Building a Sustainability Plan Craig Westcott, Darrow School Jefferson Burnett, NAIS NAIS Institute for Leadership in Sustainability June 23-27, 2008 For titles and subtitles each word capitalized except articles and prepositions and conjunctions for four or fewer letters. Title and subtitle text appears black on clear/white backgrounds.

Fundamentals for Success Leadership from the top Real Time for Real Work Buy in from multiple constituencies Student involvement Partnership with local communities Willingness to change as an organization

Program-Curriculum Curriculum mapping Technology Teacher training School visits Connect with community Specifics -Earth Day -”Green Cup”

Facility Sustainability Audit “Green” facilities Master Plan “Green” the Buildings and Grounds committee Install Energy Monitoring Equipment Create Alternative Energy Plan Signage that communicates sustainable attributes of campus

Food Create organic farm/herb garden Establish target percentages for organic and local content Establish composting “Fair trade” policy Research biodegradable products for dining services Reduce food wastes at all meals Connect with local farms/gardens, etc.

Operations Create School Sustainable Practices Manual -Facility Management -Purchasing -Recycling -Energy Use -Building Practices -Transportation Regulate building temperatures throughout year Establish target percentages for paper use reduction and post-consumer content use Establish protocols to reduce emissions on campus Hire Sustainability Coordinator Institute speaker series Consider Board level commitment

Recycling Coordinate campus recycling plan Create school recycling center and collection, etc protocols Create, purchase, market school “brand” items that promote sustainability -water bottles -grocery bags -travel mugs Buy in bulk and reuse creatively when possible

External Relations: Fundraising for and Communicating Green Initiatives… is not about

External Relations: Fundraising for Green Initiatives What to think about… Connect and coordinate with your school’s advancement and communications teams! Articulate what you want to raise monies for and why (mission/education value/financial savings) Be realistic, establish clear expectations, address project staffing (going green may not equate to saving money) Know where green fundraising initiatives fall within the total development plan (competing projects and initiatives) Understand your constituencies—parents, alums, friends, corporations/foundations—and develop appropriate strategies (diff strokes/diff folks) Involve the school community and use green initiatives to promote school-wide sustainability What to remember… Fundraising for green initiatives is still nascent; not all will give simply because its green Not everyone is a green champion Those that are champions will give green for green (garden roof) Those that aren’t may give for other reasons (naming opportunities) Everyone is asking corporations and foundations but with mixed success If you build it, they may not come…until later…and for reasons other than what you think Greenness doesn’t have broad constituent value yet

External Relations: Communicating Green Initiatives What to think about… Why promote? Inform, persuade, motivate, inspire… Integrate into existing communications: Articles in parent newsletters, alumni bulletins, website Display the recycled paper and sustainable forests logos Reference and link Head presentations/school updates Seek media coverage What’s noteworthy: novel or part of a larger trend Healthy menu (organic/local); solar powered hockey rink, LEED building Logos: subtle reminder that helps to engender value and creates sense of pride in your school Alum Mag: might generate donations because the alum likes the school’s direction and commitment

External Relations: Communicating Green Initiatives Share with your community at-large Engage neighbors and forge partnership Invite to green events/new buildings Demonstrate public purpose, educational value, leadership