Blair Resolves to Go Evergreen
February Green Cup Challenge Lies Ahead

Move over, Kelley-Potter Cup! It’s early December and, yes, the Peddie Day competition is behind us. The campus is decked in evergreen swags, wreaths and trees, but it wears a mantel of green in other ways, too. Blair Academy’s Sustainability Committee announced it will enter the School in the Green Cup Challenge in February. Faculty member Rob Merrifield and Janek Padhiar ’09 informed the Blair community of this exciting challenge during School Meeting on December 5. The stage was aptly set for them with a screening of four public service announcement (PSA) videos – each with a sustainability theme – produced by individual students enrolled in Judith Kahan Kampmann’s first-semester video production class. The producers include Matt Cable ’09, Dan Kwartler ’11, Peter Noback ’10 and Kate Coffey ’10.

Rob explained the premise of the Green Cup Challenge: “Approximately 40 independent schools on the east coast will be involved this year in the challenge, including other MAPL schools such as Hill, Peddie, Mercersberg and Lawrenceville. During the month of February, each school attempts to reduce its use of electricity as much as possible. By reading their electric meters during February and comparing that usage to the three previous Februarys, each school can calculate its percentage reduction. While, of course, there is some element of competition between schools to see which can lower its electrical use the most and win the Green Cup, the real purpose of the contest is to encourage members of all schools to improve their energy-saving lifestyles. The real winner is the environment as we reduce pollution from power plants.”

Janek noted that the Green Cup Challenge coincides with Blair’s annual Headmasters’ Societies Week, adding to the spirited fun of those intramural games and events.

Rob added, “This really is an opportunity to educate hundreds of people about how important and easy it is to reduce their use of electricity. There are a number of things to do prior to February to get ready and then plenty to do during that month to get everyone involved. Several students from each dorm will take charge of that building’s effort to reduce its electrical use. Getting involved in our Green Cup Challenge is an opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills and do something positive for the environment and Blair.”

Already last year, members of Earthshine – Blair’s student environmental club – created and sold T-shirts urging community members to “flick off” the lights; sales allowed them to buy 225 CFLs to replace all the incandescent bulbs in the campus dining room for a significant reduction in electrical use. Current Earthshine members are selling T-shirts touting water conservation in their goal toward outfitting all Blair dorms with low-flow shower heads that use half the water of the present ones.

Assistant Headmaster for Finance & Operations Jim Frick lauded such efforts in his Fall Annual Report message. “The business office will continue to work with Earthshine members and the Sustainability Committee as a whole to further educate everyone here on how to best conserve energy and reduce Blair’s carbon footprint.”

So…with visions of sugarplums and Green Cup ahead, the community prepares for a holiday break. May the New Year be filled with well-rested Bucs, all resolved to “go greener!”

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Faculty children decorate the dining hall Christmas tree, while other community members prepare to keep the campus “evergreen” through sustainability programs.

Posted 12/5/08

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