Sustainability

for Now and the Future

Foster a culture
of sustainability.

Miss Porter’s School actively champions and makes decisions to encourage best practices to improve our overall ecological footprint in our community.

Our community strives to leave this place better than we found it as we practice being good environmental stewards while keeping the history of our school alive.

“We believe upgrading and renovating existing spaces is a better way to steward resources and address climate concerns than building new structures.” – Michael Bergin, Chief Financial and Operating Officer

By the Numbers

plastic water bottles
kept out of landfills

0 K

kWh generated by solar
panels since 2020

0 K

reduction in heating oil
use over 13 years

0 %

native plant species on campus

square feet added without
new construction since 2007

bees in the campus apiary colony

0 K

Institutional Efforts

As we continue to re-think existing spaces, we look to save energy and conserve natural resources — the backbone of our efforts.

LED lighting
Charging stations for electric vehicles
Investment in solar

Retention Pond with water loving vegetation to prevent flooding
Underground stormwater retention to store and filter sediment and debris

Low-E window glazing to reduce energy loss
Vestibules, air locks, and air curtains
Digitally automated controls for lighting

European Copper Beech tree repurposed into lobby and art gallery benches
Wood boards from original hotel re-made into campus furniture
Original brick and white oak floors refinished for reuse

Sustainable building materials
Food-waste composting
Leaf/debris composting
On-campus apiary

Digitally automated controls for heating, and cooling
Variable kitchen exhaust fans controlled by temperature sensors
Modern HVAC systems
Cleaner heating methods

Our sustainability focus also includes our surrounding natural environment—lawns, gardens, and trees which comprise about three quarters of campus.

Our gardens incorporate more native species, and diverse perennial flowers and trees provide natural habitats for local wildlife and pollinators like butterflies and bees that are critical to maintaining healthy ecosystems.

We focus on eco-friendly horticulture and landscaping practices such as planting trees specifically to provide shade and cooling to buildings naturally, composting leaves in the fall to enrich soil, and choosing vegetation that provide food such as blueberry bushes, chokeberry shrubs and peach trees.

Our Swan Pond is more than a pretty body of water — it’s a stormwater retention pond with water-loving perennials and shrubs to help prevent flooding.

Student Initiatives

Students are actively involved in and out of the classroom, and on and off campus in sustainable work to better our environment. Student initiatives are deliberately varied and purposeful in both academic settings and out in the world. Porter’s philosophy is intentional in students understanding what role they can play in global efforts to address climate change.

Porter’s interdisciplinary academic programming allows students to learn in the classroom and experience hands-on conservation in real time. The Advanced Interdisciplinary Seminar (AIS) – Costa Rica: Culture of Conservation is the perfect blend that allows students to see the impact and encourages them to think about how they can continue to make positive changes for the future. This topic is also one of Porter’s six Pressing Problems, with supporting academic programming across disciplines.

Students can get involved in clubs and volunteer activities with a focus on environmentally driven topics. The student-led Bee it All! and Earth clubs are mission-driven to promote sustainability and bring awareness to environmental changes we face.

Bee it All! – Educates the community about the importance of honeybees as pollinators and maintains the campus apiary to provide students with real-world, hands-on experience in hive management.
Earth Club – Strives to promote sustainability, the love of outdoors and bring awareness to environmental issues through student-organized volunteer activities.