking on “Best Practices for Greening Events” on this page).
The Committee is also involved in organizing special activities, e.g., a “Green Celebration” at Princeton Junior School attended by other local schools and organizations (April 2008), a Waste Free Lunch Exhibit at the NJAIS conference (October 2008), a Grade V fundraiser selling Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (2009), and a Green Survey (2010, included in “Green Tips and Survey Results” ). Each school year, the Committee chooses a theme for class activities, with final presentations in the Earth Week assembly. Click
here for a powerpoint presentation by the PJS Student Council that was created for the 2012 Earth Week celebration.
The Green Committee can be reached by e-mail (Greencommittee@pjs.org), and meetings are open to all members of the Princeton Junior School community.
