St. Philip’s Academy's new school building is designed to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification. The building offers a unique opportunity for hands-on education about the enviornment and sustainable living. St. Philip's Academy is the only urban school to apply for LEED certification in New Jersey, and the first building in Newark to do so. The new St. Philip’s site offers our students cleaner air, brighter classrooms, and a rooftop garden. It nurtures our students, helps the community, and reaches a higher standard of excellence. Some examples of how our building helps the environment:

• Reuse of the building’s existing shell and structure (originally an old chocolate factory), so as to have the lowest environmental impact possible.

• Reduction of roof and pavement area by our Outdoor Environmental Center, resulting in less additional heat to the atmosphere while maximizing urban land space.

• Installation of solar energy panels on the rooftop garden walls, which reads-out usage information throughout the school on display panels. Students observe the effects of weather patterns on solar energy collection and traditional energy usage.

• A radiant floor system in the gymnasium, which heats the area closest to the people.

• Installation of low-flow plumbing features, which saves substantial amounts of water.

• Natural fresh air circulation, low Volatile Organic Compound paint and materials, and no hazardous emissions.

• An abundance of operable windows, allowing a maximum amount of natural light – which is a proven benefit to student achievement. Classrooms are fitted with motion-activated light sensors to conserve energy when rooms are not in use.

• Pollution reduction and local business sustainability by having approximately 70% of our materials come from within 500 miles of the building.

• Low-impact air system minimizes the number of motors and heaters in the system and moves the air through the building by using induction or natural air flow—thus maximizing our efficiency.

• A school-wide recycling program, which includes the collection of paper and plastic waste, unwanted cell phones, batteries and ink cartridges.

• Integration of the building design with the curriculum and culture of the school. Educational projects have included planting herbs and vegetables in the rooftop garden. Vegetables harvested in the rooftop garden—as well as preservative-free food from local farmers—are used in our Seed to Table family lunch program, where daily lunches are prepared from scratch. Students learn the concept of a closed loop food cycle, in which ingredients grown in the garden are harvested for use in the lunch program, and then composted using a pulper and planted back into the garden.