Bristol-Myers Squibb Funds Green Schools Fellowship to Help New Jersey School Districts Create Healthier, More Sustainable Learning Environments

U.S. Green Building Council will place Center for Green Schools Fellow at the New Jersey School Boards Association to assist districts statewide

A $100,000 grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) will support a Center for Green Schools Fellow in New Jersey who will work with leaders from the state’s 586 public school districts to provide direction, training and resources toward greening school buildings.

The Fellow, who will be employed by the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and placed with the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), will work with NJSBA staff to address opportunities involving facilities, curriculum and professional development for school board members. The fellowship will focus on helping school board members improve the environmental aspects of New Jersey’s schools and increase awareness about the importance of building sustainable communities. Following a nationwide search, the Fellow is expected to begin work in June 2013.

A pilot effort during the 2013-14 academic year will concentrate on the New Brunswick and Trenton school districts, urban districts that are located near Bristol-Myers Squibb’s five campuses in Middlesex and Mercer counties in central New Jersey. The project will later expand to include districts statewide. Bristol-Myers Squibb’s grant to USGBC funds the first of three years of the fellowship.

By placing Fellows in school districts across the country, USGBC hopes to transform practices and culture through a direct line to key decision-makers. The Center for Green Schools previously has placed Fellows in public school districts in New Orleans, Sacramento and Boston.

“The Green Schools Fellowship Program gives us an amazing opportunity to positively and permanently impact the projects, practices and policies of an entire school system,” says Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC. “Through the generous support of Bristol-Myers Squibb, our Fellows will continue to touch the lives of thousands of individuals who attend school every day – students, teachers and staff – and help us further toward our goal of green schools for all within this generation.”

“This is a critical project that will help identify steps all schools can take to promote safe and healthy environments and, in the process, have a positive effect on curriculum, learning and the resources that support education,” says Lawrence S. Feinsod, Ed.D., NJSBA’s executive director. “Our association looks forward to this opportunity to advance the sustainability of our state’s public schools through the USGBC Center for Green Schools Fellow program.”

He continued, “We thank Bristol-Myers Squibb for granting the funds to support this effort.”

The Center for Green Schools Fellowship is one of several projects to promote sustainable schools supported by NJSBA. The organization is also sponsoring the Sustainable Schools Project, a three-year study started in 2011 to identify the impact that “greening” existing school buildings would have on operating costs and student achievement. In addition, NJSBA is working with the Sustainable Jersey program at The College of New Jersey to establish a certification program for public school districts, similar to one now in place for municipal governments.

The USGBC Fellow placed at NJSBA will provide information to school districts to help them achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for school buildings, help align the LEED credit category subject areas to environmental education and core curriculum standards, and help schools achieve Sustainable Jersey certification.

“The Center for Green Schools Fellowship program aligns with Bristol-Myers Squibb’s commitment to improve health and promote sustainability in our communities,” says Susan Voigt, vice president, Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “By supporting the Center’s collaboration with NJSBA, we can make a significant impact on improving education, health and environmental outcomes in schools across the state, including in communities where our employees work and live.”

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information, please visit www.bms.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/bmsnews.

About the Center for Green Schools

The Center for Green Schools at USGBC is making sure every student has the opportunity to attend a green school within this generation. From kindergarten to college and beyond, the Center works directly with staff, teachers, faculty, students, administrators, elected officials and communities to drive the transformation of all schools into sustainable places to live and learn, work and play. For more information, visit www.centerforgreenschools.org or visit Twitter and Facebook.

About the New Jersey School Boards Association

The New Jersey School Boards Association is a federation of 586 local boards of education and includes more than 75 charter school associate members. NJSBA provides training, advocacy and support to advance public education and promote the achievement of all students through effective governance.