{"id":11219,"date":"2025-03-05T13:07:10","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T18:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/?p=11219"},"modified":"2025-03-05T13:15:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T18:15:33","slug":"25_0011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/25_0011\/","title":{"rendered":"DEP, TCNJ, And Sustainable Jersey Announce $4.5 Million In Grants For Tree Plantings At Schools (25\/P011)"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css=””]FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong>
\nMarch 5, 2025[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Contact: <\/strong>Vincent Grassi\u00a0(609) 984-1795
\nLawrence Hajna (609) 984-1795
\nCaryn Shinske (609) 984-1795<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

DEP, TCNJ, AND SUSTAINABLE JERSEY ANNOUNCE $4.5 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR TREE PLANTINGS AT SCHOOLS<\/h3>\n

(25\/P011) TRENTON <\/strong>\u2013 The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, in partnership with The College of New Jersey and Sustainable Jersey, today announced the availability of $4.5 million in grants for tree plantings at New Jersey public school districts, county colleges, and state colleges and universities through the Trees for Schools grant program.<\/p>\n

The program will award competitive grants ranging from $10,000 to $250,000 to fund the tree plantings and cover costs associated with planning, site preparation, tree purchases, planting, watering, monitoring, and maintenance over a three-year period. Schools located in overburdened communities seeking to expand their tree canopy are encouraged to apply.<\/p>\n

\"treeThose interested can review the grant application and apply at bit.ly\/TreesforSchools<\/a>. Previous recipients of Trees for Schools grants are ineligible. Applications are due May 13 for spring 2026 plantings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Trees for Schools plantings beautify school grounds and expand tree canopies to provide shade on hot days, filter the air, soak up stormwater, and reduce greenhouse gases that drive climate change,\u201d said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette<\/strong>. \u201cWe encourage schools to apply, not only to enhance their campus, but inspire their students to cherish and protect one of our most valuable resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

An informational webinar about the Trees for Schools grant program will be held on Wednesday, March 19<\/strong>. Register for the webinar here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Program Roots Spread Across New Jersey Schools<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Since its launch in 2023, the program has supported the planting of nearly 3,000 trees at 33 educational institutions across New Jersey. The program is funded through New Jersey\u2019s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative<\/a>, a multi-state, market-based program that establishes a regional cap on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel power plants. Proceeds from cap auctions are used to fund programs to benefit the environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlanting and caring for trees provide students with hands-on learning about ecosystems and the essential role trees play in our environment,\u201d said Randall Solomon, Director of Sustainable Jersey<\/strong>. \u201cBy providing schools, colleges and universities with the resources to expand their campus tree canopy, this program supports both environmental sustainability and student engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manasquan Public School District, in partnership with the Manasquan Shade Tree Commission, added 178 trees to their schools\u2019 campuses after receiving a Trees for Schools grant. \u201cOur school tree planting was a massive success,\u201d said Brian Mallin, Chair of the Manasquan Shade Tree Commission.<\/strong> \u201cNot only did it beautify the landscape immediately and for generations to come, but it has spurred more tree-centric education and programs in the school as well as being the catalyst for more tree planting throughout town. Trees are the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Philip\u2019s Academy Charter School in Newark added 31 shade trees along several city streets leading to the school after receiving a Trees for Schools grant.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrees for Schools provided us with the opportunity to beautify and enhance the environment of our school property and the surrounding areas,\u201d said<\/strong> Natalie Guy, Chief Operating Officer at Philip\u2019s Academy Charter School<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Background on Partners<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

About The College of New Jersey<\/strong><\/p>\n

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)<\/a> is a highly selective institution that is consistently recognized as one of the top comprehensive colleges in the nation. The Sustainability Institute at TCNJ<\/a> administers Sustainable Jersey.<\/p>\n

About Sustainable Jersey<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sustainable Jersey is a non-profit organization that provides tools, training, and financial incentives to support communities as they pursue sustainability programs. Sustainable Jersey participants (municipalities and schools) have successfully implemented and documented more than 27,900 sustainability actions. Sustainable Jersey has provided more than $8.1 million in grants to municipalities, school districts and schools for community-based projects. Sustainable Jersey<\/a> is a certification program for municipalities, and Sustainable Jersey for Schools<\/a> is a certification program for public schools. For information from Sustainable Jersey, contact Kristy Ranieri, (973) 762-1510.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

###<\/strong><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css=””]FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 5, 2025[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css=””] Contact: Vincent Grassi\u00a0(609) 984-1795 Lawrence Hajna (609) 984-1795 Caryn Shinske (609) 984-1795 [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] DEP, TCNJ, AND SUSTAINABLE JERSEY ANNOUNCE $4.5 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR TREE PLANTINGS AT SCHOOLS (25\/P011) TRENTON \u2013 The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, in partnership with The College of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":397,"featured_media":11220,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"dep-single.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[193],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-193"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/397"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11219"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11223,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11219\/revisions\/11223"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}