Sustainability Progress

Pathways to a Greener Campus

Charting our progress in sustainability By the Sustainability Squad

The PCDS Strategic Plan highlights sustainability as a key area for improvement, and directs us to “commit to more environmentally-friendly campus practices.” As such, a group of faculty and staff have come together to form the Sustainability Squad, which meets regularly to pursue realistic and sustainable avenues for environmentally friendly practices and education.

A Cultural Change: Eliminating the Plastic Water Bottle The group’s first priority this year was a simple one with both a tangible and symbolic impact: the elimination of single use plastic water bottles on campus. While convenient, these water bottles represent an enormous amount of plastic waste (see below for more information about the proliferation of single use plastic water bottles). In place of the pallets of plastic bottles used in years past, campus events and meetings now rely on large beverage dispensers with compostable cups. Over 50 water stations across campus offer convenient refills for those who bring their own bottles, and the US cafe has replaced plastic water bottles with water sold in aluminum bottles.

While water bottles constitute a significant percentage of plastic trash, it doesn’t end there, and the group continues to work with our constituents on reducing other single use plastics on campus.

SUSTAINABILITY SQUAD

Roz Abero ’89 Assistant Head of School

Tim Mitten Director of Campus Safety and Operations Hallie Mueller, Upper School Pete Saunders, Upper School Maki Fullerton, Middle School Elyse Gentile, Middle School Amy Hill, Lower School Andy McKean, Lower School Marian Florey, Parent Bryan McLaren ’05, Advisor “I have lived in busy New York City, in quiet rural Pennsylvania, and now in the suburban desert. With such a contrast, I’ve noticed the profound effect that being outside has on me. I’ve spent large amounts of my free time hiking, scuba diving, free diving, etc., and seeing the effects that humans have had on the environment has made me more passionate about doing what I can to support its health. This is why I have spent so much time researching, participating in clubs, and raising awareness about environmental issues.” —Madison Angst ’24 “My family and I compost at home. Instead of putting food scraps in the trash, we put them in our compost to be used for our vegetable garden. We also have easily accessible compost bins around the quad. It’s really important for students to work together to protect the environment, and it doesn’t take much to have a positive impact.” —Sonia Singh ’24

One million water bottles are bought around the world every minute, and more than half a trillion plastic bottles will be sold annually.

Recycling plastic isn’t a silver bullet—the majority of collected plastic recyclables have nowhere to go but landfills and oceans.

Of the 35 million tons of plastic waste the U.S. produces each year, 9% is recycled, 16% is incinerated, and 75% ends up in landfill.

A plastic bottle takes 500 years to degrade. For single-use convenience, aluminum and glass water bottles are now widely available in grocery stores.

Trash to Treasure: The Magic of Compost While various groups have composted on campus for years, these efforts are now campus wide, with educational compost bins in all three divisions and a system in place to divert tons of cafeteria kitchen scraps from the landfill to a local farm.

Composting by Division • In an effort to reduce the amount of food waste that ends up in landfill, the LS started the year with a 45-gallon compost bin that was quickly filled with food scraps from daily snacks by the LS gardening club and kindergarten students.

They expanded their compost efforts by adding a 100-gallon bin near the playground, where kitchen food scraps and grass clippings from sports fields are put into the mix. Each LS grade manages a garden bed with vegetables, flowers, and plants, and the students look forward to using the nutrient-rich finished compost for their garden soil. Students have studied the science of composting during science class, and they enjoy spinning the compost bins to help mix the cooking compost. • Composting has been occurring in the MS for several years, and a teacher and a parent volunteer maintain the compost bins in the MS garden. Students in 5th and 7th grade science classes learn about cycles of the Earth’s system and human impact on the environment, and various science lessons cover the benefits of composting and the science behind decomposition. Many MS students are passionate about making sustainable choices, and there are plans to develop a MS environmental student club. • For the past three years, the US Environmental Club has taken the reins from adults to orchestrate a weekly schedule of student compost volunteers and to educate the student body about responsible waste practices. It’s quite something to watch these dedicated students separate burger patties from buns during breaks simply because they feel so strongly about this gesture towards the planet. In some cases, composting has become personal, with students nagging their families to save and freeze their collective compost so that they can dispose of it at School and watch it change back into earth. In addition to the educational compost bins, PCDS is also diverting several tons of kitchen prep scraps annually with the help of a local compost operation. Instead of going to the landfill, these scraps are now separated by the kitchen staff and picked up by local mass composter R.City. The compost that R.City produces with PCDS food waste is used on their farmland to grow nutrient-rich organic fruits and vegetables that are sold to consumers.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of our shift towards sustainability is the widespread student empowerment emerging across our campus. Students from all divisions have made their voices heard through sustainability initiatives ranging from solar energy presentations to gardening projects, often pushing for changes themselves. Stay tuned for more purpose-driven green developments. More Sustainability Efforts Underway • Switched to a recycling vendor that reliably collects commingled recyclables • When disposables must be used they are compostable, recycled, or recyclable • The team is evaluating opportunities for more sustainable policies and practices for supply-ordering • Curricular discussion of ways to combat climate change are prevalent across all grade levels • New buildings will prioritize energy efficient features • Significant xeriscape on campus to reduce water usage • Sharing information with families regarding ways to be more environmentally friendly in their homes • Exciting plans are underway for a large solar panel installation on campus that will reduce our energy use

“Saving the environment is a collective task that starts with us and the decisions we make—that’s why I’m so passionate about promoting sustainability across campus. Simple actions such as composting and recycling have given me a deeper appreciation for the environment and have made me want to continue finding ways we can help our planet as a community.” —Maya Allmendinger ’23

Each year, more than one third of food produced in the world goes to waste, and it is responsible for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions.

Reducing food waste is one of the most important things we can all do to reverse global warming. The first city to offer a city-wide service to collect compostables was San Francisco, in 1996. Since then, municipalities across the country have started food waste collection programs, including curbside pickup. While cities in the Valley have yet to follow suit, R.City (recycledcity.com) offers very affordable residential services if you would like your home food waste to be composted but lack the time or space to do it yourself.