By Evan Register ’25 and Angus Cook ’25 Editor’s Note: The authors made a statement at the November 12 Planning Commission hearing about a proposed apartment complex across Pickett Road from Durham Academy Upper School. …
Today, there is an electrician named Luis Ossa working in a lift to remove giant antique light bulbs– 400 watt metal halide lamps–from the ceiling of the Lower School Gym. He is working in the …
A number of people have expressed a desire for more information about what’s happening with sustainability at DA and in the surrounding community. Diane Daly is answering the call with this first edition of our …
On September 21, 2024, the Upper School Sustainability Committee waged its second attack on Tree of Heaven in some forested property that the school owns on the west side of Ridge Rd. This effort was …
Every year, when faculty and staff assemble for opening meetings, we come with varying degrees of readiness but generally high hopes for the school year. Amid grand plans, training sessions, and endless details, we devote …
Business for Good and Operating a Sustainable Company
In the fall, Durham Academy partnered with Green Places, a Raleigh-based company, to measure our carbon footprint. Paul Wang, CJ Nwafor, Owen Brent-Levenstein, and I decided to continue working with them as summer interns. We started in the middle of July, meeting with Green Places’ head of business operations, Jess Porta. On our first day, we were given a tour of Raleigh Founded. Raleigh Founded is an office/community that hosts startups and fosters entrepreneurship in the NC State community.
Image of the Raleigh Founded office, courtesy of Raleigh Founded
Jess and a few other Green Places staff had previously worked for Raleigh Founded, and their mission resonates with the company as a whole.
All summer I’ve been talking about electric bikes and riding the one I bought in late June. I’ve learned a lot , and many people seem curious, so I’ve pulled together some thoughts–plus a little advice :).
The author on her bike. Photo credit: Kate Auger
Why get an e-bike?
I suppose there are as many answers as people to this one, but I wanted to get exercise and continue reducing my environmental impact. I also really enjoy riding and wanted to do more of it. Though most of my destinations are <5 miles from home, all involve climbing a steep hill that I can only manage once per day on my own steam. With an e-bike, I expected I could climb it twice or more. I could also carry more cargo in the form of growing grandchildren, groceries, and miscellaneous items (not all at the same time).
Such positive, inspiring, highly informed, data-based and comprehensive content. Not just science-y stuff, as many anticipated. There’s an entry point for all participants.
Andrea Caruso, US Science
Jaimie Cloud at DA workshop, August 2022
On October 2-3, DA will offer Jaimie Cloud’s Introduction to Educating for Sustainability. This workshop was first held at DA in August 2022, when some 45 members of the community attended. It’s back by popular demand! The first day is for a general audience, including parents, administrators, and teachers. The second day goes deeper into curriculum and will be most valuable for educators. Individuals or groups from other schools are invited to at a cost of $250; there is no charge for DA-affiliated participants.
Through simulations, presentations, and hands-on activities, workshop participants will learn about the mindsets and enduring understandings that support sustainability. The focus is NOT on environmental crises and the long list of bad choices that have caused them. Nor is it about tips and tricks for improving recycling. It addresses the underpinnings of sustainability and how they can be incorporated into any subject at any level of schooling. It is positive and empowering.
Register by September 25 to join us for this event.
Here are some of the comments about the August 2022 workshop.
I learned a lot about human behavior and different mindsets and economics.
Brian Zhou ’23
Janna Cloninger ’25: Until this workshop, I hadn’t realized how focused I was on UNsustainability, and it has been really helpful for me to be able to shift that thinking… Another big eye-opener… was the realization that sustainability has to do with every single aspect of life, and so when you begin to learn about how to shift into a sustainable mindset, you begin to learn better ways to think, learn, and conduct yourself in life.
Tara Eppinger (US Faculty): It was thought-provoking, inspiring, and interactive. I felt like I walked away with so many ideas that I could immediately implement.
Miller Roessler ’24: Education is the most important role in making a shift towards sustainability. Kids can create change and are the future generation that will be left with the power of how Earth will end up. Thus, in order for kids to create change we need to educate them about sustainability, so they can make their own decision on how to be sustainable on Earth.
There is hope — but we have to do the math, get creative and develop social contracts for the good of the planet.
Melody Butts, Staff
Kathy Pierce (MS Administration): a good mixture of learning, small group conversation, movement, large group sharing.
Sanju Patel ’23: Education for Sustainability changed the way I thought about education, and showed me the power of changing mindsets.
Michael U-S (Head of School): A fresh, thoughtful, broadly-applicable approach to a topic that can sometimes seem trite or tired. A healthy mix of lecture, Q&A, small-group conversation, large-group discussion, and activities. An approach that is positive and empowering but not Pollyannaish or starry-eyed. [Jaimie Cloud’s] deep experience shines through!
Sloan Nueurnberger (PS Faculty): Jamie Cloud fully and successfully convinced me that education is critical in making the shift toward sustainability. I was so impressed with the students… and their knowledge and concern about sustainability.
Educating for Sustainability is an antidote to despair!
The Class of 2026 took the lead in organizing DA’s Earth Week celebrations. They visited classes in the Pre- and Lower Schools, they organized a nature walk and a scavenger hunt on campus, they got 60 people to forego the diesel bus ride to walk through Sandy Creek Park to get to Special Olympics. And they created stations for the Upper School Sustainability Fair. Here’s what the action on the Quad looked like on Wednesday morning, April 19.
What small acts of kindness do you practice for the planet? Share them this month as Durham Academy participates in the Green Places Tiny Climate Acts challenge. Between now and Earth Day, April 22, you can register acts such as picking up litter, riding a bike, and composting food scraps. We have lots of people making a difference! Let’s make that difference visible and encourage each other through this contest. Students, parents, employees, and alumni can register as part of the DA team.
Green Places will plant a tree for every tiny act that’s registered. That could result in the removal of over 200 megatons of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere as those trees mature.
Approximately 100 people attended the Sustain-In on February 23 and spent the evening–or the whole night–talking sustainability at Durham Academy. There was attention to nature, thanks to a presentation by Merritt Schulz ‘25 and a night walk led by science teacher Andrea Caruso. There was discussion of the role sustainability plays in the school’s culture and mission. And there was an element of competition. Thanks to an anonymous donor, $10,000 of seed money was available to speed implementation of proposals.
On Monday, February 20, seven members of the Sustainability Committee attended the Youth Climate Summit at the Museum of Life and Science. It was wonderful to hear from peers throughout our community about their passion for sustainability. We heard professional presentations about climate justice and a citizen science program to identify heat islands and create an equitable tree cover. We participated in workshops about lobbying elected representatives and designing a sustainable city. The event left us with a broader appreciation for the work of environmental scientists, lobbyists, and activists in our community. Change is happening in our area, and every student and adult can propel us into a future of stopping climate change!
At the end of the Summit, student delegations were challenged to create a Climate Action Plan for our own schools. We discussed how we can advocate for carpooling throughout all three campuses of DA to decrease our carbon footprint. Students brought in different perspectives on how this could be implemented, brainstorming ideas about how to motivate parents, develop carpooling competitions, or even create quiet spaces that make students want to stay on campus. We’re excited to continue developing these ideas at the Sustain-In on Thursday!
Come to the Sustain-In to deepen your knowledge of sustainability, learn about DA’s carbon emissions, and have fun!
Who is invited? All members of the DA community: students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, Trustees
What will happen? Presentations, door prizes, snacks, games, conversation, and inspiration for making DA more sustainable! You might collaborate with others in an Innovation Room led by a Sustainability Committee member. Those rooms will focus on developing specific proposals about
culture and norms
electricity
waste
transportation
biodiversity
Exciting development
An anonymous donor has given $10,000 to help us get started right away on implementing the best strategies. A team of judges led by Green Places will evaluate all proposals submitted by 7 am on February 24. Seed money will be allocated to the winning proposals.
Arrive, visit displays and craft table. Activities for young children begin.
5:30
Smith Hall
Door prize drawing Introductory presentation #1 (DA leaders and Green Places representatives)
6:00
All rooms onlower level
Countdown timer begins.Light snacks available.Participants choose topics to explore under leadership of Sustainability Committee members. Dabble in different topics or stick with one all evening!
6:45
Smith Hall
Door prize drawing Introductory presentation #2 by DA leaders and Green Places representatives
7:15
All rooms
New arrivals choose topics, join exploration of them.
7:45
Smith Hall
Wildlife Presentation (Merritt Schulz)
8:00
Smith Hall
Door prize drawing Introductory presentation #3 (DA leaders and Green Places representatives)
8:30
All rooms
New arrivals choose topics, join exploration of them.
10:00
Departure for all except Upper School students & chaperones staying overnight depart.
Lock-In Schedule for Upper School Participants
10 PM on 2/23 – & 7 AM on 2/24
Upper Schoolers interested in fun, fellowship, and continuing to develop proposal ideas may stay overnight on campus. Student participants must sign up in advance, submit a permission form, and arrive by 8 PM to participate in evening workshops.
10:00
Smith Hall
Pizza!
10:00-6:00
Room 4127Room 4120
Continue work on proposals as energy allows.Environmental films running continuously.
The whole DA community is invited to an evening of innovation. We will work together to imagine an environmentally sustainable school and develop strategies for bringing it about. The Green Places report, published at the end of 2022, provides us with quantitative data on emissions sources by sector (e.g., Transportation, Services, Electricity, Waste). With this information, we can now target and scale up efforts to reduce our environmental footprint.
This first-time event is open to students of all ages, parents, faculty, staff, trustees, and alumni. There will be an introduction to key concepts of sustainability and the sources of DA’s carbon emissions; it will be repeated at several different times so that you can get oriented at whatever time you arrive. Then participants may explore any and all ideas, get creative, and propose plans for source-based emissions reductions. You can focus on renewable energy infrastructure updates, behavioral changes, curricular measures, and other kinds of potential solutions. Or you can just learn about sustainability. All perspectives and experience levels are welcome, and so are questions and feedback (see Comments button below).
We hope you will join us for a fun, inspiring, productive evening. Bring a friend or family members! Get involved in topic-focused conversations in themed workshops. Enjoy sustainable crafts. Stick around for a nature-themed film or environmental documentary. We can’t wait to see you there!
Event details:
5 PM- 10 PM – family-friendly events in the STEM building.
Introduction to carbon emissions report compiled by Green Places in the fall of 2022.
Join in on a variety of activities, including topical workshops*, crafts, games, environmental-themed movies, and presentations.
10 PM – 7 AM – Lock In for Upper Schoolers willing to go the distance in generating ideas into the wee hours in an overnight adventure! US student participants and faculty chaperones will continue to work on developing their solution proposals, and compiling reports to be reviewed by judges the next day. The winning report will be implemented, and the creators will be at the forefront of innovation at DA!
We have the report from Green Places, and it shows that DA generated 3,532 metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2021-22. It’s the answer to a big, important question, yet it generates so many new questions! Some of them were addressed in a presentation on December 19 by Alyssa Walker, the Sustainability Manager for Green Places, and the students in DA’s Environmental Sustainability in Action course. See what the audience of students, teachers, administrators, trustees, and parents saw that day! (The program is copied below).
The Back Story
How did students arrive at the content they shared December 19?
