Primoris Academy Gets Environmental Awareness Grant From BCUA

Primoris Academy, a private non-profit school in Westwood, NJ is excited to be a recipient of a 2018 BCUA Environmental Awareness Grant. The Bergen County Utilities Authority presents schools in the county with awards of up to one thousand dollars to develop recycling programs in their schools or create other projects that serve to improve the environment. The grant was presented at Bergen Community College by Chairman Ronald Phillips to Dr. Fay Sharit, associate director of Primoris Academy. This is the third time that Primoris has participated in the program.

Lynsey Brimigion, a science teacher at Primoris, is excited about using this grant to set up a composting program. The program will decrease the amount of discarded food in the trash and create fertilizer for use in the schools’ indoor and outdoor gardens. Funding from last year’s BCUA Environmental Awareness grant was used to buy the equipment for the indoor garden, in which the students grew organic vegetables and herbs through the winter months. A portion of this year’s grant will be used to expand the small outdoor organic garden. The students will be able to compare the quantity and quality of the foods grown in the different circumstances. They will use the produce in healthy recipes at school and at home.

The gardens promoted by these grants have increased the students’ awareness of the environment and given them a better understanding of the biology involved in plant growth and decomposition. They have become more aware of the nutritional benefits of eating fresh produce and the benefits of organic food. And they had fun! Students and teachers are looking forward to developing a new project for the 2019 grant program.