The Harley Garden Club is taking on a new project: The Harley Compost Project. Our goal is to be able to build usable compost for the Harley Micro-Farm separately from the compost that goes to Community Compost each week. Because we have different considerations when composting on-site versus sending it off to Community Compost, we are piloting a new compost collection system specifically for our farm.

To avoid confusion, we will be using a new batch of buckets (with lids) for the Harley Compost. These buckets will be yellow, with labels indicating their purpose as well as what can and can’t go in them (See below). As this is an experimental project; we are starting small, with just a few locations in the Upper School. The Garden Club students identified these as places where snacks and other food items are disposed of, besides the Dining Hall.

Members of the garden club will be checking and emptying the buckets routinely throughout the week- emptying them twice a week but checking daily and upping the frequency of the emptying if needed.  Each bucket is assigned to one student:

Bucket locations & Assigned Student:

• Commons Basement  – Davy Brooks
• US Faculty Room- Tess Begley
• Beckerman- Sunniva Sheffield
• Senior Hallway – Bef Mekonnen
• Science Hallway – Eleanor Foster

Sincerely,

Lisa & The Garden Club

The day opened with breakfast and a tabling session in the Main Gallery. Harley’s Dining Hall staff and maintenance crew were integral in providing outstanding food, equipment, and hospitality all day long. Compost and recycling bins where everywhere and reusable dishes were provided to reduce waste. Childcare was also provided, in order to make the event more convenient and accessible, which was ably handled by Tammy Roberts. Several Harley and RYCL (Rochester Youth Climate Leaders) students volunteered throughout the day and were able to attend several of the workshop sessions.

The formal program began in the Theater with Aaron Mair, former president of the Sierra Club, giving the keynote address. His main theme was that “To win on climate, New York must go big!”  He emphasized that environmental and political movements are dependent on people, and people are dependent on a healthy working democracy. Attention must be given to those people who are making policies. Mair also cautioned that we must not lose the human impact when we are working to address the carbon impact.

The second half of the opening session was a panel discussion with Bill Nowak (NY- GEO), Amanda Lefton (Nature Conservancy), Anne Reynolds (ACE NY), and Chris Carrick (CNY RPDB). They responded to questions from the moderator as well as impromptu questions from the audience. They touched on many of the areas which would be discussed in greater detail at the morning case study break out sessions.

The formal case study breakout sessions were held back to back for the rest of the morning in classrooms adjacent to the main Gallery and upper school hallways. The topics being discussed were: Wind Energy with Susan Campbell of Mothers Out Front, Marguerite Wells of Invenergy, and Cat Mosely of Apex Clean Energy; Solar Energy with Susan Spencer of ROCSPOT, Jonathan Comstock of Solar Tompkins, and Adam Flint of Southern Tier Solar Works; Energy Efficiency with Brian Paterson of PUSH Buffalo, Gay Nicholson or Sustainable Tompkins, and Scott Oliver of Pathstone; Environmental Justice with Dorian Hall of PLEX Neighborhood Association, Joe Heath who is General Council to the Onondaga Nation, and Eleanor Stein of Rocky Mountain Institute eLab; Land Use with Tonya Noel Stevens of Cause N’FX, Elizabeth Henderson of NOFA-NY, and Elizabeth Murphy from the City of Rochester; and Transportation with Kat Fisher of the Sierra Club, Heather O’Donnell of PRCC, and Melissa Chanthalangsy of Rochester EV Accelerator. All sessions had presentations, but then broke into small group problem-solving discussions.

After a long working morning, people were ready for a great meal. Luckily, that is what they received! The Harley Dining Hall staff worked tirelessly and creatively to prepare a full salad bar with wraps and special salads which were all vegan in order to support the diet choices and sustainability efforts of the day. The other part of the lunch meal was catered by the local restaurant Fusion 4 which specializes in African, Caribbean, and Soul food. People appreciated the commitment to both sustainability and diversity in the delicious vegan food choices and patronage of a locally-owned family business. During lunch, the audience was addressed by esteemed elder Oren R. Lyons, Jr., a Native American Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Seneca Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Lyons has been an advocate of indigenous rights and environmental justice for over forty years. He spoke on “Indigenous Views on Climate Change: Business as Usual is Over.”

The afternoon breakout sessions were held back in the classrooms and covered the following topics:

• Social Sustainability: Intersectionality and Response for Climate Change  — Kris Walker
• Campaign Planning & Coalition Building 101 — Renee Vogelsang, David Alicea, and Dominic Frongillo
• Engaging Across Political Ideology — Linda Pratt
• Understanding How Our Electricity System Works — Doug Kelley
• Making NYSERDA Work For You — Jason Kulaszewski
• Community Choice Aggregation: Sample Programs in Development — Ben Frevert and Betta Broad
• The Opportunities and Challenges of Creating and Anti-Racist Environmental Justice Movement — Kathy Castania and Ricardo Adams
• Recruit, Train, and Sustain: Building Grassroots Volunteer Leadership — Lisa Marshall and Neely Kelley
• Raising the Business Voice for Climate Solutions — Bob Rossi, Rob Levine, and Suzanne Hunt
• The New York Energy Democracy Alliance: Making REV R.E.A.L. — Adam Flint
• Lobbying for Climate Action — Sarah Mittiga
• Participating in a NYS Public Service Commission Proceeding — Richard Berkley

The day closed with another plenary session, this time in the Dining Hall with some chocolate chip cookies to reward people for making it through the day! The final two speakers were Karen Edelstein and Sandra Steingraber. Karen demonstrated the interactive maps available to follow the landscape of clean energy in New York, showing various intersecting overlays of congressional district, population, solar/wind energy, electric vehicles and more.

Sandra Steingraber is an American biologist, author, and cancer survivor. Steingraber writes and lectures on the environmental factors that contribute to reproductive health problems and environmental links to cancer, and has recently been featured in a documentary entitled “Unfracked” which follows her efforts to get fracking banned from New York State. Her story and delivery were inspiring and compelling as they related to everyone being in the “same boat”. What happens in Pennsylvania directly impacts our lives in New York in terms of air quality, industry choices, and more. Steingraber cited the recent scientific study that shows 9 million people die each year from pollution (primarily fossil fuel combustion byproducts) and warned of the carcinogenic byproducts of the petrochemical industry (cracking to get ethylene).  However, she concluded with a call to action and compared the environmental movement to determined and tireless characters from stories like Prince Igor in “The Firebird” and “The Brave Little Parrot”. Working together to combat the “harmless aspect of the familiar” to improve our world is essential and attainable.

Meg Sternowski kicked off the evening’s discussion. She is extremely passionate about sharing knowledge of the great things happening around Rochester and creating a resilient and empathetic community. With a background in Industrial and Systems Engineering and Sustainability, Meg works at Constellation Brands as their Corporate Environmental Sustainability Manager and manages and measures the company’s environmental footprint. Meg has a passion for waste – re-imagining, reusing, repurposing, and recycling to make a long term difference. As one of two employees dedicated to the topic of sustainability in a 8,000-person business, Meg spoke about how essential it is to take every opportunity to help make a difference for good.

Following Meg, Nate August described his work as the manager of the Wegmans Organic Farm & Orchard in Canandaigua, NY. Nate graduated from Cornell University’s Agricultural Sciences program in 2015 and now manages the many facets of the Wegmans farm. The farm works to integrate new research and technology with regenerative farming practices to increase the supply of regionally-grown, flavorful and nutritious food for Wegmans customers. Nate is passionate about exploring opportunities for innovation in the dynamic food production industry, while also finding agricultural practices that are efficient and enhance the land (rather than detracting from it).

The last of the three to share, Davy Brooks reflected back on their first exposure to sustainability work and the food-based courses they took two years ago that piqued their interest in the subject. Davy’s dive into sustainability work came through hands-on projects with the Harley bees, building in the workshop, and eventually independent studies where they considered the social side of community and sustainability, as well as the scientific side of it. Over their two years at Harley, Davy has  been involved in the design of the growing spaces, planting and managing the Micro-Farm, and maintaining the Harley bee hive within the Food and Farm program and maker ed offerings. Davy is currently working in an independent study to redesign the layout of the Harley Micro-Farm to maximize growing space and aesthetic appeal. 

The second half of the evening was a question/answer time for the panel, moderated by Seth O’Bryan, Commons Director.  When asked what schools could do to help increase awareness of sustainability efforts, the panelists answered: provide open-ended problem solving which result in positive changes in the school environment; make sustainability part of the ongoing dialogue of the school culture rather than just a class; bring green spaces to the center of the student experience; and give the students a forum when they can collaborate and reflect on their work.

As a fitting concluding question, Seth asked the panelists what they each hoped to accomplish in the coming year and why they were optimistic about the future.  Nate ended the evening sharing that, overall, people in operations naturally gravitate towards making systems more efficient and sustainable, and that the pursuit of sustainability is like enlightenment — never fully arriving, but constantly striving to be better.

Panelists Nate August ‘11, Davy Brooks ‘18, and Meg (Malone) Sternowski ‘06 will speak at The Harley School October 24 for the next Commons Series event about their sustainability work as well as how their experiences at Harley influenced their career paths. The panelists will also discuss why there is hope for a sustainable future. The format will include a question and answer session with the panel.

Nate graduated from Cornell University’s Agricultural Sciences program in 2015 and now manages the Wegmans Organic Farm & Orchard in Canandaigua, NY. The farm works to integrate new research and technology with regenerative farming practices to increase the supply of regionally-grown, flavorful and nutritious food for Wegmans customers. Nate is passionate about exploring opportunities for innovation in the dynamic food production industry.

Meg is extremely passionate about sharing knowledge of the great things happening around Rochester and with creating a resilient and empathetic community. With a background in Industrial and Systems Engineering and Sustainability, Meg works at Constellation Brands as their Corporate Environmental Sustainability Manager and manages and measures the company’s environmental footprint. Meg has a passion for waste – re-imagining, reusing, repurposing, and recycling to make a long term difference.

Davy Brooks is currently a Harley student who is a leader in the food and farm program and an active participant in the maker education program.  Davy has been involved in the design of the growing spaces, planting and managing the microfarm, and maintaining the Harley bee hives.  

To hear first hand about why we are especially excited about this event, you can access a podcast recorded by Seth O’Bryan, Commons Director, who will moderate the panel discussion and question and answer session for the evening. Enjoy and hope to see you there on Tuesday evening at 6:30!

Podcast — Seth O’Bryan preview of 10/24 Commons Series

As with most school-based organizations, the summer interrupts some of the momentum gained during the school year. This group was eager to reconnect and get the ball rolling again for the 2017-18 school year.  The first meeting of the year was held at Genesee Community Charter School on Saturday, October 21. The leadership team (including Thomas Neumaier from Harley) led the students through plans for the year including immediate opportunities (helping volunteer for the New York Climate Solutions Summit being hosted by Harley on 10/28; field trip to RIT research lab and bio-digestor) and long-term goals (host another youth climate summit; lobby county officials for single-use plastic bag ban/fee).

Several exciting collaborations and opportunities were discussed, including RIT, Cummings Nature Center, and the Fast Forward Film Festival. Stay tuned to hear more about what this group of climate change activists is doing in their schools and in Rochester!

In following up with the visitors after their brief time at Harley, a few shared their thoughts:

“Your email confirms all the good that I think of you and your school. We were very excited to share with our little sisters and I personally the girls inspired me and their teacher. At their age I was not as courageous and persevering and for that I admire them.

You have imputed to them the value of accepting others, of opening up to others what is truly admirable especially in the current context of the world. Congratulations for the formidable work you are doing in making all those children who are eager to discover the world better.”

“Our international visitors truly enjoyed hearing about your many-faceted programs, and the truly holistic way your students learn, and are taught to approach problems. Congratulations on helping form a thoughtful, ethical new generation of questioning young people. There is hope.”

Meet Lisa Barker, Food and Farm Coordinator. Lisa is responsible for all growing spaces on campus: the Baron Greenhouse in the Commons, the high tunnel, and the Harley Micro-Farm. You will learn more about her Food and Farm 101 course in a separate blog post.

Meet Kima Enerson, our new Maker Educator in the Commons. Kima is in charge of the workshop space in the basement of the Commons, but serves as a collaborator with many faculty to expand their teaching to include more hands-on and design thinking principles for their students. You will learn more about her work with the Middle School students in a separate blog post.

Kevin Boyd and Jocie Kopfman are returning teachers in the Commons, but this year they are teaching a new course together: Sustainable Community Engagement. This course offers students the opportunity to design an educational partnership with a locally based community non-profit organization. This hands-on engagement is coupled with an in-class introduction to basic elements of sociological research methods, with specific attention to power and access through the lenses of race, gender, and socio-economic factors. The pedagogical aim is to empower students with the tools to create mutual, enduring, and transformative social partnerships.

Our fearless Commons Director, Seth O’Bryan, helps oversee all of the courses in the Commons while teaching a few of his own specific to the sustainable energy and systems in the building.

TRIMESTER I COMMONS COURSES and CLUBS:

Design and Innovation Lab — Upper School elective

Design and Innovation Lab is an entry-level engineering and innovation class that exposes students to the basic elements of the design process (Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test) and then supports them through a series of increasingly difficult design challenges. Through this hands-on, shop-based class, students work with core engineering and design concepts and collaborate to solve various problems. Material and the related tools the students will utilize include cardboard, wood, metal, electronics, digital logic and programming, biology and plants, and more. Additionally, students learn the basic knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to operate a baseline set of tools in the shop safely and effectively.

Design and Innovation Flex Time – Middle School flex time option

Middle School students learn the basics of design in the Workshop, while developing familiarity and skills with hand tools.

Food and Farm 101 – Upper School elective

This course provides students with experiential hands-on learning through working as the management and labor force behind the Harley Micro-Farm and greenhouse. This fall, students have been harvesting produce and experimenting with unique recipes, as well as planning and planting crops for fall/winter green production in the high tunnel. They also have the opportunity to explore design concepts related to small-scale food production and education, as well as to examine the framework of community food systems, beginning to think conceptually and practically about real-world food issues, discrepancies, and solutions.

Food and Farm Flex Time– Middle School flex time option

Middle School students can spend time working with Lisa in the Micro-Farm and getting their hands dirty!

Garden Club – Upper School weekly club

The Garden Club has been working on identifying projects around the Micro-Farm and are starting with supporting the compost program.

Hospice – Upper School year-long elective

Students learn both the medical and emotional side of providing end-of-life care, which includes assigned shifts at local hospice houses and reflection on what they are learning and feeling as they care for others.

Independent Studies – Upper School electives

Students are offered opportunities to pursue a particular subject in-depth or develop an understanding of a topic not offered in the current curriculum.

Intro to Mindfulness – Upper School elective

A trimester course designed to introduce students to elements of mindful practice, the research behind it, and exercises/meditation to increase their awareness of their thoughts and ability to be fully present in the moment.

Living Building – Upper School elective

Students work together to investigate topics and address problems related to the Commons building and sustainability. This trimester, the students are building a gate for the Micro-Farm, studying coding to gather data from the solar chimneys, and designing and interactive lobby space for the ground floor of the Commons.

Maker Mornings — Sixth Grade homeroom activities

The sixth grade homerooms attend Maker Mornings once a week each to build their sense of community, learn to work collaboratively, and to tackle quick engineering challenges in the Project Space.

Rights & Responsibilities – Ninth Grade mandatory trimester rotation

R & R is a trimester-long freshman seminar that engages students in discussions and activities that explore our individual and collective rights and responsibilities within the various communities to which we belong. Students use issues facing the Harley community, the Rochester community, and the broader national and global communities as discussion points and examples. They explore their thoughts and opinions about these issues in terms of individual and collective success, and social and environmental justice. Students learn basic qualitative research skills in order to explore a social issue that interests them so that they can effectively advocate and work toward solutions they could implement to effect positive social change.

Robotics– Upper School year-long elective

Students are introduced to the basics of coding in this course. They learn how to design and build a robot to complete specific tasks as assigned by the competitive league guidelines. Using design thinking, collaborative problem solving, and creativity, the “team” learns how to maximize their strengths to leverage the best outcome as they program their robot and prepare for competition.

Sustainable Community Engagement – Upper School year-long elective

This course offers students the opportunity to design an educational partnership with a locally based community non-profit organization. This hands-on engagement is coupled with an in-class introduction to basic elements of sociological research methods, with specific attention to power and access through the lenses of race, gender, and socio-economic factors. The pedagogical aim is to empower students with the tools to create mutual, enduring, and transformative social partnerships.

The evening began with Wade Norwood (Harley Parent ’16), Chief Strategy Officer for Common Ground Health, sharing the history of the ground-breaking regional health care in this area that served as a national model in the 1960s. He commented on his past experience and current work providing strategic direction for integrating the agency’s clinical, public health, and prevention programs and overseeing the agency’s programming and processes while building critical partnerships with other regional organizations. He shared Tom Frieden’s health impact pyramid and McGinnis’ model of potential life lost, especially as they relate to the different zip codes in and around Rochester.  According to Norwood, “health improvement requires us to address culture and how environment and health behaviors are dynamically linked.”

Dr. Elizabeth Murray was up next to talk about her work as an Attending Physician in the Pediatric Emergency Department of the Golisano Children’s Hospital, but more specifically about her work in the REACH Program within the Bivona Child Advocacy Center as one of the region’s two Child Abuse and Maltreatment specialists. She presented the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) factors and pyramid, and walked the audience through a case study of a child she treated. For children who receive an ACE score over 4, their lives are already shortened by 20 years. Dr. Murray addressed the many kinds of abuse, neglect,  and dysfunction which can dramatically and negatively impact the physical and mental well-being and growth of children. She shared the many ways that the Rochester health community is working to advocate for these children, provide social services, and nurture their recovery and development.

The final group to share were therapists from The Healing Connection, Victoria LoMaglio, LMHC, NCC (Harley graduate in ‘06), and Alexandra Wilkosz, LCSW.  Both Vikki and Ali work to support patients with eating disorders, helping with recovery and the motivation for recovery. They explained the different kinds of eating disorders (and binge eating has just been added to that classification recently) and the impact they can have on a person’s physical and mental health. They believe that eating disorders are diseases of disconnection. Their organization, The Healing Connection, offers a variety of treatment options, depending on the severity of the condition.  As they shared about their work, it was easy to draw the line of connection from adverse living environment to abusive or self-harm situations to the need for direct intervention and support of individuals who face such difficulties.

At the end of the individual presentations, the four experts formed a panel to answer questions from the audience. While the attendance was a bit sparse, the questions from the people in the audience were deep and probing, ranging from providing meals for children living in poverty to self-care to resources for schools and educators.