Environmental Sustainability and Strategic Planning at the Putney School

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Environmental Sustainability and Strategic
Planning at the Putney School

• A Case Study

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Wake Up!

• Civilization as we know it is coming to an end
  soon. This is not the wacky proclamation of a
  doomsday cult, apocalypse bible prophecy sect, or
  conspiracy theory society. Rather, it is the
  scientific conclusion of the best paid, most
  widely-respected geologists, physicists, and
  investment bankers in the world.
• Life After the Oil Crash David Savinar

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PEAK OIL
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THE FUTURE?
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Denial..
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Big change is afoot.

• PPPPP
• Will you lead or will you follow?
• Preparing and inspiring students to change the
  world is both a educational and global
  Imperative.

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Putney School should be a leader in Education for
Sustainability

• Mission/Philosophy
• Program
• Geography
• Marketing/ Fundraising

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Mission--Ms. Hinton in 1935

• (We) wish to live adventurously though not
  recklessly, willing to take risks, if need be,
  for moral growth, so that one definitely
  progresses along the long slow road toward
  achieving a civilization worthy of the name.
• Founders Statement
• Carmelita Hinton

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Program
work not for marks, badges, honors, but to
discover truth and to grow in knowledge of the
universe and in the understanding of men, to
treasure the hard stretching of oneself, to
render service. ... believe in manual labor, be
glad to do one's share of it and proud of the
skills learned in the doing. Founders
Statement Carmelita Hinton
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Land use at Putney
Geography--Vermont Hill-Top Farm
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Marketing and Fund Raising
This is a good map
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Sustainability is on the Map

• Footprint class and projects
• Campus Mapping Project
• Ecological Design Projectthe 50-year plan
• Biofuels Project
• Biodiversity Project (local and global 20/20)
• Local Food Project
• 4-season Greenhouse

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Features of Putneys Process

• Steering Committee included trustees,
  administration, students, faculty, and staff
• Envisioning occurred on campus
• 10-year plan
• Five Task Forces chaired by on-campus community
  members

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The 2015 Strategic Plan Task Forces

• Educational Program
• Environmental Sustainability
• Faculty/Staff Life
• External Affairs
• Social Fabric

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Strategic Plan Task ForceEnvironmental
Sustainability

• Jim Taylor Plant Manager
• Hans Estrin Science Teacher
• Joe Holland Math Teacher
• Sue Brearey Art Teacher
• Jay Jenkins English Teacher
• Miles Chapin Student
• Zoe Weiner Student
• Bayley Switzer Student
• Melanie Maynard Student
• Blake Zahn History Teacher
• Randy Smith Business Manager
• Tad Montgomery Consultant (Ecological Engineer)
• George Heller Board Member and Architect

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Task Force Process

• How in the world will we come up with a specific
  plan for the next ten years?

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Directions from the Board

• Vision and Goals
• Time line
• Cost / Benefit of goals
• ..Cost? Payback Period?...hard to project

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Vision

• Walk onto your campus in 2015
• Describe what you see (Facilities and programs)

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Putneys Educational Program

• Food
• Shelter
• Energy
• Land Stewardship

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Food

• The work-job program is increasingly focused on
  food production.
• Garden acreage has expanded 20. including season
  extension systems, dairy vegetable processing.
  
• Putney is producing and purchasing over 75 of
  its food on campus or locally.
• The Kitchen is a central part of the educational
  program with its menu based on seasonal food
  production.

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Shelter

• All new buildings are designed for solar gain
  energy efficiency, maximizing use of student
  labor and local materials.
• All older buildings have been renovated for
  maximum energy efficiency comfort. Outdated
  buildings have been replaced with contemporary
  designs.
• Evaluations will be done with an eye towards
  energy savings, obsolescence (identify cut
  losses), functioning of overall school
  ergonomics.

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Energy

• The School is producing most, if not all of its
  own energy cost effectively. Alternative energy
  applications are present in all effective
  locations, including solar, wind, biodiesel,
  biogas, biomass, etc.
• Students are seen researching and developing many
  different bench-scale energy generation systems.
• The life cycle purchased energy is studied in
  classes and projects.

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Multiply by 22
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Land Stewardship

• There is a net improvement in biodiversity on the
  450-acre Campus.
• Forest health and soil fertility are achieved
  through student-centered monitoring and
  management plans.
• On the main Campus, sustainable permaculture
  design principles are demonstrated through
  plantings, environmental landscaping, and
  composting, ecological wastewater treatment
  systems

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Task Force Process

• Whole Group (5 hours in three sessions)
• Vision
• Brainstorm
• Prioritize
• Organize
• Smaller Working Groups (4 hours in 3 sessions)
• Sub-goals
• Time line
• Cost benefit analysis
• Chair and Consultant (5 hours in 2 sessions)
• Final editing
• Formatting Report and addenda

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(No Transcript)
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The Draft Report

• Report of Environmental Sustainability Task Force
  Committee
• Revised DRAFT 1/2/06
• PART 1
• Environmental Sustainability Main Goal (within
  Education Task Force)
• The Putney School will become a world leader in
  education for environmental sustainability and a
  model eco-community.
• Introduction
• By 2015, The Putney School will be seen as a
  leader in education for sustainability. By
  integrating study and practical applications,
  Putney will educate and inspire its graduates to
  work and live with an eye towards the future of
  both the school and the world. True to its
  roots, Putney will educate through action and
  inspiration. The School will strive to become a
  visionary world citizen by understanding the
  origins of the resources we use, meeting our
  needs in a way that restores the land rather than
  depleting it, and by helping students and faculty
  to deepen our connections to the land and other
  life forms around us.

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Sub Goal 1 The Putney School Facility Will
Become a Model of Energy Conservation and
Efficiency in a Way That Integrates
Student-Centered Design, Construction and
Innovation.

• Action Finish the campus energy budget, one
  result to be a target for overall energy use
  (35,000,, 1-yr.) (Addendum 3)
• Action Finish the energy improvements and
  electricity conservation work. This assessment of
  each structure will focus on air tightness and
  building insulation (200,000 already
  budgeted,, 1-5-yr.)
• Action Develop a life cycle plan for all
  buildings on campus (0, 1-yr.) (Addendum 4)
• Action Develop a school green building code
  (3,000, 2-yr.)
• Action Construct a model green building that
  will recycle all of its wastes, be net-zero in
  energy use, function simply and elegantly, and
  inspire the heck out of all visitors (--Existing
  Capital Campaign, 3-yr.)
• Action Commence biodiesel production
  demonstration, research other biofuel
  applications (3, 000 more , 0-3 yr.).(Addendum
  8)
• Action Hire a part-time sustainability
  coordinator (10-15, 000/year for 2 or more
  years, 1-3 years)
• Action Install energy and resource The costs
  of these items are still to be confirmed.
• Note that these items have a positive net cash
  flow over their lifetimes.

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Ten Addenda..the Details

• Addendum 3
• Energy Conservation Renewable Energy
  Feasibility Study
• For The Putney School
• December 8th draft, 2005
• The goal of this feasibility study would be to
  evaluate the potential and cost effectiveness of
  a number of different energy conservation and
  renewable energy measures for The Putney School,
  and to chart an optimal course for implementing
  them. Overarching goals might be for the campus
  to become climate neutral, a net exporter of
  energy, 75 energy self reliant, etc.
• Item Potential Contractor Amount
• 1) Campus Energy Budget (started) Global Resource
  Options 35,000
• It is recommended that The Putney School start
  this feasibility study with a detailed analysis
  of the energy usage patterns of each individual
  structure and the campus as a whole. This is
  already underway to a large extent. The result
  would be a sub energy budget on a building by
  building basis, an overall campus energy budget,
  and a methodology for how to meet the present and
  future energy needs of the campus using renewable
  energy. This portion of the feasibility study
  might also explore the potential for the school
  to market Green Tags.
• 2) Building Envelope (started) Energy Images,
  Inc. 15,000(?)
• As a general rule, before renewable energy
  systems are considered comprehensive energy
  efficiency should be undertaken in order to
  reduce the energy demand. This is already
  underway, and the school should be commended for
  undertaking this work so thoroughly. An envelope
  assessment for each structure focusing on air
  tightness and building insulation is a critical
  first step in assessing the broader possibilities.

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From The Food Addendum

• Work Time
• One option-
• Summer- 4 X 2 week work crew (15 students/crew
  concurrent with summer program) one-time
  graduation requirement. (45 students/summer).
  Work crew divides farm, garden/processing, and
  woods work. Faculty work sessions on a volunteer
  basis or one/4 years.
• Fall/spring-- Two garden crews, Two small food
  processing crews (3-4 each).
• One optionAll students (including sports) work
  one afternoon/week (or 2 weeks) on the farm
  (garden, farm, woods). Crews remain the same for
  the trimester. Thus, their could, for example, be
  10 crews in two weeks. 20 students/crew
• TIME LINE
• Short-term (0-3 years)
• Articulate farm plan details of staff, schedule,
  and facility based on strategic planning goals.
• Complete mapping project and forest inventory.
  Draft management plan.
• Expand Green growing season
• Begin to eat more seasonally with intention (KDU
  classroom)
• Investigate the possibility of a local food
  service CSA.
• Market plan for admissions and development
• Mid term(4-7 years)
• Raise for Capital processing facilities (Dairy
  and Vegetable)
• Hire endowed staff (Burwin ?)
• Faculty developmenttrain and hire a few
  faculty to work on farm
• Test drive summer work program
• Construction of processing facilities (Start?)

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Addendum 7Permaculture Ecovillage Design at
The Putney School

• Permaculture Defined
• Permaculture (from permanent agri culture or
  permanent culture) is a sustainable design
  system stressing the harmonious interrelationship
  of humans, plants, animals and the Earth.
  Permaculture has been described as a vision and a
  global network of people working to find and
  implement positive solutions to pressing
  problems. Permaculture delineates a number of
  sustainability principles that focus on
  thoughtful designs for small-scale, intensive
  systems that are labor efficient and use
  biological resources instead of fossil fuels.
  Designs stress ecological connections and closed
  energy and material loops. The core of
  permaculture is a design or a planning process to
  achieve harmonious connections and working
  relationships between all elements and
  stakeholders in a system. Each system component
  performs multiple functions, and each function is
  supported by many elements. The key to efficient
  design is observation and replication of natural
  ecosystems, where designers maximize robustness
  and diversity with complex polycultures, stress
  efficient energy planning for houses and
  settlements, use and accelerate natural plant
  succession and increase the highly productive
  edge-zones within a system.
• Permaculture is a positivistic response to the
  environmental crises facing modern society. It
  is about what we want to do and can do, rather
  than what we oppose and want others to change.
  This response is both ethical and pragmatic, both
  philosophical and technical.
• -- David Holmgren Bill Mollison, co-founders

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Next Steps

• Board ReviewPrioritization (Done)
• Board Sub Groups Modify Taskforce Reports
  (Summer/fall, 2006)
• Board adopts final strategic plan (Spring 2007)

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Teachable Moment
Educational Imperative