By Neil Pandey ’24 Feature Writer

Newark Academy is our home. For 247 years, our dedication to our motto “Ad Lumen” has been unwavering. For 247 years, our dedication to excellence has been unwavering. Now as climate change threatens our world, how will our community promote environmental sustainability and remain dedicated to preserving our NA ideals? 

When I enter Ms. Duszak’s office, against the right wall, reusable plates and cups sit in a box. On the floor lies a poster protesting the building of a pipeline in indigenous peoples’ homelands. Ms. Duszak is a protector of the Earth. In a conversation we had, she proudly explained how the clubs she works with have become more focused on being environmentally conscious. For instance, clubs have put up signs raising awareness to climate change, and athletic teams have been asked to bring reusable water bottles rather than plastic bottles to reduce waste. 

Another environmental initiative taking place at NA is Ms. Palmer’s 7th grade class’s community garden. The food from that garden goes straight to food pantries in the area. Faculty like Ms. Duszak and Ms. Palmer make our world a little bit greener and plant the seed for action. They continue to nurture this seed until it blossoms into change. 

Anusha Thapa ‘23 is working to shape NA into a more environmentally-sustainable place. Anusha is the vice-president of the Green and Blue Committee (GBC) and she is on the New Jersey Student sustainability coalition or the NJSSC for short. Like Ms. Duszak, Anusha is passionate about the progress she sees around the school. While reflecting on the insightful conversations facilitated by GBC, she mentioned how GBC tries to reach the broader community by collaborating with other clubs. She explained how climate change is not an isolated issue, but rather it has great intersectionality with other issues plaguing the world today.  For example, climate change has caused increased drought which leads to food and water scarcity affecting human health. 

Not only people involved in activities like Green and Blue should be concerned about climate change, but it should be a school-wide effort. Anusha urged that the school as a whole needs to “care more about the environment.” One important step in this process is questioning our habits and behaviors. For example, asking questions like why are snacks in the dining hall individually wrapped or why do we have so few recycling bins is a good place to start? Although NA has made great strides in their environmental stewardship, in order to see large-scale change, more needs to be done. 

Many students at NA have suggested that NA should invest in solar panels. Anusha added, “The building is perfect for solar panels,” so she questioned why we don’t have them. Another area for improvement is the curriculum. All public schools in NJ are now required to integrate studies of climate change in their curriculum from grades K-12. At a school like NA where teachers have more freedom in their curriculum, Anusha doesn’t see why this mandate couldn’t be implemented at Newark Academy. In order to make true change, we need to start with conversation, and a great way to start this conversation school-wide is in the classroom. 

As we walk into school every day and see the “Ad lumen” motto plastered on the ground, we can stand and smile, proud of the work we have done. We can be proud of these steps we have taken to reach “the light,” the little steps in making our school better. However, as a school of young people and activists, we must ask ourselves, how much do we really care about the environment? Are we willing to do the hard work to make our school a better place? At Newark Academy we have the resources, the people, and the commitment to do what is right. All we need to do is take a stance to preserve the place we all love.