Sustainability Plan

Sustainability Strategy Icon White

Overview

The Go Green Initiative consults with school districts to develop comprehensive sustainability strategies addressing indoor environmental factors. We work closely with district leadership and school stakeholders to design and implement custom solutions for their unique needs and priorities. Our free services guide districts in developing their action plans, programs, and practices to ensure environmental health, safety, and efficiency across departments and facilities.

Program Details

Through this service, the GGI facilitates a full-scope strategic planning process for school and district-wide sustainability, including needs assessments, financial and environmental opportunity analyses, partnership development, and implementation support.

We guide districts in gathering, monitoring, and making meaning of data to optimize indoor environmental quality across facilities, protect student health, and conserve financial and environmental resources.

We prioritize data-driven projects that improve outcomes for children. In order to ensure environmental health and safety for students today and tomorrow, we address the unique needs and priorities of their school districts by:

  • Increasing food quality, access, and safety at school
  • Ensuring safe and high-quality drinking water and indoor air
  • Improving indoor environmental quality
  • Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts
  • Minimizing resource consumption and waste production
  • Conserving school budgets by reducing utility costs
  • Implementing sustainable and self-supporting systems for program success

Case Studies

Camden City School District's Recycling Success
Highlights from the interview:

"The school district has made a dramatic turnaround in their progress with recycling in the school district. I would say astounding. I truly feel, on a personal level, that if it weren't for Jill Buck and the Go Green Initiative and Covanta's interest in being a good partner in the City of Camden, that we would not be where we are today." -Chuck Giacobbe, Camden County Division of Environmental Affairs, Office of Enforcement and Compliance

Highlights from the interview:

"Camden City Schools would not have been able to turn around our recycling efforts in the district as quickly as we did had it not been for some very critical partners. Certainly the Go Green initiative really held our hand through this process and really pushed us along the way, but that's what we needed." - Wayles Wilson, Chief Operating Officer, Division of School Support, Camden City School District

Highlights from the interview:

"The most effective thing was Covanta and the Go Green Initiative meeting directly with principals and teachers and students and explaining the benefits of recycling and how simple it really was and really converting them... Covanta, Jill Buck, and the Go Green Initiative really converted the hearts and the souls of the students and the teachers and the principals, so not only do they [recycle] now to avoid the fines, but so that it would be a sustainable, ongoing initiative part of the everyday apparatus of the schools' administration." - Andy Kricun, Executive Director/ Chief Engineer, Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority

Newark Public Schools' Sustainable Jersey Awards
Sustainable Jersey for Schools Awards

The Go Green Initiative is proud to support Newark Public Schools in achieving certification by Sustainable Jersey for Schools. The feat involved six years of community collaboration, energy profiling, and comprehensive sustainability initiatives to achieve 61 bronze certifications, with numerous sustainability awards attained along the way. The Go Green Initiative was able to contribute to cornerstones of these initiatives, supporting food service and clean air programs within the schools and the district's “No Pollution” plan. The city of Newark is excited to experience the benefits of safe, healthy, and sustainable schools for their children.

Newark Funding Stem Academy Going Green

Join Our Mission

Donate
Register