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Connecticut Green Business Awards

Common Ground
358 Springside Ave.
New Haven 06515
203-389-4333
nhep.com
Director: Liz Cox
No. students: 150

When it opened in 1997 at the base of New Haven’s West Rock Ridge, Common Ground was the nation’s first charter school to focus on the urban environment. Described as a “high school, urban farm, and environmental education center,” Common Ground reaches thousands of students and other individuals each year through a variety of outreach and educational programs.

“The environmental problems that are facing us today, and that are facing our students, are enormous,” explains school Director Liz Cox. “They require real leadership and attention. We have made it our mission to support and encourage that leadership and awareness.”

Common Ground students launch small environmental ventures and turn produce from the Common Ground farm into value-added products. The students create outdoor exhibits for the community and take courses such as Environmental Justice, Biodiversity, Environmental Science, and Food & the Environment, along with more traditional college preparatory curricula In 2008, 93 percent of Common Ground graduates were accepted into college.

The school’s community-oriented environmental programs reach more than 6,000 people each year, including 2,000 New Haven elementary school students who visit Common Ground on field trips. The school also operates after-school programs and a Summer Ecology Camp, while adults and families attend Open Farm Days and annual festivals such as Rock to Rock, a citywide cycling event and environmental fundraiser.

Common Ground operates an urban farm on which students and staff grow nearly three tons of organic produce every year. The school has been recognized by the National Wildlife Federation’s Conservation Achievement Award, the Volvo for Life Award, and numerous others.

The 20-acre farm and school campus began in 1990 as the New Haven Ecology Project, started by a group of educators, parents and environmentalists to provide environmental education in New Haven using local parks. The group leased the abandoned park land at 358 Springside Avenue in 1994, and in 1997 became one of the first ten charter schools in Connecticut.

Students also work in the community through the school’s Green Jobs Corps. About 30 students a year are paid to plant trees across the city, lead environmental education programs, and help city residents grow organic vegetables.

“Our mission is to raise our students’ awareness and equip them to make a difference, wherever they go,” says Cox. “Whether they take up an environmental career or not, they are able to take on environmental issues and raise their voices to make a difference. They have the skills to succeed, and to be a leader, at whatever they do.”