Environmental Sustainability

Deerfield Academy seeks to preserve our heritage by operating in a manner that sustains our natural and human resources for future generations. Through an intentional program both in and outside of the classroom, Deerfield Academy will educate all its members on local and global impacts of personal and institutional choices, encouraging long-term thinking and modeling environmental best practices.

Deerfield Academy has supported the economic and ecological health of the Pioneer Valley for over two centuries while creating a world-class educational community. We have been good stewards of our land, our community, and our history, while training generations of students to become local, national, and international leaders. Over time, however, changes in both technology and human population have created the necessity to adjust both the way we think and the way we operate. There are choices to be made. From the food we serve, to the care of our athletic fields, to how we heat our buildings in the winter, our decisions matter. Some choices will sustain our communities, while other options could degrade ecological, societal, and physical health, both at Deerfield and around the globe. In order for our graduates to be equipped to evaluate such options, we must model exemplary environmental stewardship and educate our students to do the same. In light of these considerations, Deerfield Academy makes the following commitment to sustainability:

1. Deerfield Academy will use resources responsibly by:
   1. Reducing our overall consumption of resources.
   2. Minimizing our use of non-renewable resources.
   3. Expanding our reuse and recycling of materials.
   4. Using renewable resources sustainably.
2. Deerfield Academy will preserve the health of our community by:
   1. Operating in a manner that preserves and enhances the physical and ecological health of our local and global communities.
   2. Helping to support the health of the local economy through local purchasing, contracting, and partnerships, fostering greater sustainability in the local community.
   3. Operating in a way to minimize our contributions to harmful climate change and other global environmental challenges.
3. Deerfield Academy will teach and model environmental best practices and long-term thinking by:
   1. Incorporating themes of sustainability across the curriculum, through courses that focus on environmental issues as well as through courses that use environmental examples to explain more disparate concepts.
   2. Teaching sustainability through experiential and place-based methods, strengthening our connections to River, Rock, and Valley.
   3. Demonstrating best environmental practices as an educational tool for students and the community.
   4. Using life-cycle analyses and long-term thinking when evaluating alternative plans for new construction, renovations, purchasing, energy generation, and operations.