Sustainability Branches Out

In 2020, NCS leadership made the decision to formalize NCS’s commitment to protect and improve the environment; the Governing Board drafted and approved the first iteration of a new Strategic Sustainability Plan, outlining goals that stretch from classrooms to Davis Dining Hall to off-campus activities.

COVID-19 presented new and unforeseen challenges, and it also provided the time to further refine NCS’s environmental goals and initiatives. “The pandemic definitely drew attention away from some of our goals,” says board member Helen Bechtel, a 2000 graduate of NCS, current parent, and member of the Strategic Sustainability planning committee. “But it also presented us with some surprising opportunities that aligned with our sustainability aspirations.” She points to the campus-wide upgrades to the air-filtration system as one example. The COVID-19-enforced hiatus also gave the committee the chance to do further thinking about how sustainability goals outlined in the first iteration of the plan could be turned into actionable steps with measurable outcomes. An updated version of the Strategic Sustainability Plan is being fine-tuned and will be unveiled in the new year.

A Strong Base to Build Upon
Pedro Martinez, director of buildings and grounds, is quick to point out that a tremendous amount of work around sustainability has already been successfully implemented in all areas of the campus. Martinez and Facilities and Events Coordinator Carly Redrow have tallied the numerous achievements NCS has made in curbing waste and reducing its carbon footprint. “We have ambitious plans,” Martinez remarks, “but we have a strong base to build upon.”

Head Start Toward a Healthier Planet
These initiatives are already in place, thanks to NCS’s long-standing commitment to sustainability:

Heating and Cooling
•Geothermal cooling and heating are used in the buildings of Woodley North
•Conservation software controls the HVAC mechanical and electrical equipment
•High-efficiency gas boilers replaced steam energy in several buildings

Lighting
•T5 and LED bulbs reduce electrical consumption
•UV lights improve indoor air quality
•Motion sensor light switches are in many classroom spaces
•Induction high bay lights replaced mercury vapor lights in the Athletic Center, helping reduce electrical use by 70 percent
•Upgraded kitchen equipment is in compliance with ENERGY STAR guidelines

Water
•“Green” dual-flush handles or automatic flushing devices are on most toilets
•Motion sensor solar faucets have been installed in most restrooms
•Accessible drinking fountains accommodate reusable water bottles
•Hot water “on demand” units are features of most bathroom sinks
•Purity of water and air quality is verified by periodic testing

Transportation
•Increased use of bikes and public transportation has been embraced by the school community
•Shuttle services are available to and from Woodley Metro station

Programs and Practices
•Comprehensive recycling program exists for all NCS school buildings
•Amount of non-food-related waste has been reduced by 75 percent
•Cafeteria compost program has reduced food-related waste by 90 percent
•Printers have been programmed to print black and white/double-sided
•Used furniture is donated, not discarded
•Use of toxic pesticides is minimal

Academics
•AP environmental science added in 2013
•Upper School biology class addresses climate change, loss of biodiversity, and ocean acidification
•Eighth-grade earth science class includes a unit on climate change and a Green Home Design project
•Lower School programming includes Beta Day project ideas and a commitment to the Chesapeake trip in sixth grade
•Student-run Green Board oversees Close-wide sustainability

Green Board
Nearly a decade old, the student-led Green Board is a group of leaders with particular interest in addressing sustainable practices at NCS. It also works to raise awareness of environmental issues among the student body. In addition to its president, the group is composed of two elected representatives from each Upper School grade. Green Board President Audrey Scott ’23 is eager to see the group ramp up after its COVID-19-necessitated hiatus. “Social distancing and safety protocols required that we eat pre-packaged lunches outside the building for much of 2021 and part of 2022, so composting was curtailed. For that reason, we are working to retrain our student body to be familiar with the composting system and incorporate it into their daily meals at school.” Along with representative Zoe Herrmann ’23, Scott is maintaining a Green Board Instagram account where followers can find news stories, environmental petitions, information about student activism, and challenges that encourage students to engage with the world around them.

Green Board has compelling plans for the year ahead. Its members would like to see improvements to some of the toilet flushers, making them even more environmentally effective. Additionally, the group hopes to launch a Green Board retreat to the Chesapeake Bay, where Upper School students can live in a completely eco-friendly environment for three full days while learning about local ecosystems. Scott also wants to see more activism on the part of the student body. “I would love for there to be a defined NCS presence at climate strikes, protests, sit-ins, walk-outs, and other environmental demonstrations in D.C. We are so lucky to live in a city buzzing with political action; it would be terrific for students to engage with this unique opportunity.” 

Recycling, Reclaiming, Reconnecting
Finding new uses for old materials is key to reducing waste, relieving the burden on landfills, and preventing additional lands from becoming disposal areas. Throughout the year, Upper School students are involved in numerous drives and projects aimed at giving new life to items that might otherwise be set on the curb for trash pick-up.

NCS’s Director of Community Service Nadirah Moreland says, “One of our key activities is a sports equipment drive that invites families to donate items that others could enjoy.” Moreland is hopeful that soon NCS and St. Albans will collaborate on their first-ever LEGO drive, certain to be popular with younger students.

Students are also involved in environmental reclamation work off-campus. In association with D.C.’s Parks and People program, they have teamed up with their peers from the Excel School for Girls to clean debris from the Marvin Gaye Park Greening Center in Ward 7. Once an abandoned plot of earth, the center now functions as a vibrant cultural, nutritional, economic, and educational hub for the community. “I had so many students from both schools tell me what an impactful experience this was for them,” Moreland explains. Along with helping to protect the Anacostia Watershed by removing invasive plant life, NCS students had the chance to reconnect with nature, with neighboring communities, and with their power to improve the city’s environment. Moreland points out that “D.C. is one of the greenest cities in North America, but you can’t take that as a given. We need to help supply the level of support needed to sustain that designation.”

Making the Most of Mealtime
For nearly 10 years, Davis Dining Hall has been consistently certified as a Green Restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association. The association evaluates restaurants and food-service providers on environmentally positive practices. Under the leadership of Director of Dining Services Mignonne Almeida, her predecessor Juliana Grayson, and with input and cooperation from FLIK Independent School Dining, nearly 50 environmental measures are in place that make food preparation and waste reduction the norm during meals. For example, energy and water usage have been significantly reduced. A quarter of the main-dish menu options are vegan, and another 14 percent are vegetarian; these choices reduce the harmful effects of animal-based food products.

One of the most impressive dining-related initiatives is the extensive recycling and composting program, overseen by Chesapeake Environmental Consulting. NCS brought in the company’s principal, Bill Thomas, to assist with the updated Sustainability Strategic Plan. His presence during mealtime has helped NCS reengage—and accelerate—recycling and composting efforts that were temporarily sidelined during the pandemic. “Virtually all plasticware in the dining areas has been changed over to biodegradable products,” says Thomas. “As a result, 95–98 percent of the Davis Dining Hall waste stream is now compostable material.” NCS recycles cardboard, paper, plastics, glass, and aluminum, keeping these materials out of landfills. “Thanks to efforts by the Green Board, we also compost organic food waste,” he adds.

Of course, not all munching happens in the dining hall. To address this, Thomas is working on stationing refuse containers throughout NCS, mirroring the bins used in Davis Hall. “Our goal is to make recycling and composting so easy that it becomes second nature on campus,” says Thomas, “and that it will give kids the knowledge and commitment they need to improve these routines at home.”

So, How Are We Doing?
There’s a school-wide sense of accomplishment when it comes to sustainability and excitement over the anticipated unveiling of the new Sustainability Strategic Plan. But are these successes that can be measured? Turns out, yes. Pedro Martinez and Carly Redrow are looking forward to working with Sustainability Indicator Management & Analysis Platform (SIMAP) to examine just how profound NCS’s efforts have been and explore what still needs to be tackled.

Designed and managed by the University of New Hampshire, SIMAP is a carbon- and nitrogen-accounting platform that offers a simple, comprehensive online tool to track, analyze, and improve campus-wide sustainability. The mission of SIMAP is to help schools track their footprints so they can meet their sustainability goals as effectively and efficiently as possible. Inputting data from NCS, SIMAP will create a baseline of nitrogen and carbon emissions, benchmark performance, generate reports, and help NCS identify goals going forward. Progress can be analyzed annually; eventually NCS will be able to conduct comparisons to other independent secondary schools in the U.S.

Preparing Tomorrow’s Environmental Stewards
Head of Lower School and Faculty/Staff Recruitment, Retention, and Engagement Becca Jones, together with the Assistant Head for Finance and Operations Joe Smolskis, oversees the implementation of the Strategic Sustainability Plan at the divisional level. Jones is excited to support this endeavor and sees multiple benefits of the Plan: for students, the school, families, and the broader community. She says, “By educating and engaging our students about what we are doing—and can further do—to reduce our footprint, we create a ripple effect that extends our reach and improves our results.” In addition to making strides in the classroom, students will be encouraged to implement green practices at home and in their communities. Through this outreach, NCS will multiply its impact beyond the classroom and build on its heritage as a leader in sustainability practices.

This story, written by Sarah Valente, a freelance writer based in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, first appeared in the winter 2022 issue of NCS Magazine.