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Green Cup Challenge Helps BB&N Reduce Carbon Footprint

Sarah Diaz ’10 and Sam Wallis ’10 work the catwalk during the second annual Trash-ion Show, wearing outfits designed by Sarah Gottlieb.

February has been a dark month at the Upper School this winter…literally. As part of the Green Cup Challenge, students and faculty have been avoiding the use of lights as much as possible, just one of many energy saving initiatives making a difference at the Upper School.

Broken up into regional competitions between area schools, the Green Cup Challenge is a national initiative aimed at encouraging sustainable practices. Every week a record is taken of BB&N’s electricity usage and then compared to other institutions in the competition. At the end of the month, the school with the most energy reduction wins.

“I have seen some inspiring changes within the school. Students are going around turning off lights like it’s their mission,” Upper School math teacher and Green Club advisor Meena Kaur says. “We have also had the lights off in the dining room on Mondays; we call it Moonlight Mondays.”

According to Kaur, “in the first week alone, the School recorded a 9 percent energy consumption reduction, and in the second and third weeks we had 5 percent reduction each.” 

Although these may seem like small percentages, when combined with the more than 200 other schools participating nationally, it adds up to huge reductions in the environmental footprint, and perhaps more importantly, a shift in the next generation’s attitude towards environmental sustainability.

“Green Cup events at BB&N have been developed to also encourage students and faculty to lead sustainable lifestyles outside of school,” Green Club co-president Angela Bilkic ’11 says. “Besides turning off lights and computers in vacant rooms and hallways, there are events such as Local Lunch which promotes the buying of foods from local farms and companies...and there will be a Bikes Not Bombs event in early March that will fuse environmental, community service, and global awareness efforts into one worthwhile cause.”

Perhaps the favorite event at BB&N is the “Trash-ion Show”, a runway fashion show that caps off the month of conservation. Emceed with style this year by senior Kendrick Evans, the show boasted BB&N students strutting their stuff on the catwalk, modeling different ensembles made from recyclable materials or second-hand clothing.

As students clapped and hooted at the environmentally friendly outfits, it was clear that at least for the month, the School had accepted the challenge head-on.

Bilkic noted that this year’s Green Cup challenge has an added significance for the Upper School due to the tragic passing of Upper School math teacher Cary Girod last summer.

“BB&N first participated in the Green Cup in 2009 and the event was spearheaded by Cary Girod—an environmental enthusiast who had high hopes for a ‘green’ BB&N,” Bilkic says. “Our School’s participation in the Green Cup this year continues our involvement in what I personally hope will become a long time tradition for the School. In the process, we are also paying tribute to Ms. Girod and her efforts.”

Bilkic and other Green Club members have been spreading awareness around the School by recruiting students to a sign a pledge of sustainable practices.

“These pledges represent the students and faculty’s dedication to participating in the 2010 Green Cup Challenge and adopting the methods to living a sustainable lifestyle,” Bilkic says. “They are able to choose one of four plant options which will live and grow in the School and which they will be able to take home or leave to the School’s garden in the spring.”

Bilkic acknowledges the difficulty in determining whether students are “embracing the spirit of the challenge only momentarily or if they are truly believing in the principles the Challenge represents,” but she takes heart in the small steps that she sees around her.

“There have been times when students have come up to me and mentioned their family’s implementation of sustainable habits at home,” she notes. “One student recently told me that her family stopped buying plastic water bottles altogether—it may seem like an insignificant decision, but every little thing matters both at school and at home.”

For more information on the national Green Cup Challenge, click here.