Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee

Environmental responsibility is an essential part of a Deerfield education, and it’s important that we learn, teach, and demonstrate both critical and practical approaches to environmental matters.  The Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee (ESAC) advises the Head of School in methods to improve Deerfield’s environmental education, behaviors, practices, and operational performance. ESAC is composed of faculty, staff, one student representative from each grade, the Sustainability Coordinator and the Environmental Compliance Manager.

• Recently, ESAC was the driving force behind the adoption of our school’s Sustainability Mission Statement and is now leading a Sustainability Action Planning process.
• In one recent year, ESAC led an initiative to install water-bottle filling stations; this filtered tap-water was the favorite in taste tests and led to a marked reduction in single-use plastic bottles.
• ESAC was the driving force behind the Energy Dashboard.

Student Member Responsibilities

Members of the committee are expected to attend regular meetings (generally 2-3 times per month), which may occur before school, after school, or during lunch. In between meetings, members often have homework assignments such as researching more sustainable building materials, interviewing employees or students about sustainable practices in classes or operations, and helping plan a renewable energy project.

Being a member of ESAC is a privilege; you will help shape the future of Deerfield Academy and help to make it a more sustainable place to live and learn. Being on ESAC also requires commitment: commitment to attend meetings, contribute your best ideas while listening respectfully to others, and to do your homework to help advance the efforts of the group.

Students are expected to stay on the committee all of their remaining years at Deerfield in order to allow long term projects to come to fruition. For most students, this will mean a 4-year committee membership.