South Plainfield was among three high schools in New Jersey whose student teams were honored for their innovative climate action projects in a statewide competition.
Jawad Aslam, Deep Patel, Salma Elgebally, Pari Patel, Dylan Jefferys, Vishan Budhan, and Melissa Leon-Tamara comprised South Plainfield’s “Planet-Over-Profit” team that finished runner-up in the New Jersey Student Climate Challenge.
“These innovative students are to be commended for their creativity and desire to combat climate change,” said Senator Patrick Diegnan, a lifelong South Plainfield resident. “They have made our hometown proud and serve as role models for other students across the state who are concerned about climate change.”
Student teams from high schools and middle schools participating in the statewide competition were tasked with developing and executing a school- or community-based climate action project and creating a digital story video to capture the approach and impacts of their climate project.
The South Plainfield students were recognized Monday during an awards ceremony hosted by the Drumthwacket Foundation with New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy.
“It is an honor to host and recognize the future leaders of our green economy at this year’s New Jersey Student Climate Challenge Action Project Awards,” Murphy said. “New Jersey is a proven leader in addressing our nation’s climate change crisis, having been the first state to incorporate climate change education across our K-12 learning standards. As we move closer to our goal of reaching 100 percent clean energy by 2035, I am relieved to know the climate literate leaders of tomorrow are being trained today here in New Jersey.”
Atlantic City Electric and its parent company Exelon fund the New Jersey Student Climate Challenge, which was created to foster the growing role young people are playing in addressing climate change.
The initiative builds on New Jersey’s efforts to increase climate literacy among young people across the state.
“We created this program as a pathway for students to engage in climate education and have hands on opportunities to make a change in their community right now,” said Doug Mokoid, region president for Atlantic City Electric.
“The participants clearly demonstrated the bright future we have and should be applauded for their innovation and impact.”
Senator Patrick Diegnan 