Doing Our Part

Mother Goose asked, “Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow?”

While Mary’s garden grows with silver bells and cockleshells, the Cheshire Academy community garden grows with tomatoes, cucumbers, and sunflowers.

While only in its first phase, the garden has provided space for students to get their hands dirty and for resident faculty to put their green thumbs to work. More than just a growing space, this garden serves as a visualization of the Academy’s renewed commitment to environmental sustainability as it enters its 225th year.

The 2017-2018 school year saw the creation of CA Team Sustainability, a cross campus advisory team of faculty and staff, and an increasingly robust push for environmental awareness among the student body.

In December 2017, the student run Eco-Leaders launched an environmental film series with a screening of An Inconvenient Sequel, preceded by a conversation with PJ Yesawich ’01. Yesawich went out of his way to engage with current students stating, “…We will never replace the power of connecting with people in real life. It provides purpose and perspective, two things that keep you inspired.” Continuing this film and speaker series, Jonathan White ’90, provided the newest Redford Center film; Happening: A Clean Energy Revolution. This screening and message from White capped off the Academy’s celebration of Earth Week.

While their classmates were dreaming of sleeping late and lazy summer days, the Eco-Leaders worked right to the end to keep friends thinking about the lifecycle of their belongings. Rather than allow thousands of pounds of unwanted items to enter the waste stream, the Eco-Leaders, Team Sustainability, and the Office of Community Life came together to organize an Eco-Move Out. Each dorm had designated locations for unwanted, but still usable, clothing, household items, and school supplies. Not only were these items diverted from the waste stream, lessening CA’s environmental impact and its waste hauling costs, they were given new life through non-profit partners.

Four vanloads of household items were donated to New Haven based IRIS to set up apartments for newly arrived refugees. School supplies made their way to learners at Common Ground High School, and hundreds if not thousands of pounds of clothing were distributed both near and far. Roxbury Instructor Cheyenne Skinner used CA donations to help stock her free clothing organization, Graceful Giving, in Waterbury, CT and Beatrice Kapindula P ’18, P ’21, likewise found new life in the donations for people in her native Zambia via her organization Egalitarian Empowering Solutions.

As CA celebrates its 225th year, these activities are just the beginning. The 2018-2019 school year boasts the appointment of a dedicated sustainability coordinator. Jennifer Dillon, a third year CA faculty member, is tasked with promoting sustainability across campus, from student education to possible green energy arrangements. Dillon says, “The Academy’s mission statement speaks to students thriving as global citizens. Our shared environment is uniquely global, and I look forward to partnering with colleagues, students, alumni and local partners to increase the environmental literacy of all within our community.”