Hackensack Public Schools
Sustainable Schools Initiative

At its March 2021 Meeting, the Hackensack Board of Education adopted a resolution affirming the District’s participation in the Sustainable Schools NJ certification program and committing to implementing sustainable, environmentally-friendly practices and curriculum.

The Sustainable NJ for Schools program is a voluntary certification program based on the highly successful Sustainable Jersey certification program for municipalities. Sustainable Jersey for Schools provides specific guidance and resources to schools on developing comprehensive sustainability programs. Participating schools can earn points for certain actions, such as performing energy audits, establishing sustainability curriculum, and boosting recycling efforts. The program helps schools improve efficiency, cut waste and contribute to students’ education in the key areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, often referred to as “STEM education.”

In December 2020, a slate of Digital Schools actions was added to the certification program. The new actions span a wide range of digital learning issues, including professional development plans for educators, news and media literacy for students, equitable access to digital learning, personalized learning strategies, district-wide data safety and security practices and more.

Districts and schools participating in Sustainable Jersey for Schools complete actions to achieve points towards two levels of certification for schools: Bronze and Silver. The requirements for each are listed below. Districts do not get certified, but can participate in the application process to help their schools achieve certification.

Bronze certification means a school has made a commitment to sustainability and has succeeded in implementing significant first steps, while silver certification means a school has made significant progress in a number of categories toward sustainability and is a statewide and national leader.