Tag Archives: going green
Phifer Becomes An Eco-School
Phifer recently became an Eco-School, with student-driven teams dedicated to issues like recycling and energy conservation.
Pennsauken Township’s Phifer Middle School is committing to sustainability. Phifer is the latest to register as an Eco-School with Eco-Schools USA in New Jersey, a partnership between National Wildlife Federation and New Jersey Audubon. Eco-Schools USA, is based on the work of student-driven teams dedicated to issues like recycling and energy conservation and claims more than 4,300 schools in the nation. There are more than 200 Eco-Schools throughout New Jersey and 14 registered in Camden County.
Seventh grade students are taking the lead on sustainability initiatives at the Phifer Middle School. First on the agenda is building a school vegetable garden using the innovative technique called hugelkultur, which essentially means hill mound. Hugelkultur is a method of raised bed gardening that utilizes layers of old sticks, logs and leaves and creates a nutrient rich soil with superior irrigation that requires less intensive watering than a traditional raised bed. The students are also learning how to “feed the soil” by creating their own compost, using worms and old food scraps. Other students are collecting trash to create upcycling projects that will decorate the garden space.
