PREAMBLE

“In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven
generations.” —The Constitution of the Iroquois Nation (The Great Binding Law)

The Roeper philosophy is not a series of sentimental notions. It is a living, breathing document to
which we must actively adhere. Should the current descriptions and interpretations of the
philosophy fail to capture the true spirit of the school, there is cause for serious consideration and
reflection.

On the surface, environmental sustainability falls into this category. Nowhere is

environmentalism explicitly stated in the ideals of the school; yet, it is an endeavor which wholly
aligns itself with the principles we hold dear as a community. The following is a philosophical
justification and grounding of the practices and ideas behind environmental sustainability, done
with the hopes that it will spur introspection, consideration, and redoubled effort.

Core tenet 1: To make equal human rights for all a priority

Our school was created in the aftermath of the Holocaust; one of the most abhorrent and grievous
violations of human rights and dignity in the history of the world. Annemarie and George
believed that by holistically and compassionately educating gifted youth, we would lead lives
dedicated to the defense of right and dignity for all persons; working towards an assurance that
such a human tragedy could never occur again.

As our world has become more cognizant of the danger brought on by climate change and
environmental destruction, the governments and human rights organizations of the world are
recognizing the inextricable link between the two. The worsening climate conditions are
rendering the pursuit of universal dignities and rights exponentially more difficult—and
eventually impossible.
Amnesty International, the world’s largest grassroots human rights organization, states on its
Climate Change page, “…[T]he failure of governments to act on climate change in the face of
overwhelming scientific evidence may well be the biggest inter-generational human rights
violation in history.” Prioritizing equal human rights means prioritizing environmental work and
approaching it with the same diligence and detail.

Core Tenet 2: To commit to justice rather than power

“[Climate Change] will compound and magnify existing inequalities. And its effects will
continue to grow and worsen over time, creating ruin for current and future generations.”
Amnesty International’s summary is supported by the data gathered from the scientific
community: the impacts of climate change will adversely impact those with lower incomes,
minority status, and homes in poorer countries. Those impacted the least? The wealthiest nations
and companies—who simultaneously act as the greatest contributors to the problem.

This scenario is the antithesis of justice rather than power, and we ought to recognize it as such
and commit to reversing the trend. While we cannot force others to act, we can do our part to
ensure the success of this global endeavor.

Core tenet 3: To be willing to allow children to participate in the shaping of their own
destiny and to consciously prepare them for it
The science is crystal clear: the faster we act to lessen our carbon footprint and environmental
impacts, the smaller the corresponding climate consequences. The simplicity of this ultimatum is
both horrifying and empowering. Rarely is there such an opportunity to directly and concretely
contribute to a worldwide effort for the betterment of humanity, and Roeper would be wrong to
ignore it.

Students have long been the leaders of environmentalist movements—as our futures will be the
most impacted by the extended consequences of environmental destruction and continued
emissions. This community has a duty to not only be facilitators for student environmental work,
but to actively model these ideals through its institutional actions. Doing so creates a culture
conducive to action and awareness—of both the greater good and our role in shaping it.

Core tenet 4: To prepare this future generation to deal with the unknown
We may not know how much environmental damage the world will sustain; however, such a
preparation will help the coming generations of Roeper students minimize it and shape a better
world.

Core Tenet 5: To view the needs of each child independently

Inherent in this idea is that children ought to be treated as individuals; each with their own
capacities, ideas, dreams, and paths. Moreover, nurturing the growth of children implies future
consideration. By carefully teaching and fostering them, we implicitly expect Roeper students to
grow and change. Climate change acts in direct contrast, jeopardizing the future into which they
will have grown. In doing so, we force children to shift their focus toward mitigation and away
from necessary self-actualization. It matters not whether we hold Olympic medals or plastic
trophies—in our community, environmental impact will be indiscriminate.

In reading this, there is one lingering question which undoubtedly remains: so what? We are one
small educational institution; our impacts will be insignificant in the face of multi-national
entities and governments.
If we choose to adopt this attitude, we may as well close the school. In the words of the 1981
philosophy:

[The philosophy] is based on a concept of human rights, not in theory only, but in daily
living. It embraces a principle of responsibility and support for each other, a principle of
helping those who are in need, because they are entitled to it, not because of charity. It
includes the notion, that even a little bit more love and mercy would make this world a
better place to live in.

By valuing and modeling sustainability, we inspire our students to take these ideas into their
lives and do their little part. And while those parts may not completely change the world, they
will do some good. These acts of good will, in turn, inspire others still—and so on ad infinitum.
This incites a cycle of change and goodness; each small act compounding through a web of
interconnectedness and interdependence.
Moreover, it is simply the right thing to do—and there is never enough of that in this world.

As a community, the Roeper School has continuously expressed an interest in environmental

sustainability—whether through obtaining green school recognitions, curricula focused on
environmental protection, or Board-level policy.

However, there is a present lack of structure to ensure that these sentiments concretely translate
into action. At present, the Environmental Sustainability Policy states that, “The Head shall
implement the Environmental Sustainability Policy and develop a methodology to do so.”
Moreover, it dictates that the Head shall, “prepare an annual report for the Policy ESC on the
implementation of this Policy.” All available records show that neither of these two objectives
have occurred since the Policy’s adoption in 2009. This does not indicate a flaw in the Heads of
school; rather, a systemic flaw in the policy itself. Given the myriad duties of the Head of
School, it is unreasonable to ask them to be wholly responsible for this crucial task in addition to
their other work. Moreover, to do so detracts from both the environmental work and the other
duties of state.

Rather, the ideal solution is to create an independent Environmental Sustainability Committee

(ESC) charged with the task of spearheading the design and implementation of operational
sustainability measures at the school.
 Purpose of the ESC
The ESC is charged with the continuing and generational work of increasing Roeper’s
operational environmental sustainability and safeguarding the ideologies therein. These
ideologies are already present in the Environmental Sustainability Policy; however, ideologies
are useless if they are not taken seriously and enacted.

These kinds of sustainability measures fall under the realm of day-to-day operations; ensuring
that the daily running of the school adheres to its environmental standards. Within this
framework, there is much to be done—food, water, waste, energy, materials, and curriculum,
among other things, can all be optimized to lessen their environmental impacts.

Lastly, it is important to note that this operational designation places the ESC squarely outside
the purview of the Board—a cause of the present lack of structure.

Community Engagement
Lasting environmental endeavors necessitate lasting lifestyle change. For this to be enacted on a
community-wide scale, it is necessary that there be community engagement and buy-in. As a
result, part of the duties of ESC members is working with their respective campuses to generate
interests, ideas, and innovations in environmental sustainability.

Practically, this takes the form of two new bodies, one on each campus, whose goal is to further
environmental sustainability work. This secondary structure is critical—as it serves as a direct
link between the community and administrative work undertaken by the ESC. Moreover, this
ensures that the bulk of idea generation and research will not fall upon the shoulders of nine
people

These bodies will be created by the ESC during its first year of operation, and they will be led by
ESC members—meeting on a regular basis and seeking out community participation to garner a
wide range of input on various environmental topics. These topics include, but are not limited to,
current environmental issues on campus, ideas to resolve said issues, and debate on how the
school can best practice environmentalism. ESC members will write specific agendas for these
meetings and act as moderators of discussion. In doing so, the committees will generate many of
the topics and action steps to be discussed at full body ESC meetings. Additionally, these
committees are highly encouraged to work with previously established sustainability groups on
the two campuses to consolidate interest and structure while broadening their appeal amongst the
campus population.
Finally, the full body ESC meetings will be open attendance, and all non-confidential minutes
will be made public in a suitably accessible forum (up to the ESC’s discretion). Moreover, the
ESC will publicly present its work twice: once near the middle of the year, and once near the end
of the year.

Yearly Work of the ESC

While the campus specific committees are doing their work, ESC members will take their ideas
back to the central ESC body. In this regard, the ESC functions as a committee of the whole,
consolidating the ideas of the smaller committees and using its administrative capacity to enact
what they cannot. Adhering to this capacity and the ESC’s mission requires the ESC to complete
three yearly objectives:

1. Identify and prioritize environmental shortcomings

2. Brainstorm, research, and/or discuss potential solutions
3. Implement desired solutions
These goals outline the general process of the ESC, and they will be repeated as often as needed.
Moreover, the means by which the ESC implements its solutions will be appropriate, capable,
ethical, and sustainable (ACES):

· Appropriate means respect and utilize appropriate channels of communication and action.
They do not by-pass nor ignore relevant parties when decision-making.

· Capable means accomplish their goals. While thought and effort in a process are relevant,
they lose importance without desired results and impacts.

· Ethical means are those which properly consider all community constituencies and parties
affected by the ESC’s work. Moreover, they listen to community insight and account for the
variety in the Roeper community.

· Sustainable means do not lose their value with time. By following the seventh-generation
principle, they continuously retain meaningful impacts.
It is worth clarifying that there are two different varieties of solution that the committee may
pursue. First, improvements to pre-existing processes. This is rather self-explanatory. The
second, however, warrants more depth. As time goes on, Roeper may consider adopting
operational practices that are detrimental to the environment. This committee will help consider
whether those impacts warrant annulling the idea; and if not, recommend measures to minimize
said impacts. While simple in theory, this is a critical step in ensuring that the community lives
up to its commitments toward the environment.
 Composition
The ESC will be composed of members representing the school’s various constituencies—
including the student body, the parent community, and the faculty. Specifically:

· Four students; two from the Upper School, one from the Middle School, and one from the
Lower School. The purpose of this representation is threefold. First, to ensure that students of all
ages who are passionate about the environment have the opportunity to participate in this work.
Second, to showcase a variety of student perspectives that can only arise from these differences
in age, knowledge, and experience. Third, in accordance with the generational nature of this
work, working with younger students provides them critical knowledge and skill they will use
throughout the rest of their careers at Roeper.

· Two faculty members; one from the Birmingham Campus and one from the Bloomfield
Campus. The faculty provide one of the most important perspectives in the community, both in
curriculum and otherwise, and their presence on this ESC is critical to its success.

· Two parents; one of a student at the Birmingham Campus and one of a student at the
Bloomfield Campus. The parents help form the backbone of the community, and they are
integral to its functioning on all levels. Their presence on the ESC adds another dimension to its
scope and impacts.

In addition to these members, the Head of School will attend and advise the ESC meetings. As
the administrator in charge of the school’s day to day operations, it is critical that they work with
the committee to develop and implement its solutions.

Procedure of the ESC

It is essential to stagger the terms of these members to ensure the generational knowledge of the
ESC is passed from year to year. Each member will serve a two-year term—or as long as they
are eligible in their current position. Members may seek re-election once, resulting in a
maximum tenure of four years.

· Students who have been elected to the ESC at a lower grade level can seek re-election at
higher levels (ex. a student who served as a Stage IV student can seek re-election as a Middle
School student and then as an Upper School student)

· After the ESC’s first session, it may take action to manually stagger the terms of members
should the need arise.
The ESC shall also maintain two elected roles: Two Co-Chairs and a Secretary.

· One Co-Chair will be a student, and the other will be a faculty member. This is to ensure
that leadership of the ESC is cross-generational and reflective of the campus and its passions.
Moreover, to ensure that the experience of leadership is shared amongst ESC members, the Co-
Chairs will be re-elected every scholastic year during the August meeting.

· The Secretary shall have the responsibility of notetaking and creating minutes to be
approved at the next meeting. The Secretary shall also be re-elected every scholastic year during
the August meeting.

All other parliamentary procedures, committee norms, and roles are to be determined by the ESC
on a yearly basis in accordance with its needs. The ESC may meet as often or as infrequently as
it feels necessary to accomplish its work. However, the ESC is required to meet at least once on
the month of August to compete the following objectives:

 Introducing the members of the committee to each other

 Electing the Co-Chairs and Secretary of the committee
 Determining, or beginning to determine, the procedures, norms, and roles that will exist
in the committee
 Beginning to plan for the academic year ahead
 In the inaugural meeting: Staggering the terms of members if necessary
 Role of the Board of Trustees
While the ESC focuses its efforts on the operational side of environmental sustainability, it is
essential that its work be complemented by the vision of the Board—as the most profound
impacts toward sustainability are made on the long-term level. The Board’s generational focus
lends itself to the work of environmental sustainability, and it is critical that this issue always
remain under the Board’s consideration.

However, this is not currently the case. The climate of the Board of Trustees contains little to no
discussion of sustainability—and it is rarely, if ever, mentioned in committee. This does not
necessarily show a lack of desire to confront these issues; rather, it demonstrates a lack of
knowledge and guidance on how to do so. At present, the Board lacks professional development
concerning sustainability; leaving any knowledge on the subject siloed within individual
members and not present throughout the Board in all of its components. Yet, on a more
fundamental level, we lack core documentation crystallizing this relationship. Environmental
sustainability is not mentioned in our current strategic plan, nor is it mentioned in the Board’s
previous philosophical documentation. Thus, the Board has neither concrete goals nor
fundamental principles to guide its work.

To effectively guide the environmental sustainability efforts of the school, the Board must rectify
these lacks. Whether through Trusteeship Committee led professional development,
supplemental sustainability readings, such as those listed below, added to the resource binders
given to new representatives, or the creation of a new environmental sustainability core
document, the Board must ensure that it has the tools to enact visional measures on this front of
unrivaled importance.
Resources:
Sustainability Planning:

 NAIS Guide to Sustainability Planning:

https://www.nais.org/articles/pages/member/five-considerations-for-green-
construction-and-renovations/
 King School (CT) Sustainability plan:
http://www.kingschoolct.org/uploaded/King_School/Campus_Life/Sustainability/Su
stainability_Plan.pdf
 Rye Country Day School (NY) Sustainability plan:
https://www.ryecountryday.org/initiatives/sustainability
 Six Tips for Developing an Effective Sustainability project:
https://www.nais.org/articles/pages/member/six-tips-for-developing-an-effective-
sustainability-project/
 A Guide to High-Performance Buildings and Renovation:
https://www.nais.org/media/MemberDocuments/Environmental_Sustainability/NAI
S-Guide-to-High-Performance-Buildings-and-Renovation.pdf

NAIS Toolkit: Sustainable Energy Projects https://www.nais.org/learn/knowledge-

center/toolkits/sustainable-energy-projects/

 Principles of Good Practice: Environmental Sustainability:

https://www.nais.org/learn/principles-of-good-practice/environmental-
sustainability/
Articulating Sustainability

 Environmental Mission Statements: How to Develop Your Own:

https://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/04/environmental-mission-statements-
how-to-develop-your-own/
The Triple Bottom Line

 University of Wisconsin: https://sustain.wisconsin.edu/sustainability/triple-bottom-

line/
 The Triple Bottom Line: What Is It and How Does It Work?:
http://www.ibrc.indiana.edu/ibr/2011/spring/article2.html
 What The 3Ps Of The Triple Bottom Line Really Mean:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeroenkraaijenbrink/2019/12/10/what-the-3ps-of-the-
triple-bottom-line-really-mean/#41b624f55143
Companies and Organizations Valuing Sustainability
 Patagonia Core Values: https://www.patagonia.com/core-values/
Patagonia Action Works: https://www.patagonia.com/actionworks/about/
 Adidas Sustainability: https://www.adidas.com/us/sustainability