On the Mesa, the outdoors are right on your doorstep. From the constant knocking of the local Acorn Pecking Birds as they dig their beaks into the walls of the McBean Library to the naughty raccoons who feast on leftovers in the trashcans of Savage House, the Southern California wildlife permeates throughout this vast and beautiful campus. Yet, as convocation speaker Zach Brown vigorously stressed in his astounding 167 slides regarding climate change, we are letting this beauty slip through our fingers. Climate scientists predict that by 2050, global average temperatures will be 3-6 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, pushing environmental conditions past a point that any human civilization has experienced. Global sea level is projected to rise by around 10 inches, flooding all coastal cities and threatening the livelihoods of almost half the human race. Not all hopes are lost, though. The recent surge in electric vehicles and renewable energies are hefty signs of a carbon-neutral future while climate activists continue to push for environmentally-friendly policies. In order to find out how Cate joins in on this fight against the climate crisis, I interviewed Jules Nau, Director of Facilities & Master planning, Lindsay Richardson, Interim Environmental Stewardship Coordinator at Cate, and members of the Cate community dedicated to making this campus greener.
How did all this start? Jules Nau offered an insight into what inspired Cate to renovate the waste management system 15 years ago. “Cate was in a predicament,” he said, “when you have 300 students and 200 adults on campus, [the anaerobic system] becomes very ineffective and inefficient.” An anaerobic system involves little to no oxygen to run and utilizes a type of microorganism that specializes in surviving in hypoxic conditions. An aerobic system, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. The microorganisms require oxygen to function and make it 30 times as efficient. That’s why Cate replaced the former with the latter. Once the sewage makes its way through the pipelines to tanks located near the barns, the wastewater goes through stages of digestion, filtration, chlorination, and de-chlorination. This water is then mixed with potable water to irrigate the fields on campus, so you might think twice before taking a shower under the sprinklers on a hot Summer day. In the end, the plant saves a total of 265,000 gallons of water that would otherwise be lost.
One problem that Jules runs into is that the system relies on the materials entering the septic tanks to be human waste and toilet paper only. “Let’s say if a sock, a toothbrush, or a cloth were to enter the system,” explained Jules, “it basically kills the biology.” Not only that, but harsh chemicals, like those in some brands of soap and detergent, can severely interfere with the digestion of the waste as well. The plant is unable to handle large amounts of chemicals, and it requires manpower to balance it out.
The environmental club (E-Club) on campus, led by Caroline Batchelder ‘24 and Sophie Alijani ‘24, is aiming to solve this. At Fall Family Weekend, E-club started a fundraiser to supply eco-friendly detergent to all dorms… for free! After selling all the delicious cookies baked fresh from the Bothin common room, E-club secured a budget of [confirm with Caroline]. Although this project is yet to be completed, the Cate community looks forward to having free, environmentally friendly detergent in every laundry room. But before the detergent arrives at your doorstep, be sure to purchase non-chemical soap that costs a fraction of the price and give Mother Earth a hand.
Cate’s water reclamation system doesn’t stop there — the Emmett Horowitz Aquatic Center saves around 5,000 gallons of water every time the pool water is cleaned. In most scenarios, the chlorinated pool water is diluted and sent to a stream or a river. On the Mesa, it is back washed. All the water gets pumped into a tank where, over a 5-10 day period, it filters out all the sunscreen and lotion that enter the pool. When all the chlorine evaporates, that water is used, again, for irrigation. The school is also planning to use vitamin C to dechlorinate the water, which will further reduce the environmental impact.
Just as fascinating is the compost system located in Booth Commons. Run by Lindsay Richardson, the “Rocket” provides compost from the food waste that gets collected every meal. “It is this amazing and sophisticated composter.” Ms. Richardson said when asked about the function of the Rocket, “The food scraps are first put through a pulper, where any food that goes down the drain is ground up, and their volume decreases by 70%. You roughly are left with a third of the volume, which means you might be pulping 35 gallons of food, but it only turns into roughly 10 gallons of pulp food waste. That, along with equal parts wood chips, goes into the rocket.” Unlike conventional methods of composting that take up to four months, the Rocket can break down the waste in just 14 days. In it, billions of microbes work hard to convert our leftovers into byproducts that could be used to supplement gardens.
With climate change threatening this world we call home, Cate was quick to take its steps towards a greener Earth. Many members of this community sacrifice their time and energy to ensure the Mesa stays the same way it was before in the years to come. Why not join in? So, the next time you step outside, listen to the birds chirp, feel the breeze as the grass dances to its rhythm, watch the sun phase below the horizon, and appreciate this beauty that was gifted to us by taking your own steps towards making Cate more sustainable.
Comments