Skip To Main Content

Sustainability

 

Sustainability Mission Statement:
In valuing cooperation over self-interest and recognizing our role as global citizens, St. Mark’s School actively fosters environmental stewardship and sustainable development in its education, planning and practices.

2024 Best of Green Schools Award

logo for US Green Building Award
In recognition of its efforts, St. Mark’s School was the recipient of the 2024 “Best of Green Schools” award in the K-12 School category, from the Green Schools National Network and Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council. The Center for Green Schools and Green Schools National Network received hundreds of nominations of individuals and organizations that have made an impact in advancing green schools, thus placing St. Mark’s at the leading edge of this important work.
Loading from Vimeo...

St. Mark’s has defined sustainability as the imperative to live within the limits of our natural resources in order to ensure long term ecological health, social justice, and economic viability.

Formalized in August 2015, the Sustainability Steering Committee is the campus collective involved in designing and implementing sustainability initiatives. Committee membership has representation from across campus and is comprised of students, faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees.

 

St. Mark's School Climate Action Plan: Lions Live Green

2024 Climate Action Plan Update

In 2021, St. Mark’s adopted its first climate action plan, with a goal of reducing campus greenhouse gas emissions 10 percent below 2015 levels by 2025. We are pleased to present this interim update on our progress.

What is Climate Action?
Taking urgent steps to combat climate change is one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Collective action is needed across the globe to avoid the most catastrophic impacts facing our communities and the ecosystem on which we depend.

St. Mark's Can Demonstrate our Leadership By:
  • lowering our campus GHG emissions
  • conserving resources
  • inspiring our students to become leaders of environmental stewardship

 

Our Carbon Footprint

Our day-to-day campus activities depend mainly on energy supplied by fossil fuels – oil and natural gas for heating, and electricity to power and cool our buildings. Our Climate Action Plan focuses on these GHG sources because we can manage, and therefore, influence our operations’ energy use.

Natural Gas
Natural Gas
Refrigerants
Refrigerants
Oil
Oil
Electricity
Electricity
Gasoline Fleet
Gasoline Fleet
Fertilizers
Fertilizers
Diesel Fleet
Diesel Fleet

 

How Will We Get There?
We will achieve our target through a combination of energy efficiency projects, green building design, and (to a smaller extent) renewable energy. Our St. Mark’s Sustainability team has carefully vetted the projects to ensure they are environmentally beneficial and based on sound business principles. Beyond reducing emissions, these actions will yield significant utility rebates and annual cost savings, benefitting our bottom line.

What Can You Do to Help 

The challenges of climate change can seem vast, complex, and far away. If you are wondering what you can do, you aren’t alone! Here are some simple actions that you can take:

View from the Patterson-Sculley house of the solar panels on the roof looking at the flags and front of school.