West Nottingham Academy to be Beneficiary of Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Reforestation Project

COLORA, MARYLAND – West Nottingham Academy is reforesting its campus. A program funded by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Chesapeake and Coastal Bays Trust Fund, in partnership with the Maryland Forestry Foundation, and coordinated by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (Alliance), will plant over twenty-two acres of West Nottingham’s 100-acre campus with native trees.

The Alliance’s tree-planting program, which is currently engaged in forty projects in areas all over Maryland, is focused on nutrient and sediment reduction to improve the health of Chesapeake Bay water systems. For West Nottingham, the focus is climate change and reducing the school’s carbon footprint through the carbon sequestration power of trees.

“This project is a fantastic opportunity to sequester carbon, but also to help the Chesapeake Bay and the Watershed,” explained Mike Cairns Environmental Sustainability Fellow, Karl Melchior. “As an environmental science grad from nearby Washington College, I know we face tremendous challenges to improving water quality in the Bay. By reforesting our campus, West Nottingham will be sequestering literal tons of CO2 and reducing our nutrient and sediment pollution that flows through the Octoraro Watershed to the Bay.”

The Alliance was especially excited about accepting West Nottingham into the reforestation project because of the built-in opportunity for education. “A project like this one reaches into the next generation — young people who need to understand the value of conservation programs like this to solving challenges to the health of our lands and waters,” affirmed Craig Highfield, Director of Chesapeake Forests for the Alliance. Highfield is currently working with West Nottingham on a planting plan for the native trees that will be planted on the campus. This winter, he will participate in a speaking event for the West Nottingham community about the conservation benefits of the program.

“I am very proud of my school for taking this big step to reduce our carbon footprint,” stated senior and Student Environmental Council member, Bei Ni Ou. “We all look forward to seeing the wildlife and birds these trees will bring back and to enjoying even more natural beauty on our campus. Our campus will be filled with vibrant life and our happiness!”

West Nottingham is a Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) certified Sustainable School. The school’s sustainability programs are focused on action and encouraging the development of life-long environmental ethics in students. “Our students are from various states in the U.S. and from countries that span five of the seven continents,” stated Virginia Kennedy, Director of Sustainability Programs and Curriculum, “what our students learn here at West Nottingham from programs like this one they take with them all over the world. That’s how positive change happens.”

Along with the environmental benefits, West Nottingham will realize economic benefits as well. “Rather than the costs of mowing acres of unused lawns, West Nottingham can use those resources for students and programs and other productive projects on our campus,” affirmed Tom Banks, Head of School.

As part of West Nottingham’s Sustainability Strategic Plan, the school community is taking specific aim at reducing its overall greenhouse gas emissions. Additional programs are in the works to make a significant dent in West Nottingham’s carbon footprint and to help foster a focus on and action regarding climate change in the wider community.

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West Nottingham Academy is a diverse, student-centered day and boarding school for students in 9th through 12th grade and post-graduate. Since its founding in 1744, West Nottingham has prepared students for the challenges of college and life through a curriculum grounded in the liberal arts and sciences, and a commitment to the intellectual, spiritual, and social growth of each student.