Spring settles in Groton for Earth Week 2023

After unseasonably warm temperatures earlier in the month, spring finally settled on the Circle just in time for Earth Week, and the Groton Sustainability Committee was ready for the celebration with five fun days of activities and awareness building.

“This year we really wanted to focus on two things: Getting the students to really participate, and making it fun, so that students are more receptive to the ideas we’re trying to promote,” explained Amy Ma ’23.

 

The Sustainability Committee is made up of about 40 students, working with advisors David Black (ecology and environmental science teacher, and Geoffrey deC. Gund ’60 Teaching Chair) and Sandra Kelly (chemistry teacher and the W. Homer and Helena P. Smith Chair in Chemistry). Students set their priorities at the start of the school year—this year’s focus is on recycling and composting—and plan events in support of those goals.

“It’s very student led, first and foremost,” said Aidan O’Connell ’23. “We talk at the beginning of the year about what we care about on campus, and what kind of change we’d like to see. Then we work together to get sustainability in the mind of the student body and to get engagement wherever we can.”

With a focus on fun, Earth Week 2023 was intentionally varied in an attempt to draw in the biggest student body participation. 

“An important aspect was making it so it’s something everyone in the student body can do, no matter what their interests were,” said Aidan. “We had trivia and Minute to Win It for the more competitive people, but we also had plant pot painting and Bingo, so everyone can get involved at a level that they feel comfortable.” 

Other activities included a scavenger hunt and an activism gathering where students could write their federal and state elected officials and petition their support for the environment.

“For me, it’s a feeling of responsibility,” Amy said. “This is an Earth that I’ve loved for so long, something that I really care about, and I really care about sharing it with other people, especially at a place like Groton where we’re surrounded by so much nature. 

“I’m relatively optimistic about the future,” she continued. “I think there's a lot of good—renewables are much cheaper than coal now, which is great—but also our generation has shown itself to be more passionate about the Earth, and I think that’s a good sign.”