Environmental Awareness &
Action at Landon
Background
Landon School has taken actions to encourage
responsible environmental practices and to foster
stewardship of the environment among its
community – students, faculty, and families.
Outdoor education, advisory recycling, green
grounds keeping practices, trayless lunches, . . .
Environmental
Values Statement
Last year David Armstrong asked a group of
faculty to oversee an effort to look into all
areas of School life to create Landon’s
Environmental Values Statement to articulate
Landon’s commitment to environmental
stewardship.
Process
• During the process we looked into a variety of
areas – Curriculum, Waste Reduction and
Conservation Efforts, Buildings, Grounds &
Transportation, and Food Services.
• Faculty and parents were involved and their
input and feedback was incorporated in the
statement.
Environmental Values Statement
Landon School promotes environmental literacy and sustainable practices
throughout our community. As stated in the School’s strategic plan,
Landon fosters leadership and innovation by cultivating “responsible
stewards of the natural environment and Earth’s resources.” Landon is
committed to promoting environmentally responsible behavior both
within and beyond our campus by reducing waste, conserving resources,
decreasing pollutants, and maximizing recycling. To allow our students to
become resourceful and creative leaders in our changing world, we are
dedicated to advancing ecological awareness and literacy as well as
environmental activity both in the classroom and through extracurricular
activities.
8 Goals
1. Foster the community’s understanding of ecological issues and our
environmental impact.
2. Reduce resource waste in all areas of school life.
3. Reduce the School’s carbon footprint and energy costs; increase energy
efficiency and reduce water use in buildings.
4. Improve indoor air quality.
5. Implement environmentally sound land-management practices, and
encourage the academic use of our campus
6. Reduce negative environmental consequences related to transportation
issues on and off campus.
7. Engage in environmentally sustainable practices in our food services at
Landon.
8. Promote a commitment to environmental sustainability by administrators,
faculty and staff.
Sample - Implementation
• Goal 2:
• Commit to reducing resource waste in all areas of school life.
• To implement this goal, Landon will:
• a) Create and follow a green purchasing policy to encourage thoughtful
purchasing, including considering green products, such as those with a
high percentage of recycled content.
b) Conduct an energy- and waste-reduction audit of the campus.
c) Use technology to reduce the energy costs related to copying, printing,
and mailings, and continue to investigate the use of e-textbooks.
d) Encourage and manage recycling of all recyclable materials across
campus.
e) Increase clarity of signs for proper disposal of trash and recyclables.
f) Reduce resource waste and increase recycling at all school events.
Some things we’ve done
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Outdoor Education in each division
Form III Class
SEAS and TREES
Lower School Green Team
Advisory Recycling in the Middle and Upper Schools
Green practices in our community events
Anti-idling campaign
Student environmental logo contest
Some things we’re doing
• Energy audit
• Energy monitoring software
• Renovation of our green house and outdoor
classroom
• Plans for composting
• Reconfiguring the cafeteria to do away with cartons
and make salads and fruits central
• Curricular tie ins
• Environmental summer reading
Issues
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Culture /Habits/Attitudes
Logistics
Financial considerations
Manpower
Student ownership
Administrative support
Buy in from all/most community members
Change
Benefits
What do independent schools get out of strongly supporting
environmental stewardship and sustainability?
• Demonstrating responsible citizenship in our communities.
• Becoming more mindful of our behavior and its impact on the
environment and natural resources.
• Fostering an appreciation of the natural world and the importance
of conservation in our students.
• Saving energy and resources.
• Helping promote waste reduction and responsible consumption.
• Educating students and community members to become make
informed and intelligent decisions and understand their place in the
world.