AHA Earns Top ‘Eco’ Award

Angels are highly motivated, so it was no surprise that Holy Angels’ student body was instrumental in attaining the Academy’s first Green Flag, EcoSchools U.S.’s top honor. In fact, the Angels exceeded the minimum threshold, earning 164 points toward the Green Flag, well beyond the 100-point requirement.

Student members of the Green Action Team and EcoSchools AHA spearheaded multiple sustainability initiatives, including a pollinator garden planting on Service Day, and the school-wide Earth Day observance that included multiple “green” activities.

AHA English Department Chair Sean Hickey and physics teacher Andrew Sanchez, who lead AHA’s sustainability program, made the Green Flag announcement the week of June 10.

“We all exchanged triumphant high fives,” Hickey said with a smile. “We hope the Green Flag will bring greater awareness to sustainability efforts at school, and will become a recruiting tool to get more students to join the environmental clubs here.”

Hickey and Sanchez proudly displayed AHA’s certificate, which recognizes AHA “for completing all criteria for the EcoSchools U.S. Green Flag Certification, including exemplary education and action to conserve resources, protect wildlife, and support the community.”

“I think it’s really impactful,” Sanchez said of the AHA community’s accolade.

Hickey observed, “EcoSchools U.S. adjusted its framework this year and made it more flexible so it would be more fun and user-friendly. Instead of choosing one focus area for the school year, students were able to choose a variety of activities from EcoSchools ‘action cards.’”

Action cards provide prompts, such as a call to divert textile waste from local landfills by encouraging reuse, repair, and recycling of old textiles. (AHA hosted clothing and school uniform exchanges.) Other suggested actions include observing wildlife diversity and working to restore species biodiversity on campus. Each activity is worth a specific number of points. Depending on the level of points earned, a school may receive bronze, silver, gold, or green status.

“This year, students could work on individual projects in addition to group efforts, and we were able to put everything together,” Sanchez explained.

Hickey noted that the program now includes “open” action cards that allow a school to develop unique projects that fit into the framework.

Initiatives that helped AHA’s run for the flag included the liquid disposal bin EcoSchools AHA President Alison Roh (’24) of Englewood Cliffs brought to the Student Commons. The bin allows the school community to empty residual liquids and ice from recyclable containers/bottles before placing those containers in the recycling receptacles. In a previous interview, Roh explained that residual liquids that are left in recyclable containers are the leading contaminant in the Academy’s recycling stream.

“I wanted to create an effective solution that would not only help our school’s recycling, but also encourage individual actions among our community to support a greater cause,” Roh noted.

The bin funnels residual liquids into an internal tank, which can be removed and emptied once it is full.

Green Action Team President Ellie Sawyer (’24) of Weehawken coordinated the installation of a Little Free Library near AHA’s Peace Pole. Little Free Library patrons are invited to take a book, share a book, or both. Sawyer recently shared that these libraries allow readers to access new books without spending a penny or using any new paper.

The student-led Book and Bake Sale that helped fund the Little Free Library provided a tremendous boost to AHA’s sustainability efforts, and was an exceptional community-builder. Hickey described the sale as one of the most rewarding experiences he has had in his 10 years at Holy Angels.

Students who went the extra mile toward achieving the Green Flag also include Eva Santelli, Lily Gee, Anissa Lena, and Hollie Melia.

The Angels, Hickey noted, pushed for this year’s Earth Day celebration, which allowed everyone to experience the environment together, although teams were involved in a variety of projects. Some observed bird life on campus, others created a habitat for bees, and still others pulled out garlic mustard (an invasive plant species) that had popped up around campus…and these were just a few of the options offered that day.

Service Day activities also helped AHA earn points. One of the most visible projects is the pollinator garden Dr. Gretchen Hannoush’s Advanced Placement Biology class helped plant near the senior wing. The Green Action Team planned this initiative, and began the plantings on Earth Day. The AP Biology students later stepped in to finish the work.

AHA’s Green Flag is a physical representation of the school’s many efforts to protect the Earth and all of creation. These sustainability efforts reflect the goals of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, who founded AHA in 1879.