Leading Sustainability Initiatives On-Campus: A Partnership Approach

Around the world, schools are seeking to better understand their climate impact, and our students are expecting us to operate our schools using the ethical and globally-minded citizenship principles that we teach. Whether you are just beginning the work of bringing a sustainability mindset to your school community or have been entrenched in this work for a long time, a significant part of making a lasting impact in this crucial area of global education is ensuring you are using a collaborative, partnership-based approach. 

But making this happen is much more challenging than it might sound. For one, even the most committed school communities likely only have one person who is given time, space and authority to move this work forward—and that person is often filling the role in a part-time capacity. This structure can create myriad challenges as sustainability work permeates all facets of our school community. Additionally, in our ever-busy lives it is often difficult to ask our colleagues, administrators, and students to step aside from their numerous daily commitments and responsibilities to focus on this work. 

Therefore, establishing key partnerships is critical to this work. I have been doing this work for more than a decade, and our school has had some very impressive success, but none of the work would have been possible without the critical support of some key stakeholders on campus. Below I share some of my thoughts and advice for sustainability leaders in building key partnerships across campus.

HEAD OF SCHOOL

In the context of sustainability work, there is no single person that is more important than the Head of School. For starters, the Head is in charge of setting the vision for what a school is to become and achieve in the future. Therefore, if the Head of School sets a vision before the school community that prioritizes sustainability—in the physical plant, in the curriculum, and in the campus practices—then it would almost be impossible not to have success in this area. Conversely, at a school where the top leader has set other priorities (understandable given all of the competing demands that a Head faces) it can be difficult to move a sustainability agenda forward. For example, when your colleagues have not received the message from the Head of School directly, it might be tough to convince them to bring this work to the top of their already-full list of priorities. Time is such a precious commodity at our schools, and we rely on the leader at the top to help our community understand how we should prioritize our time.

One Action Step for Leaders of Climate/Sustainability Efforts:

Schedule a meeting with the Head of School with the express goal of listening to their vision for the future priorities of your school community. It is likely that whatever they say will have some connection with climate and sustainability work. As you listen, take note of areas where collaboration might be possible. At the end of the meeting, consider asking, “If I were to take some time to give it some thought, could I come back to meet with you again to discuss one project we might partner on together?”

DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES

Physical plant improvements can be a source of incredible impact when it comes to setting and attaining sustainability related goals. Sustainability related capital expenditures often have a compelling return on investment, which can ultimately save a school money in the long run (and in some cases the immediate short term as well). With the cost of most products on the rise, and with energy costs rising precipitously, it is important for schools to prioritize saving money when and where possible. Energy and water use, alongside waste reduction and disposal practices, are most certainly areas where we can make tangible change on our campuses. Schools that set out to promote sustainability teaching in the curriculum must also prioritize this in practice, or else you risk losing buy-in from community members who may not visually see the commitment in action.
 

One Action Step for Leaders of Climate/Sustainability Efforts:

Meet with the Director of Facilities to hear about planned upcoming projects/renovations. It is possible that you can enlist the help of energy consultants to help choose one of these projects to “green” and are likely to save money in the long term as an added bonus. Consider also looking at models of Sustainability Budgets or Climate Action Plans in the GEBG Resource Library that could illustrate how schools in this network are using facilities-related projects to advance their school’s efforts.

STUDENTS

The group that we are ultimately in this work for can also be one of the most critical partnerships to establish. At the same time, because the student body at a high school turns over once every 4 years (a bit longer at some elementary/middle schools) it can feel frustrating to lose a little bit of momentum every year when the most dedicated and motivated students graduate and you are left to establish that commitment all over again in the fall.
 

One Action Step for Leaders of Climate/Sustainability Efforts:

Choose leaders (or have the students vote) for the next academic year early in the spring of the preceding year so that the leadership transition can be smooth. Consider meeting bi-weekly with these students to plan an early fall activity that will help to establish a sustainability mindset on campus right away, especially for new students. Oh, and of course, everything should live in a Google Folder so important documents/plans are not lost from year to year!

DINING DIRECTOR

A 2023 study found that globally, one third of human caused emissions can be attributed to the global food system, and greenhouse gasses from wasted food account for around half of these emissions. Furthermore, the EPA estimates that over one third of the food produced in the United States is wasted, which is the equivalent of enough water and energy to power 50 million homes. What this means is that if we can partner to reduce food waste on our campuses, we can have a significant impact on our overall campus footprint.
 

One Action Step for Leaders of Climate/Sustainability Efforts:

In order to partner with your Dining Director in this area, begin with data collection (which is also a very approachable project in which to engage student leadership). Have the kitchen weigh both pre- and post-consumer waste, with greater attention to the latter since the former is often unavoidable. Once you begin to track the waste from different meals, you may start to recognize trends that can help reduce waste overall. Is there an option to sample food before taking a full plate of something you may not like? Can meals be served in a “deconstructed” fashion so that community members can take only the ingredients they know they will eat? Do you have someone serving meals—and therefore controlling the amount of food going out to the dining hall—and have they been coached through a sustainability lens? There are ample opportunities in this space, and this can be a heavily student-driven area of focus.

COLLEAGUES

Find your people—the people on your campus that are eager to delve into this work, to learn more, and to partner with you. From there, anything is possible because two committed individuals can be the start of a trend. But how do you find these people? At a recent faculty meeting at my school, I had the opportunity to hear from my colleagues from all departments about how they are participating in our school’s commitment to sustainability. I was floored by the creative and far-reaching ways that the topic of sustainability makes its way into all facets of our school community—from classrooms to athletics and even our admission office.
 

One Action Step for Leaders of Climate/Sustainability Efforts:

Consider working with the Dean of Academics and other academic leaders at the school to develop sustainability competencies/skills, and then survey teachers to identify where these competencies/skills are being taught throughout the school. Perhaps this process can then stimulate further conversation about how to more purposefully teach these competencies/skills and work towards vertical and horizontal curriculum alignment.