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Community Corner

Unity Charter Students Plan Earth Day Celebration

MORRISTOWN, NJ. April 1, 2014 – Students at Unity Charter School in Morristown, NJ are preparing for Earth Day.  All activities will be entirely student driven as the Student Council makes plans to celebrate the holiday.  Earth Day holds particular resonance at Unity Charter where environmental awareness is embedded in every aspect of school culture.

Unity Charter is recognized as a Green Flag school with National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools USA.  Though there are more than 100 Eco-Schools in New Jersey, only three hold the Green Flag award.  NWF’s Eco-Schools USA is a holistic program that provides a framework to help schools take steps towards sustainability.  This free and voluntary program helps schools make connections across multiple disciplines and engage children in authentic learning experiences that result in increased student achievement and a positive impact on the environment.  Eco-Schools is an international program in 59 countries. The program is hosted by the National Wildlife Federation in the United States, and coordinated by New Jersey Audubon in New Jersey. Eco-Schools USA in New Jersey supports and directly aligns with Sustainable Jersey for Schools point-based system.  

In honor of Earth Day, Unity Charter will hold their morning meeting outdoors and host a school wide contest that challenges classes to complete a series of sustainable actions to win the coveted title of “Planet Protector”.  Other ideas on the table include encouraging students to wear earth colors.

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Karen Bloch, teacher and student council moderator says “Every part of Earth Day is student driven and student run.  It is their day.”

Jennifer Dowd, Eco-Schools NJ coordinator, New Jersey Audubon says, “Earth Day is a great opportunity to celebrate our planet and recognize the great work being done in schools to create a new generation of thinkers in sustainability.”

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Unity Charter School incorporates environmental education into its curriculum year round. Even their lunch program is sustainable with an all vegetarian menu that often offers organic and local products and students use cloth napkins, real silverware and ceramic dinner plates to reduce waste.

“Eco-Schools have much to be proud of this Earth Day, as we celebrate their commitment to sustainability and student learning,” says Curtis Fisher, northeast regional executive director, National Wildlife Federation.  “When you are an Eco-School, every day really is Earth Day.”


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