For the past eleven years, the Bergen County Utility Authority has been awarding grants to Bergen County schools to assist in establishing or advancing recycling programs. And for the past ten years, Dr. Mark Raum, SBJC physical therapist, has won the SBJC funding to grow a Lodi Campus recycling program.

“We’ve been able to purchase recycling containers for every classroom--as well as bins to collect the cumulative recycling materials--that our students take to the curb each week to be picked up by the town,” says Dr. Raum, who uses the recycling program as a part of this PT instruction. “When collecting the recycling materials, students are required to navigate the stairs while carrying the bins or containers, performing appropriate problem solving skills, body mechanics and gross motor and fine motor skills.”

This year, the BCUA award of $1,000 has been put towards the garden program to teach students about composting. SBJC has purchased three dual-chamber compost tumblers that will be used to recycle food waste from student lunches and turned into a soil conditioner. Students will be in charge of identifying what foods can go in the piles, turning the tumblers when necessary, and incorporating the compost into the soil.

STARs(Students Transitioning to Adult Responsibilities) held their first-ever farm stand at our Lodi Campus, and it was an awesome success. Students picked basil, parsley, kale, mixed lettuce, beets, and cucumbers, and then sold the produce to faculty and staff of the SBJC. All vegetables sold out in just a few minutes.

A big thank you to all staff who helped and supported the program! We will keep you posted regarding our next harvest.

At our SBJC Lodi Campus, Middle-school and STAR students teamed up to produce their first fresh-from-the-garden recipe: a nut-free spinach basil pesto.

Students learned how to pick basil leaves without harming the plant, then started in on following the recipe. They practiced food safety, making sure to wear gloves, to thoroughly wash all produce, and to respect the machinery (the blade of a food processor is sharp!). After they threw all of the ingredients into the processor, students taste-tested their creation on slices of a freshly-toasted baguette.

“This is so good. I cannot stop eating it,” said Job, a STAR student at SBJC.

“Can I have the recipe to take home?” asked Courtney, middle-school student. Copies of the recipe were provided to all students to share with their parents and guardians at home.

Check out our Recipes Section for our Hey Pesto! Nut-free Spinach Basil Pesto.