Friends’ Central Lower School science teacher and sustainability advocate Tiffany Borsch shared her insights at the recent OASIS and NJ Audubon EcoSchools Conference, a gathering of schools, teachers, and environmental-education champions committed to building more sustainable learning environments. The conference, held at The Lawrenceville School on December 4, 2025, highlighted a wide range of “success stories” from institutions working to integrate sustainability into school culture.

Tiffany’s presentation stood out as a practical model for how a school community can teach students the connection between growing food and advocating for Earth. Her session explored the FCS Pre-K to fifth grade garden program, where science, sustainability, and community intertwine to empower young learners through the simple, hopeful act of growing food.

“We’re not explicitly teaching about climate change; we’re teaching the life cycles of food, the ‘magic’ of photosynthesis, and the connections that build community. For educators, it can feel daunting, so I break the big picture into both a full-year program and smaller, manageable pieces. The goal is to do what’s sustainable for both the program and the planet, offering ways for people to succeed at every level, with any budget and any timeline,” Tiffany shared.

Throughout the school year, Tiffany supports hands-on projects that connect students to nature. The Lower School keeps a small flock of chickens on campus, giving students daily opportunities to observe animal behavior and to practice responsibility in their daily care. Each fall, she leads the much-anticipated Harvest Fest, where classes share the vegetables and herbs they have grown in the School’s organic garden and celebrate the changing seasons with science-based activities. In the spring, her popular plant sale – run by fifth-grade students – transforms the School garden into a bustling marketplace, as students proudly offer the seedlings they’ve nurtured themselves.

Tiffany’s work illustrates how hands-on leadership, meaningful student involvement, and clear planning make the path toward sustainability less abstract and more actionable. By highlighting both successes and challenges, she demystifies the process of implementing eco-friendly practices within a school setting.

With projects like this gaining visibility, the broader movement toward climate-friendly schools continues to grow stronger.