John Jay HS Has 1st 'Spirit Week' For Sustainability

CROSS RIVER, NY — Convincing people to stop mindlessly consuming single-use plastic will be the goal of members of John Jay High School's Sustainability Club. During the school's first-ever Sustainability Week, March 2-6, they will have the opportunity to bring this issue and more to their classmates' and teachers' attention.

Helping to lead the way will be senior Catherine Curry, who, while on the go from attending classes to teaching at an after-school program at Increase Miller Elementary School, she is sure to bring a refillable water bottle.

Curry and about 20 other members of the club will also be encouraging their classmates and teachers to take the initiative in terms of climate change.

The Sustainability Club used Spirit Week — five days in the fall when students celebrate the school’s sports teams and musical groups — as inspiration for a week that focuses on ways each of us can use less resources.

Steven Zoeller, the club’s advisor as well as John Jay High School engineering teacher, matches the students’ commitment to sustainability. He’s mid-way through earning an Advanced Certificate in Education for Sustainability at Manhattanville College. His role during Sustainability Week is to send an email from the Sustainability Club to the entire high school staff each day that provides specific ways to decrease the carbon footprint of their classroom.

The first email asked teachers to close classroom blinds each evening. “One of the largest sources of C02 for the district is heating the buildings,” wrote Zoeller. “By closing the blinds at night, an air gap is created between the glass and the blinds which helps insulate your classroom. We ask that you explain this to your students and have them open and close the blinds for you.”

Tuesday’s focus will be on single-use plastic — in particular, water bottles. The Sustainability Club will host a water tasting in the cafeteria with the school’s water bottle refilling stations. The week also includes a clothing swap, a challenge to use less paper, a focus on proper use of food scrap and recycling receptacles and an activism symposium with Betta Broad, outreach director for New Yorkers for Clean Power and program manager for Energy & Climate with Catskill Mountainkeeper.

The community can follow along and apply Sustainability Week’s tips at home through daily posts @KLSchools #KLGreen on Facebook and Twitter.

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