Spotlight on Sustainability Seminar

The start of the second semester brings with it a new rotation of seminars. Students in the Upper School restarted seminars on Friday, January 10. In the Middle School, students begin their new seminar rotations on Thursday, January 23.

In 7th grade, one of the rotations students focus on is sustainability with Innovation Associate Molly Callaway. In this seminar, students are introduced to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through a variety of activities, including designing their own sustainable mini city.

“I try to make it creative in a way that they’re still learning about what these goals mean, while also having fun,” Ms. Callaway said. “The projects and activities we do during this seminar also give students the opportunity to throw out their own ideas, so they actually get something out of it.”

Ms. Callaway also leads a seminar rotation focused on sustainability in the Upper School. Last semester, she met with all 11th and 12th graders. This semester, she’ll be working with 9th and 10th graders, discussing themes from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“I think sustainability and environmental science is a subject that is only becoming more and more relevant with time,” Ms. Callaway said. “My personal philosophy around climate education is to really try to help students build a connection to the world and show them ways they can do things to help.”

Sustainability is a big focus of Ms. Callaway’s role at Kent Denver. In addition to leading seminars and teaching Principles of Sustainable Development, Ms. Callaway is in charge of monitoring all of the energy production and consumption on campus and determining ways to reduce Kent Denver’s energy usage. It’s a large undertaking that everyone in the community can contribute to.

“Being involved and interested in the sustainability efforts on campus is a huge help,” she said. “That can be as simple as putting only recyclable items in the recycling bins and cutting back on food waste in the dining hall.”

Looking ahead, Ms. Callaway is hoping to improve Kent Denver’s composting efforts with the goal of managing the process all on campus, so we can produce our own fertilizer that can be used on campus grounds or donated.