The Mount Olive Township Community Gardens project began in 2002 as a program to provide long-term environmental site improvement to the township's abandoned recycling center. The property was severely impacted by poor environmental planning and management practices, leaving the area in significant need of environmental restoration.

When the township had made no move to restore the area, a small group of eighth grade environmental science students discussed the possibility of restoring the property themselves. They formed a student leadership team to research and prepare a proposal for the township council to review. In April of 2002, their proposal was officially approved. Soon thereafter, the students began to schedule after school workdays. They started by removing debris, leveling out the remaining clay loam piles, and testing the soil for pollutants and nutrients. Next, the students built a fence around the perimeter, added a layer of topsoil, planted native New Jersey deciduous trees and prepared a design that featured raised flowerbeds.

The Media and Publicity Teams worked together to create letterhead, brochures, and even developed a web page. The Education Team created the basic plans for field trips. The Maintenance Team created a month-to-month plan to maintain the garden while the Building Team planned out the activities for the upcoming spring. The Planting Team prepared the greenhouse, planted seeds and designed the layout for the gardens. With some assistance from an adult facilitator, the Financial Team prepared the annual financial report and researched future funding ideas.

The Mount Olive Township Community Gardens project received The Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority Recycling Award for the use of recycled products in the creation of the gardens. The Gardens were also recognized by Wal-Mart for their contribution to the community. The project will soon receive official status as a "Certified Schoolyard Habitat" by the National Wildlife Federation.

The National Wildlife Federation stated, "The students at Mt. Olive Middle School worked with their township to create a garden that the entire community could benefit from. Students formed teams and led the project, reclaiming an old recycling plant for use as an outdoor classroom. The medicinal garden, butterfly garden, and hummingbird gardens will be used for teaching across several academic disciplines. Each student at Mt. Olive participates in the garden in some way during their time at school, resulting in a sense of stewardship for their garden. In the future, Mt. Olive will expand the program to include early childhood education and special needs students. Cooperation with a variety of local organizations and agencies will guarantee the success of this project in the long term."