Sustainability
We live on an island. We are running out of places to store trash on our island. Brookhaven’s only landfill is slated for closure. Most countries will no longer take our recycling waste. Shipping trash off the island will be expensive, possibly very expensive. In this context, it makes a lot of practical sense to minimize our production of trash and maximize our use of reusables.
Within the last 18 months, many parents within the Three Village school district have come forward to ask how they can assist in creating a more sustainable environment for our children, that reflects our community’s commitment to environmental conservation. In response to these efforts, each school has created a sustainability action group as well as a centralized district sustainability committee to ensure our schools are meeting the needs of both our local and global ecosystems. The Three Village Parent’s Alliance fully supports this initiative and will help advance this mission as we collaborate with our members, the district, Board of Education, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Green Schools Program.
Progress:
Members of our group have advocated for sustainable options to be adopted in our schools' everyday activities. They requested -and obtained- the constitution of a Sustainability Committee in each school to discuss, implement and coordinate such initiatives. In the past 12 months, the Sustainability Committees have helped our schools purchase reusable metal flatware, implemented a recycling program in the cafeterias, and circulated tips for producing less waste during class activities and celebrations. In addition to making a difference for the environment, each step we take helps engage our children in a meaningful dialog about the importance of environmental stewardship in all facets of their lives.