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Environmental Sustainability

Here at CSS, we teach students the fundamental concepts and practices of resource conservation, help them develop an appreciation for their natural environments, and explore sustainability initiatives in the following distinctive ways:

  • We foster a sense of environmental stewardship in students while exposing them to the science, beauty and wonder of the natural world both in the classroom and during Expeditions and Seminars. We believe in the importance of an intellectual understanding of the natural world and further recognize that some of the most profound revelations often occur on a deeper, more personal level.
  • CSS was the first school in the region to sign on with a commercial composter. Our all-campus recycling and composting efforts model responsible waste management and a commitment to minimizing individual impact on landfills. In the Children’s School, students across multiple grade levels lead campus-wide recycling efforts, with Middle and Upper School students actively committed to managing waste.
  • Upper School students participate in a national initiative known as The Green Cup Challenge™ through which schools across the country compete to conserve energy.
  • In 2012, CSS invested in solar energy panels as part of a community solar garden at Venetucci Farms. Today, approximately 75 percent of the School's energy is generated by solar power. With this 115 kW project, CSS became the first independent school in the country to draw this much power from a community-based solar garden. This investment saves money, models environmental responsibility and teaches students to solve problems with ingenuity and civic responsibility toward others. Learn more.
“By enacting more than two dozen energy-saving strategies, CSS managed to decrease its annual energy consumption by 20 percent. A $4,000 investment in energy and water-saving measures yielded a return of $25,000 per year on the School's utility bills (water, gas and electric).”