N.J. Department of Environmental Protection Assistant Commissioner Nancy Wittenberg (l-r), SAVE club adviser and Hammerskjold teacher Lynne Unice, club members Katie Szabo, Kevin Baron, Jason Rappaport and Hannah Moskowitz, and SAVE club adviser Sue Wolf show the East Brunswick club’s award recently in Eatontown. Not pictured are approximately 16 other students who worked as part of the SAVE club. EAST BRUNSWICK – Having collected more than 6,000 batteries for recycling over the past two years, students in an environmental club at Hammarskjold Middle School are the proud recipients of a prestigious state award.
The Students Against Violating the Environment (SAVE) club received the award from state Department of Environment Protection Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson during a recent ceremony in Eatontown, Monmouth County. The group was one of just eight in the state to receive a recycling leadership award.
“These award recipients are making a difference by keeping New Jersey on the path to a greener future through recycling,” Jackson said in a press statement. “There are many good reasons to recycle. It conserves natural resources, reduces waste, curbs greenhouse gas emissions and strengthens the economy.”
The sixth- and seventh-graders in the SAVE club picked their service project because students use so many batteries, which most likely end up in landfills, impacting wildlife and the environment. The project consisted of morning and lunchtime announcements, making posters for the school, manning the collection booth daily, and running a contest.
“Students chose to run this contest because they were looking for a way to make an impact on the environment, and they certainly have done so,” said science teacher Lynne Unice, who advises the club with Sue Wolf.
Earlier this month, the Board of Education honored the students with a resolution of commendation, saying that “In addition to doing their part to make a difference in the world, they created an awareness of environmental issues and an appreciation for our natural resources among their peers.”