Sustainable Jersey invites school districts to be part of the EmPowered Schools program, which provides free support and resources to educate PreK-12 students on how to save energy and money in their schools and homes.
Public Service Electric & Gas, New Jersey Natural Gas, South Jersey Gas, and Elizabethtown Gas fund the program for schools within the service territories. The program engages students for the duration of the school year, integrating science, technology, engineering, arts, and math principles to promote energy literacy through lesson plans, hands-on activities, and competitions.
Students will use the school building and their homes as learning labs to solve real-world problems and generate cultural change by making energy efficiency visible, important and doable.
An information session on the program was previously held. The session recording can be viewed here.
Schools accepted into the program will receive:
- Access to the EmPowered website, containing energy and sustainability lessons and activities, all aligned to state academic standards.
- Energy and water auditing tools to give students hands-on experience (with instructions on how to use each tool).
- Free EmPowered T-shirts (grades 3-12) or energy superhero capes (PK-2) for your team.
- A $200 stipend paid directly to the teacher — along with awards and prizes for student teams.
- Personalized, ongoing support from an EmPowered Schools program manager.
Application Information
The program is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 school year. Apply here.
The EmPowered activities can be used to earn points toward Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification.
Schools must be registered with Sustainable Jersey for Schools and located within NJNG, SJG, or ETG service territories, or receiving both gas and electric service from PSE&G to be eligible.
Questions about EmPowered Schools and applications should be directed to Francesca Arato via email.
For questions about Sustainable Jersey for Schools and how to register, please contact JoAnna Contarino via email.