Walking outside in the springtime, the cool breeze flows through the air, stems of flowers poke through the fresh soil, but the fact that this weather is very similar to the winter that delivered little snow this year also raises concerns. As climate change progresses, its damage is becoming more visible and people are experiencing its impact, but how is WHS taking action to make a positive difference?
The Students for Environmental Action (SEA) team at WHS is currently planning some events such as Tree-Plenish to enable students to get involved in improving climate change at the local level.
“The SEA team is running a tree planting event on April 27 with goals to beautify Weston and help offset our carbon emissions,” senior and president of SEA Jonathan Lan said. “Along with filling orders for people’s backyards, we’ll be planting trees on town land as well, and we’re looking for volunteers and donations. Every $5 can plant a tree.”
Power Down is another initiative that the SEA team is coordinating in order to raise environmental awareness for the whole community.
“Power Down is a district-wide project in which we will track WHS’ energy use and spending and teach others about energy-related topics in order to reduce what we use and spend,” junior and SEA team member Lila Li said. “WPS spent over $1 million on energy last year.”
There are some smaller changes that students and faculty can implement into their daily routines to be more environmentally friendly as individuals.
“I think the most impactful actions revolve around food consumption and waste,” Lan said. “Reducing meat and dairy consumption is probably the most environmentally friendly action individuals can take, and composting is also a great option. Weston recently partnered with Black Earth Composting so residents can get their compost picked up for around $20 a month.”
Even during the school day, students feel that there are actions that can be taken to promote an environmentally friendly campus by increasing awareness on the topic.
“I think that the cafe should just permanently use the reusable trays at lunch rather than occasionally using the styrofoam trays that end up in the trash cans,” sophomore Ariel Wang said. “I also think that there should be some guidance to help students know what they can or can’t recycle because some people would accidentally throw things that shouldn’t be recycled into the recycling bin.”
WHS has already undertaken some adjustments to promote a more environmentally friendly building.
“We already have automatic lights. Theoretically, we have heating and AC that adjusts, but that’s one of the things that needs work,” biology teacher and SEA team advisor Camille Tulloss said. “We now have a watt meter. It’s really helpful for getting an idea of where and how much energy is used so that we have more information for the future.”
Students feel that expanding green practices such as by using solar panels and driving electric cars will make a larger impact on WHS’s environmental footprint.
“I do see electric cars and solar panels [at WHS] as possibilities; both are actually a part of Weston’s Climate Action Plan that was developed in 2021. Towns like Wayland and Wellesley have solar panels in their school parking lots, which I think will set a good precedent for getting that built in Weston,” Lan said. “Acton-Boxborough’s district also has this very cool lithium-ion battery at one of their schools that stores renewable energy and sells it back to the grid, which generates a whopping $300,000 for their municipality every year.”
Changes that have been made in new schools, such as Field School, show tangible data for major applications that would benefit WHS if implemented in the future when renovated.
“Field School has solar panels now. I was looking at the graphs for that and they produce a ton of energy from the sun,” Tulloss said. “The Field School solar panels have produced around 13,800 kWh of energy this month so far. The high school has used about 72,600 kWh so far this month.”
The members of the SEA team hope that students and faculty will feel motivated to make changes, both small and large, to demonstrate their commitment to the environment.
“In order for students and teachers to make a positive impact, making small changes like turning off the lights, conserving water, and driving only when necessary will definitely help, but supporting larger-scale and community events like Tree-Plenish and Power Down will be even more influential,” Li said. “We would encourage everybody to come to the SEA team and participate in our events in order to get a better sense of how we are getting involved with the Weston community to bring Weston together and raise awareness about current climate issues.”