By Andrea Xu’23
I was piqued to learn more about the sustainability program because a flickering lamp next to the Chapel on the Front Circle lawn haunted my friend Ariel. Before conversing with school leaders, I needed to be better informed about the sustainability campaigns on campus. Having interviewed Wendy Wu, co-head of Students for Sustainability (S4S), and Ms. Lohwater, Sustainability Coordinator at St. Mark’s, I feel empowered to appreciate the sincerity in simple actions. Energy conservation is vital in a time of war sanctions, in which restricted access to natural gas drives energy prices high.
Words from Ms. Lohwater
Last Saturday, I interviewed Ms. Lohwater, a Biology teacher at St. Mark’s, about her visions for the school’s sustainability campaign. In addition to advising S4S, the Student for Sustainability club, she has the title “Sustainability Coordinator,” where she sets and tracks the school’s sustainability goals and helps coordinate members in our community to achieve those goals. Last year, in 2021, Ms. Lohwater approved the Climate Action Plan to reduce carbon emissions by 10% by 2025 and replace new LED lightbulbs. (Want to know more about sustainability? Click here: stmarksschool.org/campus-life/sustainability) Ms. Lohwater said, “They’re not exciting for anyone, but they are important.”
For instance, the steam plants across from Health Services use natural gas to produce steam used to heat the campus. Recently, the school repaired many of the steam traps, which reduced the amount of steam lost through the piping system. While the repair would only cost $50,000, this one-time expenditure paves the way for saving the school $50,000 and buying more natural gases each year!
Another example of utilizing solar energy is her role in the new dorm architecture process. Ms. Lohwater noted that solar plants cover 50%-60% of the energy input in the building.
In the upcoming week, Ms. Lohwater will meet with the administrative teams from all departments to coordinate their partnerships and her sustainability goals. Again, she reiterates that this can’t be done alone, and everybody in the community needs to partake in the environmentalist cause.
Unlike many other faculty at St. Mark’s, it’s noteworthy that Ms. Lohwater doesn’t coach sports. “Sustainability takes up at least a fifth of my work hours. My other workloads include being a House parent and teaching.” Ms. Lohwater interposed while pouring her sincere passion for being the sustainability coordinator. She also meets with the board of trustees when they come to visit the school. The board of trustees doesn’t need to be convinced of the motivation behind the campaigns. Nonetheless, they must know that the missions are good for the environment and a financial win. The less the school spends on gasoline, the cheaper it is to run the school.
Ms. Lohwater noted that her personal goal for 2022 is to refocus on the sustainability goal at St. Mark’s. Before the pandemic, the sustainability committee marked progress for the school to be environmentally aware. Then, COVID hit. Much of what the school had previously achieved is dissipated by the stint of the pandemic. Many eco-conscious habits, like turning off the lights in the library after 10 PM, or proper recycling, are lost in our community. “There’s no global issue more urgent than climate change,” Ms. Lohwater remarked on the dire situation of the ongoing climate change. Ms. Lohwater encouraged us to know that everyone has a part to play: we can’t fix the things we don’t know.
Voices from A Student Leader
Wendy Wu ’24, one of the co-heads of S4S, introduced me to the student-led sustainability group. The theme for this upcoming year is upcycling. Unlike last year where the team covered all the themes of sustainability, a focus on a specific topic can be more productive. “We can’t really do our best if we wanted to cover all of them. Instead, I thought about narrowing it down to one topic,” Wendy said. Upcycling is the concept of taking waste and creating something new from it in its current state. Wendy told me that upcycling is not limited to collecting worn clothing items. Things like old stationeries, household utensils, and furniture are all valid. S4S plans to organize a trade fair, similar to a flea market, to collect recyclable wastes. “It’s similar to the Green Move Out this May.” She reminded me. A more thrilling move is potentially to organize weekend trips to vintage stores for the upcycling cause.
Thinking about likely areas of improvement in the coming year, Wendy underscored that the gesture of sustainability is not to win praise, but instead integrate this conscious habit into our life. She also hoped that students could have more agency over sustainability. “Our club advisor, Ms. Lohwater, encouraged the school to recycle plastic bottles. But people still purchase plastics anyway.” As the student leader, Wendy wanted students to take more responsibility for the sustainability initiatives, for thus, the spirit of sustainability is more firmly implanted in the St. Mark’s culture.