Exeter (March 7, 2006)—Phillips Exeter Academy has been honored by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) for the quality and scope of its Environmental Sustainability programs. NAIS represents 1,200 private boarding and day schools throughout the United States.
Acting Principal Thomas E. Hassan, Chair of the academy's Environmental Task Force, accepted the award last week at the NAIS Annual Conference in Boston, MA.
The NAIS Leading Edge Program recognizes select NAIS member schools for their creativity in developing programs that can serve as models for other schools. Phillips Exeter Academy has been cited for the significant strides it has made during the past four years in formalizing environmental programs and promulgating sustainability policies and practices school-wide.
Acting Principal Thomas E. Hassan, Chair of the Academy's Environmental Task Force was joined by Trustee Dr. Paul Goldenheim and Exeter’s Environmental Education Fellow Jennifer Wilhelm when he accepted the award at the NAIS Annual Conference in Boston, MA.
Hassan praised the unified effort put forth by the school, “One of the unique aspects of the environmental effort at Exeter is that it is supported both from the grass roots and from the top. Trustees are as involved in this program as are the faculty, students and staff.”
"I am proud of the leadership role that Exeter is able to play in these important environmental initiatives, especially since such a process can only succeed through the coordinated efforts of all members of the Exeter community," said Goldenheim.
Wilhelm, observed, "It struck me while at the award ceremony, which was attended by hundreds of people, that five years ago, no one was talking about campus sustainability in high schools. Now, here is the NAIS, a national organization, actually giving an award for it. It's exciting to be a pioneer school in this effort."
Over 1,000 students and 200 faculty members participate in the schools energy-saving and environmental sustainability efforts. Exeter’s dormitories and classrooms recycle and conserve energy under the supervision of 80 student environmental proctors. The dining services staff at the school strives to serve healthy and organic foods. For example cage free eggs were recently introduced. Additionally, the campus Environmental Task Force, a group made up of representatives of all parts of the Exeter community, has overseen the installation of energy-efficient light bulbs across campus. The academy's trustees have drafted an Environmental Mission Statement and its commitment to conservation has prompted the school to drill wells on campus and install a condenser at the school's heating station, reducing its impact on the town water supply. As a result, the academy has saved 1.5 million gallons of water and earned a $30,355 rebate from a conservation program offered by its local public utility company.
In a further effort to conserve electricity, this winter, the academy's energy-saving competition, The Green Cup Challenge, was broadened to include two other large boarding schools, The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and The Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts. Exeter came in second place, reducing energy consumption by 10.67% or 138,759 kilowatt hours in the month of February, for a savings of $20,000 in energy costs.
Phillips Exeter Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory school that was founded in 1781 and originated the system of instruction known as Harkness teaching in 1931. In the spirit of its charter to foster both goodness and knowledge, students come from a wide variety of geographic, economic, racial and religious backgrounds. The diverse student body comes from approximately 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 25 foreign countries.
Contact: Julie Quinn Johanna Maranto
jquinn@exeter.edu jmaranto@exeter.edu
