Author’s Note: This is the first in a series on topics presented at the 2021 Keep Nebraska Beautiful Conference.
Giant bees painted on pavement in Alliance catch drivers’ eyes. A giant hive at an Omaha Catholic school meant plenty of honey and thousands of re-homed insects.
My honey bee connection comes from a story told by Eric Krakowski, assistant principal, at Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, during the recent 2021 Keep Nebraska Beautiful (KNB) Conference in Lincoln. During a project, workers found a one- by eight-foot honeybee hive that had been growing for years under the exterior of a building. He explained the school took measures to relocate all 50,000 bees to midtown Omaha hives and processed the honeycomb. Their unexpected task benefitted from the principal’s beekeeping hobby. Speaking on “Sustainability in Our Schools,” Krakowski said one of their goals is to have bee hives on the roof.
Sustainability includes everything from recycling to energy efficiency with a different approach by any given school district in Nebraska. Looking at our Bulldog Green, for example, Alliance High School is a bit larger than the 450 people on campus at Duchesne. And, realistically, I cannot compare the two (east vs. west, public vs. private, etc.) beyond size. Instead, the takeaway for me was to consider what this all-girls school continues to accomplish after addressing sustainability to its mission and curriculum.
Schools putting sustainability near the top of the list often have a catalyst, perhaps a teacher or administrator willing to spearhead the effort. Maybe the new practices help finances stay in the black. At Duchesne, Krakowski recalled, the school responded to Pope Francis’ encyclical — “Laudato Si’ on care for our common home” in 2015. An anonymous donor (paying half) helped underwrite the plan to respond to the pope’s message on the environment, he said. A survey the next year returned at 94 percent saying what the school hoped to do was “important or very important.” “That was very encouraging,” Krakowski said.
Over the past five years Duchesne has been working to meet four goals:
>Zero waste by 2030
>Net positive energy by 2030
>Sustainable food system
>Sustainability curriculum
Krakowski highlighted practices, projects and data concerning each goal.
Staff performed an initial waste audit that has been repeated every six months.Calling what they started with a “piecemeal recycling program,” Krakoski showed how improved recycling and composting helped reduce waste. Students and staff had been producing 15 cubic yards of waste before compared to six or seven, sometimes less, now. Leftovers from the vegetarian lunch program go to a commercial composting site. No styrofoam or plastic is used in the cafeteria either.
The building itself — more than a century old — has been retrofitted to be more environmentally friendly. Krakowski said the school has been Energy Star certified since 2016. “Only eight percent of certified buildings are more efficient,” he added. Two years ago they added 30 solar panels on the library roof meant to offset the power demands of the STEAM lab. The array has met or exceeded the objective.
Though the presentation included a number of other environmental activities, Krakowski concluded with practical advice. Schools or communities leery of making sustainability a priority should consider this sampling of the assistant principal’s suggestions: Start with you; start simple, create a plan; empower others; and it’s okay to make mistakes.