Pennington Montessori School joined the growing network of Eco-Schools in New Jersey.
The school is the twelfth in Mercer County to join the movement. In one year, the Eco-Schools program has grown from 43 to 107 schools in New Jersey.
Eco-Schools a program that provides resources and support to schools working towards sustainability
The partnership is an easy fit for Pennington Montessori, which already demonstrates a commitment to the environment and to bringing eco-awareness into the classroom. The school has a garden, a greenhouse and compost buckets in each class. Students work in the garden year-round, growing and preparing food and learning about insect and plant life cycles.
Once registered, Eco-Schools can earn awards that recognize their progress towards any of ten sustainability pathways laid out by the program. Last year another Mercer County school, Ben Franklin Elementary School in Lawrenceville, earned the highest award, receiving Green Flag Certification.
In addition to its gardening program, Pennington Montessori strives to increase environmental awareness through other measures such as practicing energy efficiency and making sure that children have an ample amount of outdoor time to play and benefit from fresh air. The school operates in a LEED Certified building which is a nationally accepted benchmark for green buildings.
Eco-Schools is an international program in 58 countries. The program is hosted by the National Wildlife Federation in the United States, and coordinated by New Jersey Audubon in New Jersey.
More information is online at eco-schoolsusa.org
