Lessons from School Sustainability Leaders
Coordination is Key
Disconnection Dulls Momentum
In schools around the world, sustainability often begins with passionate individuals—teachers, students, facilities staff—making small but meaningful changes. But without coordination, even the most well-intentioned efforts can become siloed, duplicated, or overlooked.
Creating a coordinated approach to sustainability is what transforms isolated actions into a whole-school movement. That’s where the role of a designated Sustainability Coordinator can bring energy and momentum.
Why Coordination is Key
Sustainability efforts can touch every part of school life—from facilities management and curriculum design to cafeteria menus and student leadership. Without someone connecting the dots, valuable opportunities fall through the cracks.
“There was clearly a lack of coordination, even though there was an excess of passion.”
— Tori Faye, Chadwick School (California)
Early Wins Build Credibility for the Role
Before his school had a formal Sustainability Coordinator position at Montclair Kimberly Academy (New Jersey), Ben Rich began identifying easy wins. “While I was coaching and teaching, I just started making proposals,” —swapping trash cans for triple bins, switching to occupancy-sensing lights, and replacing Styrofoam with reusable or compostable alternatives.
These small changes had big impact. “Especially the lights, which have a quick ROI.” By starting with low-cost, high-return actions, Ben built credibility and momentum, and eventually, the school created a formal role for him to lead sustainability as his co-curricular responsibility instead of coaching. (Read more here.)
👉 Takeaway: You don’t need a title to start. Begin with low-cost, high-impact projects that demonstrate the value of coordinated action. (Find tips and ideas for Pilot Projects)
Make it Official: Ask for the title
At Chadwick School (California), Tori Faye began her sustainability work by advising the eco club and teaching AP Environmental Science. When she joined Chadwick School, she found a highly engaged school community—but also a fragmented one. The lower, middle, and upper schools, along with facilities, each had their own initiatives, but there was little communication or alignment. “I found myself over and over again saying, ‘I wish I’d known that person was doing that.’”
Tori campaigned for three years to create an official Sustainability Coordinator role. “I had to work pretty assertively with the administration and allies to show them the benefit of a coordinated program.” Tori’s tenacity eventually paid off and the school administration essentially said, “Go do it. We're not sure what this means, but we'll at least create the title. Why don't you start doing the work and see what happens? And so it was very much building it from scratch. I did as much research as I could by talking to other schools and looking to see what resources other schools had online.” And with the official role of Sustainability Coordinator, and drawing on her research, Tori created a coordinated sustainability program tailored to Chadwick's unique structure.
At the Benjamin Franklin International School (Barcelona, Spain), Rose Scovatto became the school’s first Sustainability Coordinator with the backing of the leadership team, who reduced her teaching load to give her time to lead sustainability efforts. “The leadership team has been incredibly supportive. They gave me the time and the resources I needed to focus.” With this dedicated time, Rose was able to plan more deeply, implement more effectively, and grow the program’s reach across the school.
👉 Takeaway: If your school has a lot of energy but no shared direction, coordination can be the catalyst that turns passion into progress.
Coordination Is Strategic, Not Just Logistical
At Nightingale Bamford School (New York), Frank Barros views his role as a Sustainability Coordinator as a strategic one—not just managing environmental programs, but aligning sustainability with broader school priorities. “If you’re a sustainability director or coordinator, you’re probably already running a bunch of environmental efforts. But that’s too narrow an idea for what sustainability really is—because it’s ignoring the social and economic sides,” he explains. “Being the sustainability director is almost the job of a strategic manager.”
However, Frank also recognizes the challenges of trying to ‘umbrella’ sustainability across the entire school. “You can't really umbrella it in your school on your own accord, because then people who do Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, or Health & Wellness are going to feel like you're stepping on their jobs,” he warns. This is where the concept of appreciative inquiry becomes crucial. “It’s extremely important to focus on the good of everybody's work, 'cause everybody has done something,” he says, highlighting that collaboration and recognition are key to integrating sustainability without overstepping boundaries.
“I’m very careful not to tread on toes—I tell them what I know if they ask, but won’t go out of my way to tell them how to do things For example, I may have a better way to do the composting or recycling, but I’m intentionally not telling the person in charge of it because I want the data to do the talking.”
👉 Takeaway: Coordination works best when it's rooted in respect, collaboration, and strategic alignment—not control.
Actionable Tips: Building Coordination for Sustainability at Your School
1. Ask for the title—or carve out the time.
If your school doesn’t have a Sustainability Coordinator, advocate for one. Even a few hours per week or a shared role can make a big difference. Some schools designate sustainability leadership as a co-curricular responsibility, similar to coaching a sport or directing a club. Others reduce a teaching load slightly to make space for coordination. If a full-time role isn’t feasible, start with a part-time or trial model and scale from there.
2. Map what’s already happening.
Use a spreadsheet or whiteboard to document all current sustainability-related initiatives. It often surprises people just how much is already underway.
3. Collaborate, don’t compete.
Use a mindset of appreciative inquiry—an approach that focuses on recognizing and building on what’s already working, rather than pointing out what's missing or broken. Start by asking, “What great things are already happening here?” and look for ways to connect or amplify them. This builds trust, avoids stepping on toes, and helps others feel valued rather than criticized.
4. Start small and build trust.
Choose early wins that are highly visible, easy to implement, and demonstrate measurable impact.
5. Secure leadership support.
Present a case for dedicated time or a formal title using examples from other schools. Make your case with the many benefits of school sustainability. (Tips for Communicating about Sustainability)
6. Create communication channels.
Set up a green team, staff working group, or shared doc where efforts can be aligned and ideas exchanged. (Go even further and use START: Sustainability Tracking, Analytics & Roadmap Tool to create a central place to communicate, organize and collaborate on your efforts).
7. Celebrate and document success.
Take photos, track data, and share wins in newsletters, staff meetings, and with your school community.