Sustainability

List of 4 items.

• Worcester Academy Solar Energy Initiative

  WA's commitments to renewable energy are aligned with Massachusetts' 2020 goal  of being powered by 15% clean renewable energy sources.

   

  In 2010 the Academy partnered with Nexamp by entering a 20-year purchase agreement for a 93 kW (DC) solar pv roof-mounted system installed on Daniels Gym and Stoddard and Heydon dormitories. The system generates close to 100,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy a year providing 5% of campus demand. 

   

  In 2017-2018 the Academy began another 20-year purchase agreement with Nexamp for solar net metering credits generated by 1.3 MW (DC) of pv solar capacity from three sites installed across Worcester County with a total capacity of 3.9 MW (DC): a former corn field in New Braintree; a former stage and storage site for sand & gravel quarry in Westminster; and a former industrially zoned lot in Dudley, MA vacant for 25+ years. The project is expected to produce 1.7 million+ kWh a year, equivalent to 85% of the Academy’s electricity consumption. (Solar project site pictures below.)

   

  Further through Community Solar opportunities Academy employees, families, and neighborhood organizations committed to an additional 450 kW (DC) of installed solar energy.

• A Few Words from Our Director of Sustainability

  “Sustainability is a profound concept with multiple dimensions and complex socio-techno-ecological linkages across time and space.
  
  There is international consensus that social development and biospheric systems should be sustained indefinitely. In its most formal definition, sustainable development meets the needs of current generations without compromising the capacity of future generations to meet their own needs.
  
  Sustainability also involves asking the question of how health and well-being, as well as diverse cultures and heritages are understood, respected, and enabled into a flourishing future. The community attempts to examine the means by which our lives today are informed, empowered, and enriched through the cross sections of these posits.”

• Strategic Plan Sustainability Goals

  GOAL 2
  A Worcester Academy education will be leading edge, set apart by its relevance, commitment to leadership and engagement within and beyond the classroom.
  
  Strategy 5: Equip Worcester Academy to lead in adaptation and implementation of environmental sustainability practices.
  

  • Initiative 1: Begin the execution of a carbon neutrality plan that will result in reducing the Academy's carbon footprint by 30% within 5 years. 
  • Initiative 2: Integrate sustainability into our program and curriculum 

  GOAL 3
  Worcester Academy will assess, support, and sustain its community and educational programs through exemplary institutional systems and practices.
  
  Strategy 4: Build on the strength of the existing long-range financial plan to ensure Worcester Academy's long-term financial sustainability.
  

  • Initiative 2: Develop conservation measures to help control energy and other costs. Explore solar and wind applications as funds become available. Conversion of oil boilers to gas. 

  Strategy 6: Develop and adopt a school-wide plan for environmental responsibility and civic engagement.
  

  • Initiative 4: Integrate sustainability into the fabric of the school with involvement across the community by fostering values that are in line with sustainability practices, increasing professional development, hosting a regional conference and integrating sustainability into the overall Academy program.
  • Initiative 5: Form Environmental Quality Task Force to research and address the Academy's desire to create an environment that is restorative, healthy, productive, and sustainable.

• Environmental Health and Safety

  BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS

  Pesticides
  Pesticides are regulated for use at Worcester Academy under The Children and Families Protection Act (2000), which  requires the school to complete an annual Integrated Pest Management Plan (contact information, application strategies,  vendors contracted, pesticides applied). To view WA's plan, see Roger Randor in the Maintenance Office in Dexter Hall.
  
  Technical Data Sheets for Pesticides Applied
  333 CMR 14.00 Protection of Children and Families from Harmful Pesticides
  Locate School’s IPM Plan

   

  Asbestos
  The Academy pursues compliance with the Asbestos Hazardous Emergency Response Act (1986)(AHERA) through  documentation of asbestos containing materials on campus and maintenance of an active management plan that includes hazard prevention and reduction.
  
  Worcester Academy AHERA Annual Compliance Letter

  AHERA Compliance Documents
  EPA Asbestos Information
  School Management Plan Requirements; Code of Federal Regulations: Chapter 40; Part 763 – Asbestos

  AHERA

  
  Mercury
  Mercury management is governed most directly by the state Mercury Management Act (2006)(MMA). The primary  strategy for compliance is through routine collection and proper recycling of end-of-use light bulbs that contain mercury.
  
  MMA
  EPA Mercury Information

   

  Indoor Air Quality
  The following campus buildings have HVAC systems equipped with air filters: Kingsley, Kellner, Rader, Warner, Walker, and Daniels.

   

  Municipal Water
  WA’s municipal water is regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act (1974)(SDWA). Annual water quality reporting (available below) is required by the SDWA and provided by the city for citizen review. While the city’s water has been in compliance within the past decade, primary potential hazards known of include lead and chlorine disinfectant by products.
  
  Water Filtration
  WA has filtered water stations/spigots/fountains across campus utilizing various filtration technologies.
  
  

  Radon
  The second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S.A, Radon originates primarily from underground geological formations and Worcester County has indoor concentrations nearly four times greater than the national average. Select testing of campus buildings had levels lower then the EPA recommended action level of 4 pCi/L (lifetime exposure mortality risk of 7 in 1000).
  
  EPA Radon Information
  State/County Information

   

  DEPARTMENTS

  OSHA Hazard Communication & General Hazards
  The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (2012)(HCS) aligns with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) and provides a clear consistent method for classifying chemicals and communicating their risk. WA is required to provide OSHA Hazard Communication training to all relevant employees. Science, Arts, and Maintenance departments are the focus for compliance.
  
  WA OSHA Hazard Communication Program
  
  Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for each respective department are available thought the Sustainability Office.