Sustainability at HB

Authored by Head of School Dr. Fran Bisselle

More than 50 years ago, the first Earth Day was celebrated and helped to launch a movement to raise awareness and find solutions to the environmental crisis. Today is Earth Day 2021 and a reminder of how HB is taking action both in the classroom and on our campus to implement sustainability efforts that improve the world around us. This commitment was also underscored in the sustainability statement approved by our Board of Trustees in January. In part, it states, “We embrace our role as active caretakers of our communities, natural and human, in support of individual, institutional and global well-being.”

Our Fellowships in Sustainability engage our school community with thinking, learning, and action to help build a flourishing future. Students see the world through a new, sustainable lens. They take classes in political action and institutional changemaking, truly putting their knowledge in action through fieldwork or capstone projects. Our sustainability program is also cross-divisional and introduces new skills and perspectives into the core curriculum. 

As you walk through our campus, more evidence of our sustainability efforts are seen in the construction of the new maintenance shed recently built along Courtland Boulevard. It features a rain garden that catches stormwater from the building’s roof, removing pressure from the city’s stormwater management system and improving water quality in Doan Brook and Lake Erie. The new permeable asphalt used in the Courtland parking lot expansion also slows the flow of stormwater. Our renovations in the Classic Building feature LED smart lighting which tracks the amount of natural light in a room and adjusts accordingly, saving energy and costs. 

I was so proud to see our sustainability efforts recognized in the spring edition of Shaker Life magazine. We are caretakers of our local community and beyond. Happy Earth Day!