Sustainability Master Planning

Overview

In early 2021, Fenn began partnering with GreenerU, a consulting firm focused on sustainability in educational institutions, as it embarked on a sustainability master planning process.  Fenn had a strong desire to pull together the various sustainable practices happening all over campus - from the classrooms to the electrical closets - into a cohesive, intentional movement to be a greener school.  Fenn believes it can be a part of addressing the climate change emergency by being a place of collective and community-driven action.

In early 2021, a Core Team of faculty, staff, trustees, and current parents was assembled to steer the planning process.  Initial meetings focused on understanding the current state of sustainability at Fenn and how the school's values and mission would inform sustainability initiatives.  The Core Team drafted a Sustainability vision for the school:

All members of the Fenn community - students, teachers, alumni, current and former parents - were invited to share their vision for a sustainable Fenn though a number of surveys and Zoom-based meetings during the Spring of 2021.  During that time, the Core Team was also setting intentions for the plan and the planning process to ensure that it would indeed be a community-driven project.

After digesting the feedback provided by the Fenn community, the Core Team began its planning meetings in earnest at the start of the 2021-2022 school year.  Focus area teams discussed best practices, heard from experts in the field from across the country, and developed aspirations, main goals, and strategies.  We are pleased to report that goals and strategies were confirmed in the early Spring of 2022!

If you would like to see the specific goals, supporting strategies, current states, and measurement practices for any of the focus areas, please click on a focus area below.

 Educating for Sustainability        Built + Natural Campus        Sustainable Operations 

The sustainability plan will be officially adopted in the Fall of 2022, alongside the overarching Strategic and Long Range Plan that the school is also currently crafting.

Latest News & Upcoming Milestones

As of September 2022, the written plan is in its final stages!  This winter, the Board of Trustees will be working to finalize and adopt both the Sustainability Master Plan and the overall Strategic Long Range Plan.  We look forward to sharing the written plan more widely soon!

Additional Resources

Want to view the entire Sustainability Baseline Website, with information about past sustainability initiatives, buildings and systems inventories, and examples from peer schools?

Baseline website

We welcome any feedback at any time about this process, and we are eager to engage with the whole Fenn community about sustainability - please email Director of Sustainability Cameren Cousins with thoughts or questions.