Page 19 - Priorities #61 2015-April/May

Priory Earns Gold Medal in 19 National Green Ribbon Schools Award Program
by Hovey Clark and Sean Mclain Brown
P
riory earned a Gold Medal from the Department of Education and Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘Green Ribbon Schools’
[GRS] Award for its robust commitment to sustainability. This
commitment includes the school’s energy and resource conservation programs, which includes solar electricity production, drought tolerant landscaping, and compost and recycling efforts.
Additionally, the school’s activities such as community service food drives, partnership with Kenya’s all-girls Daraja Academy, the counseling department’s focus on reducing stress and bullying, as well as our efforts to serve healthy, locally sourced organic food in the cafeteria contributed to the Priory’s Green Ribbon success.
In the course of completing the application, the school developed an EPA Energy Star benchmarking portfolio. This tool, in conjunction with similar tools from the school’s solar contractor, as well as energy and water utilities, allows the school to monitor resource use across the campus, and to make adjustments to buildings and areas that work less efficiently than other spaces. This helps the Priory to focus on ‘progressive efficiency,’ maintenance and improvement upon stringent energy conservation goals.
The school’s Sustainability Coordinator, Hovey Clark, who oversaw the application process, says that the school’s success in the GRS award program is the result of several years of organization, as well as the dedication and hard work from teachers and students throughout the school. Clark says, “People here have worked together to fulfill the school’s mission, in which ‘lifelong learning and stewardship’ are core values. Our programs show commitment to stewardship and healthy living and we want to continue this work into the future. It's what being Benedictine is all about.”
Fishing for Brown Trout grown in the hydroponic tank.
The filtration system
Growing vegetables in the Priory green house.