Convent of the Sacred Heart Environmental Commitment
March 11, 2009
Environmentalism is inherent in Convent of the Sacred Heart’s Goals and Criteria. Therefore, our commitment to the environment is an extension of the Goals & Criteria.
“Goal Three: Schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate to a social awareness which impels to action. Criterion Five: The school teaches respect for creation and prepares students to be stewards of the earth’s resources.”
Energized by our students and our social responsibility to act, Convent of the Sacred Heart at 91st Street will model environmentally sound behavior for our students, faculty, parents, alumnae, network and extended community.
Statement of Environmental Commitment
Convent of the Sacred Heart is committed to being environmentally responsible. The school will inspire all in the 91st Street community to advocate for and take action to address environmental issues. We will lead by example and our evolving curriculum will reflect current environmental realities.
We Will Fulfill Our Commitment by:
- Establishing an Environmental Stewards Committee that reports to the Head of School and is inclusive; comprised of students (including the President of the Environmental Club or Student Government), faculty, senior administrative staff (including operations and technology), alumnae, parents and Board members.
- Leading by example and consistently making decisions that demonstrate our respect for the planet.
- Engaging all students, grades Pre-K through 12, in environmental education rooted within our curriculum.
- Measuring and reporting our performance with transparency.
How Sacred Heart Lives Each Day as Earth Day
- We established an Environmental Stewards Committee to coordinate, establish and monitor environmental efforts within the school community. The Committee meets regularly, ensuring that we maximize efforts and resources to live our mission, teach respect for creation, and prepare students to be stewards of the earth's resources.
- In Fall 2009, 91st Street joined with more than 100 other schools in New York State to be a part of the Green Schools Alliance. Representatives from the Environmental Stewards Committee attended the 2009 Green Schools Summit on November 17, 2009. As part of our pledge to the GSA, we developed a short-term and long-term action plans for environmental sustainability and identified community-wide initiatives. For more information about the Green Schools Alliance, please visit the following link: http://www.greenschoolsalliance.org/.
- Our printing company, Capital Offset, passed certification as a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) printer in early 2009. FSC certified printers comply with the highest social and environmental standards on the market and all of Sacred Heart’s publications are printed under FSC guidelines. For more information about the Forest Stewardship Council, please visit the following link: http://www.fsc.org/.
- As a demonstration of our commitment to environmentally friendly vendors and services, Convent of the Sacred Heart proudly uses Flik International, a division of Compass Group, for our dining and select catering services. In January 2009, Sacred Heart stopped using the traditional paper cups, bowls and plates in the cafeteria for take-out service. We now offer the compostable “ecotainer” cup and bowl, which is made from fully renewable resources. All paper plates are made from recycled materials, and traditional plastic take-out containers are no longer purchased or available for use. For more information about the Compass Group initiatives, please visit their website at the following link: www.cgnad.com/compass360.
- The Convent of the Sacred Heart technology department tracks the copy machines and printers to determine the number of copies each month, how many are double-sided, and the number of pages printed each month from duplex printers that are not two-sided. With this information, the Environmental Stewards Committee will establish paper usage guidelines for the entire school.
- The Parents Association made a commitment to being as paperless as possible in all of their communication efforts. The P2P newsletter is now sent out electronically only, and all sign-up forms are offered online with minimal hard copies distributed.
2009 Curricular Integration of Environmental Responsibility
- The Lower School has focused the first three months of the year on Reduce (October), Reuse (November), and Recycle (December). These themes build upon each other each month, and increase the understanding in the girls about the importance of the 3 R’s. Additionally, these themes are tied into the community services projects for each month.
- Lower Schoolstudents incorporate global responsibility and awareness into morning prayers.
- The Middle School has elected student representatives to serve as the Eco-Ambassador for each class. Among the responsibilities for the student representatives is leading the scavenger hunt for recycle bins in the middle school and taking inventory of the recycling bins. The Middle School has also set goals for reducing faculty paper waste.
- The Upper School, led by the Environmental Club, is also focusing on food/plastic waste and paper usage this year. The club members are working their way to each of the U.S. homerooms to remind all the teachers and students where the recycle bins are in each classroom.
- Led by Eliza Graham ’10 and Becky Spellissy ‘10, the U.S. Environmental Club is starting a newsletter which will be posted on Moodle and the school website, in the environmental stewards section.
- In Fall 2009, The Environmental Club designed and sold aluminum water bottles with special Sacred Heart logo. The proceeds will go to offset Environmental Club initiatives for planting trees and Earth Day events in spring 2010.
Environmental Stewards Committee Members (2009 – 2010)
- Michael Chung, Dean of Upper School Students and Community Outreach
- Joe Ciancaglini, Head of School
- Katie Daly, M.S. Community Service
- Rosamaria Davia, Head of Lower School Community Outreach
- Tammi Foti, M.S.
- Eliza Graham ’10
- Rachel Hitchcock, Advancement, Co-Chair
- Sheila Kramer, Head of the Middle School
- Peter Morgan, U.S. Environmental Club
- Christine Nealy, M.S. Environmental Stewards
- Christopher Romano, Project Manager, Co-Chair
- Rebecca Spellissy ’10