It is cliché, but Earth Week is every week at AISC. So much of what we do is ingrained in our daily operations without much thought. Our nearly 1,000 solar panels, faucet aerators, LED lighting, water and sewage treatment plants, and an almost fully single-use-plastic-free campus puts us ahead of many institutions. The School is LEED Platinum-certified using the ARC platform which considers the school’s waste, water, energy, and transportation. But we recognize that it will be a continuous effort to improve.
The school’s Environmental Responsibility Council is composed of staff, students, and parents. This group’s primary task for 2023 is to ensure a virtual dashboard is created and available to track the School’s environmental data, which will be launched soon. The group will also begin the process of collecting information to be able to articulate how environmental responsibility is conveyed across the School’s grade levels and subjects. The group’s work has most visibly culminated this week with involvement with others in the creation of Earth Week events.
This week has been an opportunity to educate about what AISC already is doing and celebrate partnerships in the community while also looking to the future to set a further vision about reducing our institution’s impact. With Meatless Monday we recognize the comparatively reduced impact of a vegetarian diet. Tuesday’s emphasis on reducing, reusing, and recycling pairs with Friday’s responsible consumption. Wednesday’s focus on air pollution gives us a chance to consider that even though the air in Chennai may be good most of the time, our choices impact the air elsewhere. And Thursday we recognize that sustainable energy production and consumption is a big part of the future needs for all of us.
Futures? Yeah, we’ve got it on our minds right now.
Ryan McFarland
Student Life Director