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At Greenwich Country Day, our aspiration is to prepare GCDS graduates to lead the transition to a more sustainable world, each in their own way.
We strive to develop students’ understandings, skills and values for sustainability.
We recognize that thriving economies, healthy societies, and a flourishing environment are all necessary for long-term human sustainability.
We define sustainability as a way of life that strengthens society and the natural world, now and in the future.
Our aspiration and understandings are evident in all that we do - in our curriculum, campus, daily practices, faculty development, student activities, Global Studies and Sustainability Diploma programs, and in our active engagement and learning outside of school.
Questions about the Upper School Sustainability Program?
Morgan Carney, Upper School Sustainability Coordinator
Student-Directed Learning
Student-Directed Learning
GCDS is a leader in sustainability learning. Broad DEI and Sustainability ‘standards’ help faculty guide students as they explore sustainability ideas within their general coursework.
Projects on soil chemistry and slavery, or diplomacy in Amazonia (in Spanish!), for example, integrate disciplines and key sustainability concepts.
Students keen to build on these threads may choose a Global Studies sustainability-related program such as “Food in Peru” or an Intersession with a sustainability theme, such as why some NYC neighborhoods enjoy especially vibrant societies.
Any student may elect semester-long electives, such as the Introduction to Sustainability, or Sustainability Economics, while a few students with demonstrated passion for this lens may pursue the Sustainability Diploma, signifying advanced studies in sustainability and the arts, natural sciences or humanities and social sciences.
Student Activities
Student Activities
Upper School students choose to make a sustainabili-difference in so many ways! For example;
The French Farm Club is all about hands on work; training and certification in gardening, greenhouse management, animal care and in leading younger volunteers at the Farm. Plus they learn to cook their own delicious, all veg farm-to-table meals!
Students work on local projects benefiting our broader community, collaborating with the Greenwich Land Trust, Audubon, the Arts Council, CT League of Women Voters, and other groups.
EarthRise! A large, inter-high school club started by a GCDS student, it connects environmental clubs in our area for greater impact and learning. EarthRise offers weekly “Earth Facts and Rise Acts”, student conferences, and more!
GCDS celebrates EarthWeek engaging our entire community connecting students across Divisions and across schools.
Daily Life
Daily Life
At GCDS we strive to model and practice a more sustainable way of life, from the big things to the not-so-little things. For example:
Our main entrance staircase is paneled with the lovely and varied types of wood from the site of our new building. Every day hundreds of us gently touch the wood as we pass and connect in this small way to our special place.
In our dining hall, (pre-and post-pandemic) cooked from scratch, locally sourced meals are served packaging waste free, and we compost all food waste.
We keep our 'stuff' to a minimum with our simple and clean dress code and our 'no lockers' policy.
GCDS makes our own hydrochloride cleaning solution in reusable bottles for a chemical-free environment.
Transportation to/from the train station and Town buses from our Old Church Road campus is available daily.
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