Miller Street Elementary School Wins Eco Award for Upcycling Projects

Burgeoning eco crusaders at Miller Street Elementary took some steps to reduce waste this year, creating reusable shopping bags from donated T-shirts and participating in a campus cleanup.

Their efforts did not go unrecognized as the National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools USA program awarded the students with the Bronze Award for its endeavors.

The school began participating in such projects when it joined the Eco-Schools USA program last year. The program is free to join and provides schools actively engaging in sustainability projects in the curriculum and around school free resources.

A total of 117 schools in New Jersey are now enrolled in the program, up from 43 last year.

Public Service Electric and Gas also facilitated the projects by Miller Street Elementary by providing the T-shirts used to create reusable bags, and orchestrating a cleanup project and an art project in which students got to use paint, wooden boards and cardboard provided by PSEG to write messages about the importance of sustainability.

“Upcycling projects like these give students a chance to express themselves creatively while providing valuable learning experiences that benefit the environment,” said Jennifer Dowd, Eco-Schools New Jersey Coordinator, New Jersey Audubon.

Miller Street is one of nine schools in Essex County that participates in the Eco-Schools program.