By JOHN E. WEARE
KAB
September 28-29, yep “KNB Conference” written across the corresponding lines of my Peanuts planner. I had only glanced at an initial itinerary then waited until the Wednesday I left to study a more detailed, updated version. One reason for procrastinating came from a focus on one day at a time with our current personnel transition at the recycling center. Also, I have yet to be disappointed in the effort Keep Nebraska Beautiful puts forth and thought it might be constructive to let the agenda roll around in my head during the four-hour drive to Kearney.
Any conference packs a certain level of deja vu, it was the same when I attended our annual Nebraska Press Association gatherings. Keep Nebraska Beautiful opened with a Keep America Beautiful update, and returned to the useful topic of how to work with your board. Affiliates, in addition to the free flow of ideas through reconnecting and networking, had an hour for “best practices/idea sharing”. As always a highlight came Thursday evening during the KNB Environmental Awards Dinner. I sat with an incredible group of people from Seward who made multiple trips to gather hardware in recognition of their efforts.
A fair number of the awards went to schools and youth groups. Pete Stadig, KNB program director and emcee for the evening, read highlights of their accomplishments with greater detail afforded winners of each category. The ceremony left me wanting to know more. I settled for hearing again about a school featured when KNB hosted its 2021 conference in Lincoln’s Haymarket.
An enormous beehive uncovered on campus was the segway the last time I wrote about Duchesne Academy, an all girls Catholic school in Omaha. Eric Krakowski, assistant principal and sustainability coordinator, traveled a little farther this time to speak about sustainability. What impressed me this time was not solely data on recycling or composting, but how a small school of about 400 (students and staff) proves what they are doing is practical, beneficial and, most importantly, attainable for anyone with the same vision. “How I’ve seen things happen is like ripples in the pond,” Eric said. “Change begins with you,” he observed.
The catalyst at Duchesne followed an encyclical from Pope Francis in 2015, challenging people to look at creation as a gift from God. Administration support and timely funding were key.
Whatever prompts a school, business or community to embrace sustainability, Eric outlined ways to “build your TEAM”. Those involved must name their inspiration and identify “the allies, champions and donors who share your passion and vision.” Other ways to overcome challenges are to “do your research and know what you’re talking about; connect with local resources; anticipate questions, and engage whoever holds the purse strings,” he said. “I’ve been amazed on how little push back we’ve gotten.”
By now, sustainability has become part of the fabric of Duchesne, something every freshman class learns. Another key is to involve your entire organization Eric said. “We have zero waste events, this is part of our identity – some families choose us because of our sustainability identity.”
Eric suggests going for “the low-hanging fruit” first as a start to “massive change in our world.” “Build on the success of what you were doing before.” Recycling can be a logical first step for some schools.
“My hope and goal is we can inspire others to do this,” Eric said.
I see efforts to mirror this Omaha school’s accomplishments growing from the ground up – individual buildings or districts rather than assistance from the State of Nebraska. In a decade, perhaps, it will be common to have a sustainability plan as schools compost, install solar arrays, achieve zero waste, add sustainability to the curriculum, reduce energy consumption and even plant gardens and orchards.