Pope Francis asks us to “hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” St. James Academy’s efforts to put our faith into action have led the State of California to designate our school as a top 2019 Green Achiever and to further nominate the school for the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Award for excellence in resource efficiency, health and wellness and sustainability education. With the support of wonderful teachers, students, parent volunteers and donors, the school is in the process of completing a new green schoolyard along the west side of campus featuring an outdoor classroom, Monarch butterfly mural and conservation, Kumeyaay Native American garden, California native pollinator garden, worm composting and organic vegetable garden. The school has installed reusable water bottle filling stations to reduce single-use plastic as well as energy saving LED lights throughout the campus. The St. James parish has contributed by installing roof top solar panels, drought tolerant landscaping, and electric vehicle charging stations (with a grant through Electrify America).
If you are interested in supporting the school and parish sustainability efforts, please contact Anne Marie Oldham at amoldham@saintjamesacademy.com.
Press release from the State of California: https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr19/yr19rel26.asp
SJA sustainability website link with more photos and info: https://amoldham.weebly.com/sustainability.html