Monday, Apr 27, 2015
Nearly 150 students will engage with sustainability leaders from around the region and faculty
Rider University and the New Jersey School Boards Association will present the inaugural Environmental Sustainability Symposium for High School Students on Thursday, April 30, at Rider University in Lawrenceville.
Nearly 150 students from seven high schools in New Jersey will gather for a day-long schedule of events where they will engage with sustainability leaders from around the region.
The goal of the symposium is to raise awareness about sustainability issues, present students with options for studying sustainability in college and help them merge a passion for the environment with their career ambitions.
“The earlier today’s young people learn about these issues, such as climate change, and how these issues will affect their lives, the earlier they may chart a course toward being a responsible global citizen and even engage others around them to make more responsible choices,” says Melissa Greenberg, Rider’s sustainability manager. “By attending this symposium, they may learn something that helps drive them to focus on sustainability as they move into higher education and their adult lives.”
Dr. Daniel L. Druckenbrod, associate professor of environmental sciences and director of Rider’s Sustainability Studies program, and Dr. Laura A. Hyatt, associate professor of biology, will begin the symposium with a dynamic session on the fundamentals of the most-pressing environmental issues, including energy, food waste and water.
Other sessions will focus on environmental issues in the urban environment as well as the green business model. Presenters will include, among others, the founder of Isles Inc., the urban, green development organization based in Trenton; the New Jersey Farm to School Network, a nonprofit that connects regional farms to schools to promote local purchasing and to encourage K-12 school garden education; and the D&R Greenway Land Trust, a nonprofit land conservancy working to preserve and restore New Jersey’s landscape. After each session, students will be broken into groups and asked to engage with the information they gleaned from the presentations.
In addition to educating students about environmental matters, the symposium will provide a session for school board members, school administrators and teachers that will examine the importance of understanding how strategic sustainability actions can result in significant cost savings for schools. The New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) considers sustainable practices to be one of the keys to accomplishing its mission of enabling local school boards to advance the academic achievement of all students. In fact, the NJSBA’s STEM and sustainability initiatives comprise a model for school boards associations throughout the nation.
John Henry, a STEM and Sustainable Schools Specialist at the NJSBA, and presenter at the symposium, says. “Instituting sustainability measures isn’t just a matter of doing the right thing, it’s the smart thing to do. Sustainability initiatives are the foundation for a holistic strategy that can benefit everyone in the school and the community.”
Students will participate from Hamilton High School West, Manalapan High School, Montgomery High School, Neptune High School, Pemberton Township High School, Rancocas Valley Regional High School and Trenton Central High School. Additional Board members and administrators from other districts have registered to attend, as well.
Rider was ranked as a green college in The Princeton Review, placing it in the top 8% of 4,140 schools nationwide. It was also one of the first universities in the United States to commit to become climate neutral by 2050. More information about the University’s sustainability efforts can be found at www.rider.edu/broncsgogreen.
Rider University gratefully acknowledges the support of the TD Charitable Foundation and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, whose contributions have helped to make this symposium possible.