mobile logo

ACUA to Offer Rutgers 2019 Environmental Stewards Program

Dec 27, 2018

Are you concerned about the environment and want to learn how to make a difference? Maybe you belong to a municipal environmental commission or green team, and you want to do your best in caring for your community. You can do all this and more as part of Rutgers Environmental Stewards Program! 

Classes will be offered at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority’s Environmental Park located at 6700 Delilah Road in Egg Harbor Township. The 2019 course begins on January 23 and meets every Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through June 2019.  

The Environmental Steward program is designed to explain and analyze the environmental issues affecting New Jersey. Using science, teamwork and natural resources, the Stewards will create plans to face the problems head-on. You don’t have to be a scientist to be a Steward; all you need is passion for the environment, learning and volunteering.

Registration, payment and program details for individuals or municipalities are available at acua.com/stewards. The program and materials fee for the course is $250.  

Training sessions are taught by experts from Rutgers University, and non-profit and government organizations. To become a certified Rutgers Environmental Steward, graduates of the classroom portion of the program must then complete a 60-hour volunteer internship on any topic of their choice. Internships are unique and intended to align with the interests of the individual, the needs of the program, and the community. 

Class topics include climate change, soil health, renewable energy, waste management, water resource protection, invasive species, wildlife management, habitat conservation, environmental policy and more. Field trips to environmentally significant sites are included as part of the program.

Examples of volunteer projects include:

  • Mapping and eradicating invasive species in local parks
  • Engaging policy makers on reducing plastic waste
  • Restoring native dune vegetation in shore communities
  • Building green infrastructure, such as rain gardens or rain barrel
  • Protecting and creating habitat for threatened and endangered species

For more information on the program, please contact Amy Menzel at amenzel@acua.com or call 609-272-6950. Go to www.acua.com/stewards or https://www.facebook.com/groups/RutgersEnvironmentalStewards/