Environmental Sustainability

Academics: Our students, faculty, and staff will promote the education and research of sustainable practices in order to improve our understanding of our environmental impact and to foster a mindfulness of our surroundings. We will work to connect our natural surroundings with our curriculum. While in the classroom, Derryfield faculty strives to use as many electronic and sustainable resources as possible, allowing for conscious learning.

Buildings: In our new buildings and renovations we will aim to meet high environmental standards in terms of demolition, design, energy efficiency, air quality, and materials.

Energy: Our students, faculty, and staff will become more conscious of the energy being used in our buildings. We have recently switched all of our lighting to LED bulbs throughout campus, which has decreased our electrical waste by 30% and will continue to work towards reducing our use of electricity and heating oil even more. We will continue to explore opportunities such as our solar panel system to offer a more renewable source alternative for running electricity through our community. We currently (as of 2022) cumulatively use 844 solar panels throughout our campus. In the future we plan to also implement solar panel usage into our Middle School and Science and Innovation buildings.

Food: We strive to purchase local and organic food as much as possible while still providing a variety of choices in our cafeteria, and we will practice proper sustainable disposal methods of our food. We also continue to be conscious of and prepare for all students who make the sustainable choice of a vegan diet, offering many alternatives that fit the dietary restrictions.

Land Use: We are conscious of the watershed in which Derryfield exists, will work to reduce our pollution as we maintain our grounds, and will move towards connecting our students, faculty, and staff with the ecology and natural beauty of our campus.

Procurement: We will consider the life cycle and environmental impact of what we purchase and we will look to buy locally.

Transportation: We encourage carpooling, riding the bus, and walk/bike/ride to school days. We will increase the awareness of our carbon footprint when traveling to and from campus.

Waste: We are committed to limiting the organic and non-organic waste produced by both members of the community and campus processes. The school strives to promote the re-use of materials and resources, to encourage recycling and composting, to avoid excess procurement of food and materials, and to heighten community awareness in order to eliminate wasteful practices.

This mission statement was developed during the 2009-10 school year as a collaborative effort among the school's division heads, our student leaders from Conservation Club, teachers, parents, and board members. The document was approved by the faculty in the spring of 2010. It offers a compelling and comprehensive vision for how the school can both operate and educate for sustainability.