Sustainability

Falmouth Academy is committed to environmental sustainability and to fostering global stewardship in our students. The school has an extensive and comprehensive recycling program; nearly 75% of its waste paper, cardboard, metals, packing materials, food and beverage containers, and aluminum foil are recycled annually.

Composting efforts convert approximately 2,000 pounds of food waste from lunches and school events each year into fertilizer for our gardens and fields. No chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides are used in grounds maintenance, and only environmentally friendly, non-chemical cleaning products are used inside our facilities.

To reduce energy consumption, motion sensors on light switches and energy-efficient lighting are used throughout the school. Double-insulated EnergyStar windows and programmable energy-management systems help regulate heating and cooling. Thirty percent of the building has radiant floor heat and energy-recovery ventilators.

In 2010, a 333-panel, a 77-kilowatt photovoltaic system was installed to produce one-third of the school’s energy needs from solar energy (view the installation). The school is in the process of updating and expanding this installation with the goal of meeting most of its energy needs through solar energy.

In addition to participating in daily recycling efforts, students participate in hands-on learning in our evolving outdoor classroom, which includes a greenhouse, fruit trees, a vegetable garden, a pollinator garden, an apiary, and a vernal pool. Students tend to the gardens and the hives in our Farm and Garden and Beekeeping electives and conduct scientific observation and research in science classes.

Working collaboratively, the 9th grade carried out an environmental impact study of the school in their Geology and Environmental Studies class in April 2019.  Small groups gathered data on electricity usage, waste, heating, transportation, grounds maintenance, and school supplies. They created a report for the administration which informed several improvements.

Learn more about science at Falmouth Academy.