At the end of the 2022–2023 school year, The John Carroll School launched the "Green Team" to work towards our goal of becoming a Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) Green School. This committee includes teachers, staff, students and school leadership, and empowers our students to make changes to reduce environmental impact, encourage sustainability and foster environmental literacy.

Annie Bennett '24 worked with the Marketing Department to create a custom Green Team logo.

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Trex Program

Lauren Gallagher '24, Mr. Scott Porter of the Patriot Café, and other members of John Carroll's Green Team launched the Trex Program in October. As part of this program, the School will recycle household bags and wrap that will be turned into Trex’s Earth-friendly composite decking and railing. The Trex container was placed in the Patriot Café to collect acceptable forms of plastic film. These products are various forms of plastic that, unless recycled, will sit in a landfill forever. To recycle these materials eliminates their contribution to the waste crisis. Each time Trex makes products from these materials, other natural resources, such as trees, are conserved. In addition, it is not uncommon for these products to end up in our rivers, woods and other habitats where wildlife is tragically affected. These films cannot be recycled in a single-stream center because they tend to jam or clog machinery used to sort recyclables. The School will strategically place additional boxes around campus for even more film collection.

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No-Mow Zone

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As the name implies, our new campus "No-Mow Zone" allows for natural growth and the area to move through the various stage of ecological succession. However, this does not mean a lack of management or growing weeds. Our No-Mow Zone will provide:

• sheltered areas where species can use camouflage to protect themselves from predators;
• a breeding ground for many native, beneficial species such as Monarch Butterflies;
• improved water quality by filtering pollutants;
• stabilized soil to reduce erosion; and
• fiscal savings by reducing the cost of mowing, labor, etc.

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Thanks to the members of the John Carroll Green Team, led by Ms. Mary Beth Cochran, our Facilities Team and School Leadership, we're closer to becoming a certified Maryland Green School! Stay tuned for more announcements about the Trex Program, No-Mow Zone and other Green Team initiatives.