A Reflection From the Sustainability Board of 2024-2025
By Emlyn Joseph ‘27
At Milton Academy, “sustainability” evokes composting after meals, recycling and reusing items, conserving energy, recognizing current environmental and climate trends, and spreading awareness about the importance of diversifying energy systems and staying up to date with current policies across the world. As the 2024-2025 school year wraps up, the Sustainability Board has worked to reflect on initiatives this year and plan out new programs for the upcoming year.
On December 8, 2024, the Sustainability Board hosted the Independent School Sustainability Conference (ISSC), where students from schools across Massachusetts attended workshops hosted by Milton student leaders and engaged in brainstorming and building action projects for the intersections of sustainability with other topics. During Earth Week 2025, general counsel at MassCEC John Hitt presented about innovation in the clean energy sector; Ariane Desrosiers ‘19 spoke later in the week about decarbonizing global systems and climate justice in the global south. Alexander Landis-Arnold ‘26 stated that a key takeaway from Hitt’s presentation was a “new appreciation for the delicacy of environmental progress: the balance between providing cheap, environmentally friendly energy to underprivileged communities while also making innovative technologies.” The Sustainability Board also hosted a PIP block on May 22, 2025, with prompts and templates for students to lobby public officials for stronger climate justice and environmental protection policies. The federal government’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, escalating deregulation, and weakening of environmental protections and research exist as threats to sustainability that students at Milton work to address. Coordinating with Community Engagement, the Sustainability Board helped to organize the Milton Bazaar, where students shop for gently used clothing and donate to charities of their choice.
For next year, the Sustainability Board plans to launch a new speaker series during USP in which we request input from students about what sustainability topics they would like to learn more about. In addition, Charles He ‘26, one of the new Co-Heads of the Sustainability Board, emphasizes creating “green buildings” that involve more plants in spaces across campus “to grow microgreens in all academic buildings and perhaps even supply them as seasoning for Forbes.” Collaborations with other clubs on campus will be another major initiative. Specifically, to focus on developing or modeling systems sustainability-themed joint club meetings with the Science and Engineering Club can be influential for the student body. Along with the ISSC next year, conferences like the Pener Conference, which invites high schoolers to present on environmental stewardship, will put Milton students into the greater Boston community and increase awareness and actions regarding sustainable development. Ultimately, the Sustainability Board recognizes the urgency of action for these issues and aims to provide effective resources and opportunities for students to engage with sustainable development.