NCS Tours Green Embassies

On Dec. 1, 2010, NCS students, faculty, and staff took part in a “green tour” of the Finnish and British embassies in Washington, DC. Upper School Science Teacher Ashley Mattoon, who co-teaches the new environmental policy course, and Director of Buildings and Grounds Pedro Martinez accompanied the students. The tours are part of a continuing series sponsored by the NCS Green Committee to learn about best green practices at embassies and each country’s overall environmental policies.

Built in 1994, the Embassy of Finland is the first and only embassy in DC to be awarded the US Green Building Council’s LEED Certification for green buildings. According to Finnish Ambassador Pekka Lintu, “In today’s world the most convincing argument for going green is that it saves money.” He said that the building reflects “Finnish values, such as transparency and modernity,” adding that Finland's investment in a green embassy demonstrates its commitment to the environment. “I was impressed by the Ambassador's comments,” said Ms. Mattoon. “He clearly has a strong commitment to reducing their environmental impact, and wants the embassy to serve as an example for what can be done.”

Media Relations Coordinator Kaisa Antikainen and Building Manager Marku Nieminen reported they have cut electricity bills in half in the past year by switching to more efficient light bulbs, including LED lights. They turn off lights when no one is in the building and they only turn on every third light in the hallways. (Mr. Martinez commented that when he does this at NCS, people call to complain that the lights are out!) The embassy also has motion-sensor lighting in most rooms; the lights turn off if no motion is detected after five minutes.

According to Ms. Antikainen, they have saved $150,000 in annual energy bills by lowering the temperature of the building in the winter and raising it during the summer. Compared to 2004, their electricity use has decreased by 50 percent and gas use by 65 percent; their methods prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to the electricity use of 90 average American households annually. Students were also impressed by what they didn’t see at the Finnish Embassy: the garage was empty, save for three cars! Most embassy staff take public transportation or bikes to work.

At the British Embassy, Head Gardener John Sonnier showed us the greenhouses and garden, which produce flowers and food for the residence. Mr. Sonnier said that they are now composting leaves to make mulch to fertilize the garden. Mr. Martinez said that NCS is also considering the idea of composting, but would have to reconfigure the waste disposal center behind Hearst Hall. Inside the greenhouse, Mr. Sonnier explained that every plant is given individual treatment to remove pests and diseases instead of spraying pesticides over all. “We don’t nuke them anymore,” he said. With this new approach, they use 90% less pesticide than they did two years ago. The embassy’s kitchen garden also has an apple and pear tree with grafted branches of six different types of fruit, a clever way of growing different types of fruit while conserving space.

Mr. Sonnier said the embassy is considering installing cisterns to prevent harmful water runoff and to collect rain water for irrigation. NCS also has water conservation projects in the works: Mr. Martinez said, “We would like to install portable rain barrels in Woodley North courtyard to collect rainwater for irrigation. Our goal is to have them in place and ready to go by next spring.”

Embassy Sustainability Coordinator Brian Funk showed the group an experimental section of a green roof they plan to expand in the future. NCS exchange student Mireia Lozano-Carbasse was particularly interested in the green roof because she is studying the options of a green roof versus solar panels on Founders’ Hall. Mireia’s work is part of a students’ sustainability audit of NCS, the final project of the environmental policy class, which they plan to present to Head of School Kathleen O’Neill Jamieson and other members of the NCS community on January 14.

Our green tour of the Finnish and British embassies helped to remind us that saving the environment requires a global effort in which we all have a role to play. As Mr. Martinez noted, “It’s always good for us to see other facilities and learn what others are doing to be good stewards of the environment.” NCS alumna Julie Cotton ’04 said, “NCS has become much more environmentally active since I graduated. Conservation has come to the forefront; recycling bins are ubiquitous and are actually used. Everything has gone digital, too. Where we used to have printed newsletters and bulletins, students now have online access, which decreases paper use. It’s wonderful to see how enthusiastic NCS students are about environmental initiatives.”--Kate Samore ‘13