George School's kitchen (which produces approximately ten thousand individual meals per week for students, faculty, and staff when school is in session) will undergo renovations beginning on Monday, July 24, 2006.
With a new dishwasher and new sinks for washing and sanitizing pots and pans, the renovated kitchen will use less water and produce less chemical waste than it did previously. It will also use energy more efficiently. "George School is trying hard with all of its building projects to address issues of environmental sustainability," said Head of School Nancy Starmer.
The kitchen's new cooking equipment (including a charbroiler, a slow-roast oven, and a Swiss braiser) will also allow food to be prepared in more healthful and more varied styles.
Like George School's building projects, its food service company, CulinArt, reflects concern for the environment. Joe Ducati, food service director at George School, worked with students in the school's Horticulture class to create a garden where green beans, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, and basil are grown to be served in the school's dining room. Located on campus at the Alternative Energy Center, the garden is fertilized with compost from the dining room, decomposed manure from the campus equestrian center, and water from the Energy Center's windmill well. The Energy Center also contains a solar-powered greenhouse that is used in science classes as a living laboratory.
In addition, Joe is investigating opportunities to purchase George School's food from local organic farmers, a practice which will decrease the amount of fossil fuel used to transport the school's food supply and will also limit the food's exposure to chemicals such as pesticides. Joe said that interest in such environmentally sustainable practices--which use the earth's resources without depleting or permanently damaging those resources--"is catching on not only nationally but also globally." Head of School Nancy Starmer added, "Joe is really interested in teaching [students] more about the connections between environmental sustainability and buying local products and supporting local farmers."
About George School
Founded in 1893 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), George School, a rigorous coed boarding and day school for grades nine through twelve, educates students from twenty-two states, twenty-seven foreign countries, and a variety of ethnic, racial, religious, and economic backgrounds. Through its commitment to diversity and the Quaker values of equality, integrity, and peacemaking, George School inspires students to be led by their own truths while respecting and appreciating opinions and beliefs different from their own.