In the fall of 2010, I set out on a journey in search of green, environmentally sustainable schools. Having retired that year after more than 25 years as head of Head-Royce School (California), where we worked hard to create a model green school, I wanted to understand the broader school sustainability movement and seek ways to encourage other schools to grow greener. Given the significant environmental challenges we face, there is no more important issue before us and the rising generation of students we are educating today.
The narrative of my inquiry, Greening America’s Schools: The Environmental Sustainability Movement in K–12 Education (NAIS, 2012), describes a remarkable depth and breadth in the K–12 environmental sustainability movement. Many schools, public and private, are “growing greener”; colleges and universities are demonstrating impressive leadership and engaging in important research on environmental issues and the human response to them; the “informal” education network focused on sustainability is large and innovative; a rapidly growing number of support and advocacy organizations have gotten involved in the movement; and state, regional, and local governments have turned their attention to promoting sustainability in all areas of society — thus underscoring the importance of this work in schools. Further, there is a growing consensus about what constitutes a “green school.” My own description of a green school’s components, which I call the “Five Foundations,” includes:
• efficient use of resources,
• healthy operations,
• ecological curriculum,
• nutritious food, and
• sustainable community practices.
From my vantage point, the best practices to promote sustainability in schools include clear vision and mission, strong leadership and organization, a team approach, and the use of metrics to evaluate and guide progress. Most important, the “triple bottom line” benefits of green schools are increasingly clear: they save money, strengthen achievement, and improve health.
Greening America’s Schools: The Environmental Sustainability Movement in K–12 Education contains 50 case studies of private and public schools and their leaders who are infusing environmental practices into their communities and curricula. Two of those exemplary schools, Hotchkiss School (Connecticut) and Midland School (California), are featured in this article. What makes them stand out is their inspired leadership. Since Josh Hahn became assistant head and director of environmental initiatives at Hotchkiss in 2009, he has led, among many projects, an effort to build a $14 million biomass plant that will save an estimated $700,000 annually. Lise Goddard, director of environmental programs at Midland School, has led the school to pursue an innovative solar power project as part of a larger, ambitious Environmental Action Plan, with a goal of eventual carbon neutrality in which the students themselves are building the renewable energy infrastructure.
Many of the other schools I visited were making notable strides in facilities and operations, demonstrating that greening schools makes good sense (and good “cents”). At Putney School (Vermont), for example, its new LEED Platinum field house is the first zero-net energy secondary school building in the country, meaning it generates sufficient renewable solar power to provide all electricity and offset the fossil fuels used for heating the building. Nearby, the Berkshire School (Massachusetts) installed an eight-acre solar array that will produce an estimated 40 percent of the school’s electricity needs and save $1.6 million over the next 10 years. Riverdale Country School (New York) estimates that based on a student-led study, the school cut its carbon footprint 20 percent in a single year through energy efficiency initiatives. The Athenian School (California) has pursued a systematic energy efficiency drive, including a 1,300-panel solar array, solar water heating for the pool, reduced trash off-haul costs through recycling and an extensive composting system, reduced water costs by stopping winter irrigation, and an artificial turf athletic field.
Perhaps most amazing are the California public schools that are striving to become grid neutral; Irvine Unified School District, for example, estimates it will save $8 million a year through its sustainability efforts.
In spite of these success stories, there are many challenges facing schools, including sustainability costs in a recession, limited human resources and time, the relative isolation of people and programs, the plateau effect and fatigue in working on sustainability in schools, the stranglehold of standards-based education, and the pressures of opposing ideology and politics. Looking to the future, we need to:
• Shape an agenda that will allow us to recognize green schools more effectively;
• Coordinate the work of the K–12 schools, college, and universities, and “informal” environmental organizations through “environmental literacy plans”;
• Strengthen the system of measuring green school performance to provide feedback for improvement;
• Expand consulting resources to help schools grow greener; and
• Integrate the many local, regional, state, and national groups involved in K–12 environmental education.
Independent schools are prized for their ability to offer a high-quality educational experience while developing innovative educational models. Today we must seize time and embrace the “green power” movement. Not only will our students benefit from their education in green schools, our independent schools collectively will set an example for the rest of the nation to follow.