Connections Quarterly Spring 2016 - Environment | Page 30

MODEL SCHOOLS, INTEGRAT I N G S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

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civic responsibility. As part of a science unit on Ecosystems and Human Impact, seventh grade
students conduct field investigations on the Elwha River in the Olympic National Park and complete a project on the restoration of the river and its impact on human and natural communities.

The Town School (N-8, New York, NY)
Town’s Sustainability Mission Statement reads: “Educating for sustainability is teaching children
to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. We
must recognize that all living things and natural systems are interdependent, and in turn, put this
understanding to use in our lives, our communities, and the world in which we live….” Looking
at the school motto “SOS” (Self, Others, Surroundings) through the lens of sustainability, students
are introduced to the interconnections of multiple systems, paying particular attention to issues
of social justice, economics, and the environment to teach them to become responsible global
citizens. Fifth grade students begin to look at how individual behavior impacts global sustainability by measuring their carbon footprints and discussing why we make the lifestyle choices
we make. Sixth grade students explore the global waste stream and seventh grade students
discuss the industrial food system, considering the systems that are in place and who they serve.
Eighth grade students analyze a particular global event and discuss how it relates to sustainability. All students consider how an individual goes about impacting change for a better future.

Hawaii Preparatory Academy (K-12, Kamuela, HI)
HPA aspires to be the preeminent K-12 model for environmental sustainability – a goal to which
the school expressly committed in its strategic plan. To achieve this goal, HPA is focused on
school wide eco-consciousness and forward-thinking policies and projects, including a zerowaste initiative at the Lower School campus, an ongoing student-led energy audit of both campuses, expanding energy reliance on photovoltaic systems, a thriving Lower School garden and
outdoor kitchen, and the important learning that is happening in their Outdoor Classroom and
Terrace Farm at the Upper Campus. K-8 students have garden classes, which transition in 9-12
into courses on agronomy, environmental science (regular and AP) and energy. Their most ambitious self-driven projects are often part of their Independent Science Research courses, where
students create a project and exemplify autonomy, mastery and a sense of purpose. Students
in these classes have developed accurate energy audits of the campus, with real time access
to data for both production and consumption, monitoring systems for off-site waste (recycled
and otherwise) and outreach into the community using the energy telemetry and monitoring
systems at the school’s energy lab. l
For more information on these school programs, and contacts,
please visit www.csee.org/?ModelSchools

Page 28 Spring 2016

CSEE Connections