Deerfield = Green

At Deerfield, everything is green: our colors, our campus, and our attitude toward the environment. We use no paper cups or plastic water bottles, and we diligently conserve energy and compost our waste. Solar panels adorn the turf roof of our science building, and each dormitory hall has assigned “environmental proctors.” At Deerfield, recycling is a religion. Deerfield’s strategic plan includes major initiatives to continue to improve the environmental sustainability of the campus, and our day to day activities contribute significantly to these goals.

The Green Cup Challenge

For the past several years, Deerfield has participated in the Green Cup Challenge, an interschool energy conservation competition designed to measure a reduction in campus electricity use and raise awareness regarding our impact on the environment. The school that reduces its kWh usage, referenced to a baseline period, by the largest percentage wins the GCC Trophy. The school that reduces GHG emissions by the largest percentage is recognized with a certificate.

In addition, Deerfield runs an on-campus competition during the Green Cup Challenge. Through the month-long challenge, our students follow the success of their dormitory on our energy dashboard and compare their achievements to their on-campus peers and to other schools and rivals. The dorm that reduces its energy the most from an established baseline wins a significant prize—an on-campus activity for themselves and another dorm of their choosing, AND a cash prize proportional to dorm size. Because the Green Cup Challenge a month-long event, we believe that the changed energy consumption practices are more likely to become a learned behavior.