Action Plan Solidifies DA’s Enduring Commitment to Sustainability
6-minute read
It began, as all meaningful change does, with the unseen work of a dedicated few: faculty and students discussing landmark climate change reports, teachers incorporating climate-minded lessons into their curricula, Upper Schoolers scribbling down ideas on a whiteboard that foretold a more sustainable future.
The work, in time, would become more seen at Durham Academy. It is home to kindergarteners conversant in compost, divisions invested in recycling, student-run committees resolute in its urging of DA’s campuses to think as sustainably as possible — administrators and trustees who remain steadfast in recognizing the imperative of such urgency. And now it is home to a robust plan that codifies what students, families and faculty have long known: Sustainability is inseparable from the future, and mission, of DA.
The school’s Sustainability Action Plan — which you can explore at da.org/sustainability/plan — is equal parts culmination and continuation. It enshrines the Board of Trustees’ formal endorsement of institutional sustainability goals in December 2023, and it features the specific initiatives and metrics that will allow DA to realize the plan’s primary goals:
- Educate for sustainability at every level and every subject.
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% from 2022–2023 levels.
- Increase biodiversity on our campuses by at least two acres.
The foundational work to reach those goals has already started in earnest. Curriculum planning is underway to refine sustainability transfer goals and establish performance indicators. The Preschool and Lower School have new LED lights in their classrooms and gym. And Upper Schoolers in Biodiversity: Local and Global Contexts are doing just that, helping to reimagine the area around DA’s Elder Oak as a “pocket prairie” for pollinators and local species.
To celebrate the formal release of the four-year plan, Tina Bessias ’78 — who serves as DA’s first-ever schoolwide sustainability coordinator — held an email Q&A with some of the students, faculty, parents, administrators and trustees who have engaged in sustainability work seen and unseen. They have never doubted that a small group of individuals can change their community, and the world.
It is, indeed — as any moral, happy and productive graduate knows — the only thing that has.
The following conversations have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
What does it mean to you that DA has made this significant commitment to sustainability?
Gemma Smith ’27: “I am really happy about it. It means that our administration cares about sustainability, and it also means our students care, too. And the participation required to fulfill the commitment will hopefully encourage people to care for the environment and take action on their own.”
Meredith Howell ’97, trustee & DA parent: “The most meaningful part of the sustainability commitment was that it was student-driven. I am glad DA is following the lead of our brilliant young leaders.”
Andrea Caruso, Upper School science teacher & Upper School sustainability leader: “It validates the efforts of the students and faculty who have worked hard to promote a sustainability mindset and reduce our community's impact on the environment. Even if this were a small number of folks earlier on, the school-wide commitment will allow the movement to grow and the benefits to the overall community to be more expansive.”
Hobson Hogan, trustee & DA parent: “It is important that DA live up to its mission — and taking responsibility for its place in the world is a moral imperative.”
Dan Gilson, director of Extended Day, Lower School DEE coordinator & DA parent: “It is important for the practical impact it has on the environment, but — possibly more importantly — it helps to inspire students, faculty and community members to engage in sustainable practices by showing how we can do so most effectively.”
Karen Richardson, Middle School vocal music teacher & MS sustainability co-leader: “It means that the highest levels of our school recognize the need for us to be leaders on an issue that is about living in healthy environments to improve quality of life for all. It shows our school community that working toward these initiatives is important to the board and that they see the value of sustainability initiatives for our present as well as the future generations of our school and world.”
Jason Mundy, Director of Diversity, Equity and Engagement: “It means that DA has made a commitment to being a good neighbor in our community and that we are ready to be a leader in this effort — and hopefully be a role model that others can and will follow.”
Alex Eren, Middle School science teacher & Middle School sustainability co-leader: “It makes me proud to work at a school that has the same values as I do.”
Virginia Hall ’91, Middle School history teacher & DA parent: “It means that DA has the same values that I have and believes in a future that has promise and hope, rather than despair and resignation. It means we are a community of problem-solvers and action-takers. We care about our Earth and those who come after us.”
Which of the education goals — as outlined under the “Educate for Sustainability” section of the action plan — are you most excited about?
Rushil Reddy ’26: “I think the goal of ‘Investigating root causes of problems and addressing them with imagination, determination and empathy’ is most intriguing. Many people, including policymakers, fall in the trap of ‘trendy sustainability,’ where people do something that they think is sustainable or addresses a huge problem — even if what they did may not have improved anything. An example is banning plastic straws, which make up a miniscule amount of plastic in the ocean.”
Smith ’27: “I am excited about ‘Integrating individual rights and responsibilities’ because it is important to learn about the aspects of our lives that are harming the greater good, and what we can do about it. At the same time, it is important to hold corporations and the government accountable for making it exclusive to live sustainably, and to learn how to resist them.”
Caruso: “‘Developing a connection to the place where we live and learn’ and ‘Seeing ourselves as members of the natural community.’ As an ecologist by training and a nature lover, these align with my principles and my passions.”
Mundy: “All of these are important, but the ones I am most excited about are ‘developing a connection to the place where we live and learn’ and ‘investigating root causes of problems and addressing them with imagination, determination and empathy.’”
How does the Sustainability Action Plan inspire the DA community to reimagine itself?
Smith ’27: “The plan has goals that require experts and that are larger projects, which will bring some participation through volunteers. But I think that the goal based around education will really be the one to help shift our community toward thinking about sustainability as a part of daily life.”
Karl Schaefer, Middle School STEAM teacher & Middle School computer science academic leader: “I believe that the Sustainability Action Plan provides a framework for all of us to do our part and, in time, connect every subject area to a real, sustainability-focused curriculum.”
Caruso: “I think it gives faculty and staff lots of flexibility in their approach to, and integration of, sustainability in what they teach and do at DA. I hope this makes everyone feel like their contributions, no matter how small, are welcome and valued.”
Mundy: “It is a reminder that we share common goals and responsibilities.”
Richardson: “We can reimagine ourselves as not just a student or employee in a building, but also as a human on land that we have a responsibility to protect and nurture for the time we are here — whether that is by picking up after ourselves, pulling a weed, planting a flower or putting up a bird bath. What can we do to contribute to how this land might look and serve others — and other creatures — in the years to come?”
Eren: “Things that may have been ‘working’ for us in the past can and should be improved to protect our future. Climate change is here. How we respond will be essential for letting our students know we care about them.”
Gilson: “The action plan reflects a true commitment of leadership and many individual faculty members who are visibly engaged daily in helping our school become a better steward of our environment. Because of this commitment — shown over several years, in all divisions, our [professional development] programming and student programming — I feel inspired to do better in my personal life, such as getting an electric car and solar panels. It also is helping to create a generation of kids who feel empowered to make these changes on a local level — when we will need them to do the same, once they leave our school, on a global level.”
PREVIEW: Third Annual Sustain-In
Thursday, Feb. 27 | 6 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Upper School STEM & Humanities Center
Feeling energized by the Sustainability Action Plan? Want to collaborate, learn more and solve problems with action-minded students and community members? There’s no need to wait: You can start as soon as tonight at DA’s third annual Sustain-In.
The Upper School’s student Sustainability Committee invites all members of the DA community to attend all or any part of the six-hour event, which offers dedicated time for appreciating the natural world and our collective charge to protect it. It also makes sustainability, which at times can feel abstract or amorphous, far more tangible — all with the help of arts and crafts, a nature walk and spirited conversations with fellow community members.
Still not sold? A trio of student Sustainability Committee members — Janna Cloninger ’25, Amelia Fay ’25 and Merritt Schulz ’25 — have three reasons to be excited about tonight’s festivities.
- The full power of “Half-Earth”: The Sustain-In’s keynote speaker, Brooks Bonner, is a program manager at the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. Bonner and the foundation have taken on the task of mapping the Earth’s species and biodiversity — an initiative they’re calling the “Half-Earth Project Map” — to better inform conservation efforts around the globe.
- Student-driven solutions: The Sustain-In features two separate sessions of student-hosted breakout rooms on a variety of sustainability topics, ranging from sustainable art and an exploration of electronic components to an overview of climate change policies and a discussion with international students from Duke University.
- Take a walk on the DA wild side: The Sustain-In features a traditional night-time walk through DA’s Upper School campus, which often reveals a chorus of nocturnal frogs and toads. Cloninger, Fay and Schulz are hopeful for appearances from bigger game — namely foxes and coyotes, the latter of which they would happily observe from afar.
“I think it’s a good way to get everyone more involved, not just the people who are dedicated to it every day.”
Janna Cloninger ’25
“We’re talking about solutions and connecting people in a more energized environment that’s more exciting for most.”
Amelia Fay ’25
“It seems like just a fun event where you can learn something, but it actually has a much deeper impact — a deeper goal. And that’s the core of sustainability. People need to have an appreciation for nature and the world we live in to actually get things done. This is our chance as a committee to really keep that going in the DA community.”
Merritt Schulz ’25