Green Flag, Green Faith Schools

GreenFaith and The Center for Health, Environment and Justice, a national organization that empowers individuals to create positive and systemic change in their communities, have together created Green Flag, GreenFaith Schools – an initiative to empower ten New Jersey religious schools, from diverse traditions, to operate in an environmentally healthy manner and to serve as models of environmental health within their communities.

The program is free of charge to accepted schools, and will run from September 2006 through fall of 2007. Faith-based schools of all religious traditions are encouraged to apply. Schools will be selected through a competitive application process, and representatives of schools interested in the program should contact GreenFaith immediately to receive the program application form.

Assisted by Program Coordinator, Stacey Kennealy, participating schools will:

• form Environmental Health teams in their school
• connect with experts in the field of environmental health and protection
• identify and implement energy and resource conservation techniques
• improve their indoor air quality, replace toxic cleaning and maintenance materials with safe, healthy alternatives
• explore placing solar panels on their roofs
• educate members of each school’s community about the link between environmental stewardship and their religious tradition

Participating schools will address some or all of these issues over a period of 12-15 months, beginning in the area of greatest interest and opportunity. Students, teachers, parents, school administrators and staff will learn valuable skills through training sessions on these important issues. They will also develop relationships with regional experts who will provide technical advice, connect with other schools undertaking similar endeavors, and be publicly recognized for their progress.

The program is a collaborative effort between the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) and GreenFaith. Among its many programs, CHEJ houses the Child Proofing Our Communities Campaign (CPOC), a national network of community-based organizations that work to reduce children’s exposures to toxic chemicals through the promotion of education, action and protective policies. CPOC educates school communities about children’s environmental health issues through its national Green Flag School Program, an awards based program to help schools pass health-protective school policies.

Applying to Green Flag, GreenFaith Schools

To get a more detailed sense of the program, and whether it may be right for your school, please read this letter from Fletcher Harper, Executive Director of GreenFaith, Stacey Vaeth Gonzalez, CPOC, Center for Health, Environment and Justice, and Stacey Kennealy, Program Director of Green Flags, GreenFaith Schools.

Application Form

Media Coverage of Green Flag, GreenFaith Schools

Article on Solomon Schecther's waste audit, published in the Star Ledger.

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Upcoming Events:
 
Meeting the Sacred in Creation Retreats Offered in Hudson Valley, Pacific Northwest, Southeast in April, May, October 2007.
 
New Brunswick Environmental Health and Justice Tour, April 18, 2007.
 
Prof. Larry Rasmussen to Keynote April 23, 2007 Interfaith Environmental Conference with Drew Theological School.