Milton Should Make Sustainability Education Part of Its Core Curriculum

By Phoebe Zhang ‘26

Coming from Beijing to Milton, I have noticed a stark change in the two schools’ focus on sustainable development. In Beijing, my school decorated its lobby with big signs, each with one of the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) printed on it. No one could walk into the school building without noticing these signs. The school even had a mandatory course, “Global Citizenship,” dedicated to educating students on the SDGs. At Milton, however, I rarely hear the term SDG mentioned: according to sustainability coordinator Ms. Linnea Engstrom, “an average of ten people show up to sustainability-related events”; three people came to the Wednesday Earth Week speaker.

I am not suggesting that Milton does not care about sustainable development, for we have the sustainability board, we hosted the Interscholastic Sustainability Conference last November, and we even have courses dedicated to sustainability advocacy. Charles He ‘26, a Sustainability Board co-head and a student in Environmental Science, attests to the competence Milton has for sustainability education. He describes his sustainability journey here as “eye-opening and interdisciplinary.”

Nevertheless, the fact that all the sustainability-related offerings are opt-ins, electives, and clubs concerns me, because only those already interested in sustainability get educated in sustainable development. Due to this unfortunate reality, we have a small group of sustainable advocates on campus. Given the current need for the youth to drive sustainable development, this situation should be changed; Milton should incorporate sustainable development into its core education to expand sustainability education. Doing so also benefits Milton students, for it empowers us to contribute to the global community while cultivating our critical thinking skills.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the global temperature has risen 1.5 degrees Celsius from the pre-industrial era to 2024 and will continue to rise with a global average of 36.8 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emitted annually. On our current path, climate-induced natural disasters could cause an estimated 14.5 million deaths and $12.5 trillion in economic losses by 2050. This estimation, however, cannot capture the full picture; on top of disasters, climate change also leads to health issues, food insecurity, and lost tourism. Meanwhile, Massachusetts’s 2050 does not look much brighter: climate change increases chronic respiratory conditions, lengthens pollen seasons, and will cause statewide damage of 64 million dollars due to inland flooding.

Sustainable development, especially the net-zero carbon initiative, stands as the most effective solution to avoid these grim consequences. To this end, the world has made progress: annual global carbon emissions are no longer increasing. Sadly, merely making annual carbon emissions rates plateau cannot prevent global temperatures from rising. To effectively mitigate climate change, the net-zero initiative must be scaled and sped up, and youth play an essential role in driving this transition. As the United Nations mentions, born into the digital age, this generation of youth can create an influence that transcends borders. Notably, youth-led movements like “Fridays for Future” successfully placed climate change into policy discussions in over 7,500 cities worldwide. Similarly, Milton can inspire students to create change. “Literature and Environmental Humanities piqued my interest in sustainable architecture—a field that makes construction processes less carbon dependent—and helped me determine my path in college,” remarked Yvonne Ye ‘26. A mandatory sustainability course could inspire more Milton students, like how Literature and Environmental Humanities inspired Ye, to become a crucial part of driving sustainable development.

Rapid, unpredictable changes in current events make it difficult to teach students to constantly make effective sustainability advocacy actions, especially with a core course, which often does not get the flexibility of an elective. A sustainability course would not only encourage students to advocate. Every step towards the net-zero initiative faces intricate challenges, and teaching students about these steps enhances nuanced thinking. Take, for example, increasing solar panel implementation: the policy confronts social barriers—tariffs, humanitarian issues, fragmented supply chains, and shortage of skilled workers—and technological issues, such as storage to ensure energy security. Thus, teaching and letting us ponder solar panel implementation nudge us to connect STEM, social sciences, and humanities. This rare opportunity helps Milton students develop interdisciplinary thinking skills, which is crucial for tackling challenges in any professional field.

Moreover, as the world moves fast towards net zero, supply chains and energy systems drastically change and may result in energy insecurity, economic collapse in regions heavily dependent on fossil fuel exports, and escalated geopolitical tension. These problems are unprecedented; the world’s energy supply has never gone through such a drastic transition. To reach net zero, the world needs innovative solutions, and a course that encourages students to contemplate sustainability fosters the creative problem-solving skills required to navigate a rapidly evolving future.

Ultimately, a mandatory sustainability course does not force students to engage in sustainability advocacy, but it does bring Milton students closer to what their education promises: an education that, as stated on the official website, “cultivates creative and critical thinkers to seek meaningful lifetime success.”