可持续性 at Solebury

• Educating the school community about environmental issues, 目前的研究, and best practices related to environmental sustainability

• Nurturing a greater awareness and appreciation of and responsibility to the environment in the members of our community

• Advertising our efforts to be more environmentally responsible with pride

• Inspiring change in behaviors and attitudes related to environmental sustainability

• Being models and resources not only for the 韦德娱乐app下载地址 community, but also the larger community

• Striving toward ever greater energy efficiency and waste reduction on the school campus

• Integrating environmental education and sustainability across our school’s curriculum

• Encouraging and supporting community service, 订婚, and stewardship that supports the environment.

• Streamlining systems to allow community members to easily participate in greening efforts.

• Upholding our values of respect for all animals/humans, diversity, and inclusion

While we are always striving to be more sustainable, we currently do the following to ensure our community is as sustainable as possible:

• The new girl’s dorm, 希望大厅, will be one of Pennsylvania’s first Passive House multi-unit residential buildings. Passive house technology reduces energy consumption by 90%.

• Our new wastewater treatment plant utilizes microbioreactor technology (MBR) to produce the cleanest effluent possible and return treated wastewater, 现在饮用, back into the environment in the cleanest possible way (supporting the nearby Primrose Creek).

• During 可持续性 Week 2022, the SEAC club gave a presentation on rainwater man年龄ment on Solebury’s campus. They discussed some solutions to improve the overall 健康 of our environment and reduce the likelihood of being negatively impacted by flooding in the future. The solutions included converting some mowed areas to meadows, installing rain gardens, and planting a riparian buffer along Primrose Creek. Download the Rainwater Man年龄ment On Solebury Campus Presentation.

• Solebury is a “plastic water bottle free campus.” SEAC members continue to educate 学生, place targeted sign年龄, and make educational videos.

• 自2019年以来, SEAC has worked with the 食堂 to implement Minimal Meat Fridays in an effort to introduce 学生 to 健康y vegetarian food and show community members that changing their diet to consume less meat is a viable way of fighting climate change.

• Compost leaves, clippings, wood chips, and food from the kitchen. The compost is turned once a week and is used in various gardens around campus and by the beautification committee when planting flowers. 

• Installed a green wall in the Abbe 科学 Center, which cleans the air, reduces electromagnetic radiation, 减少噪音, improves mental and psychological 健康, and adds beauty to the school.

• Planted a vegetable and pollinator garden, which is used primarily as a teaching tool for the 科学 department. Produce from the garden is used by the dining hall and on-campus 教师. The Honors Environmental 科学 class takes an active role in the garden and we also offer a gardening activity in the fall and spring. Other classes sometimes visit the garden for journaling or art.

• Maintenance did a full campus LED conversion in August of 2021, which cut electricity consumption by 33%. This reduced our carbon footprint on campus by 527,000 pounds of CO2 annually which is the equivalent of not driving 601,067 miles driven annually.

• Solebury provides a riparian buffer along the Primrose creek to reduce run-off and support 生物多样性 in the stream bed and surrounding wetlands. The riparian buffer is currently being expanded. 

• Replace water fountains with "hydration stations" that have filtration systems and easy fill spouts for reusable water bottles (this is an ongoing effort).

• Clearly labeled large bins as "Landfill" or "Recycle" and strategically placed them to increase recycling on campus. 

• Purchased 50 additional acres that are predominantly woodlands. 

• Constructed trails through the woods to increase 学生’ 订婚 with nature which improves mental, 情感, and physical 健康.

• The advancement program consciously reduces the amount of plastic water bottles they use in on campus events for parents, 学生, 工作人员, 和校友.

• Explore renewable energy sources on campus
• Increase food composting and sustainable waste man年龄ment practices 
• Aligning landscaping and maintenance decisions with sustainable best-practices