On March 6, PAISBOA Sustainability Group met virtually to review the Sustainability School Survey results, now in its third year. The survey aims to document the sustainability practices and progress among PAISBOA schools, and enables individual schools to see where they fall in comparison to peer institutions. PAISBOA’s Ron Hill and Boyer Sudduth’s Mary Ann Boyer and intern, Fernando Leon Rueda, shared the survey findings.
Surrounded by 55 acres of lush green landscape, Dana Hall School is situated in the town of Wellesley, a suburb of Boston, MA. This independent boarding and day school for girls grades 5-12 is currently on an ambitious mission. Since July 2022, Dana Hall has been renovating their entire Upper School Building in a way that reflects their value for sustainability. Here is how this small school is tackling this big project.
On March 8, the PAISBOA Sustainability Group hosted a virtual panel discussion: “Leading Change: Environmental Sustainability at Your School.” Panelists included Lisa Carbone Warren, Director of Finance & Operations at Moorestown Friends School (MFS), and Carolyn Hapeman, Dean of Finance & Operations at Westtown School and Mary Ann Boyer of Boyer Sudduth Environmental Consultants.
Studies show that being outside in nature has the ability to calm and heal. Spending as little as 15 minutes in nature lowers cortisol stress levels and blood pressure. Nature helps foster our creativity and observation skills. With the increase of screen time, we often forget to unplug and head outside.
With Earth Day around the corner, PAISBOA recently hosted a webinar on Leading Change: Environmental Sustainability. Sponsored by PECO Smart Energy, the program featured Mary Ann Boyer and Anne Sudduth of Boyer Sudduth Environmental Consultants along with Chief Financial Officers Frank Aloise from Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH) and Miriam Fisher Schaefer of Friends Central School (FCS).
The PAISBOA Sustainability Group convened at The Agnes Irwin School (AIS) on January 14th. Head of School, Dr. Wendy Hill, welcomed over 36 participants from 13 different institutions and highlighted how sustainability has been integrated into the buildings and classrooms at AIS along with a special focus on aquaponics.
Over 40 participants from 19 schools attended the PAISBOA Sustainability meeting at The Shipley School on April 4, 2019. The theme: “Creating Cultural Change” towards sustainability. Key highlights included a tour of the School that featured sustainability measures in its operations and infrastructure, a delicious plant-based dinner, and a presentation on cultural change.
Norwood Fontbonne Academy's Collaborative Waste Initiative reduced school waste thanks to a grant from PAISBOA.
On April 26th, PAISBOA held its second meeting of the year, entitled “Journey to Sustainability: The Ebbs & Flows” at Episcopal Academy (EA) in Devon, PA. EA's Director of Operations, Mark Notaro, and Win Shafer, EA’s Science Teacher and future Sustainability Coordinator, led the group of 18 members from eight area schools and sustainable business managers on a tour of EA’s Doolittle Greenhouse, community garden, chemical-free landscape, green roof, and on-site industrial sized composter.
After the tour, the group enjoyed a sustainably sourced dinner followed by a discussion facilitated by Mary Ann Boyer, co-founder and principal of Boyer Sudduth Environmental Consultants. The conversation focused around strategies that will help school representatives and business leaders be mindful and proactive when planning future meetings. Members also had the opportunity to network and share stories of their journey to sustainability.
Participant Roderick Wolfson of St. James School reflected, “I appreciated seeing the recent construction around campus and the candid presentation from Mark about what works and what doesn’t.”
The PAISBOA Sustainability Group will reconvene in the fall and continue its mission to share information among the group of engaged, insightful and highly motivated individuals to improve our schools, communities and environment. For more information about future meetings, contact Mary Ann Boyer at maboyer61@gmail.com or Al Greenough at agreenough@paisboa.org.
Written by: MaryKate O'Brien, intern at Boyer Sudduth Environmental Consultants. Published in the PAISBOA Friday Flyer on May 5th. Read the flyer HERE.
Group members explore EA's community garden and discuss maintenance strategies for sustainability initiatives on campus.
What do you get when you pair a future environmental engineer, an aspiring architect, some gingerbread and frosting? Not your grandmother's gingerbread house, but a sustainable one. Mary Ann Boyer met with Hill School students in the Eco Action Club to conduct a workshop on green buildings. Students incorporated lessons learned by building "green" gingerbread houses.
On April 27, 2016 PAISBOA's Sustainability Affinity Group gathered to hear how to "Reduce your Environmental Footprint: One Bite at a Time" at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH). Sustainability consultants Mary Ann Boyer and Anne Sudduth of Boyer Sudduth Environmental Consultants and SCH science teachers, Marianne Maloy and Carie Szalay, used SCH's zero waste initiative as a case study.
