Riverdale Advances Climate Activism
As fires blaze in California and Texas sinks deeper into snow, Americans reckon with President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords. While temperatures skyrocket, so does climate anxiety. At Riverdale, numerous initiatives are taking place in order to combat climate change, ranging from the Freight Farm to environmental education.
The first, and most notable, way Riverdale is pushing for sustainability is in the implementation of the Freight Farm. Director of Environmental Stewardship Ms. Angela Costanzo, who directs the initiative, explained the Freight Farm as a vertical farming system inside of an old shipping container. This vertical farming system, at its maximum, is capable of producing 5 acres’ worth of produce while only using 5 gallons of water per day, a feat that is possible thanks to the use of a “trickle-down system”. Essentially, in a vertical farm, water flows with gravity from plant to plant. This system allows water to be conserved while yielding bountiful crops.
The Freight Farm is more than just a symbol of Riverdale’s commitment to environmentalism; it’s actively producing much of what’s consumed at the school. Produce includes the lettuce at the salad bar, or the kale and collards. The ultimate goal of the Freight Farm, explained Ms. Constanzo, is to have nearly all produce consumed at Riverdale produced right here on campus so that Riverdale can eliminate the gasoline-guzzling middlemen on the route between, for example, a farm in Idaho and the school.
However, the plants in the Freight Farm consume CO2 so rapidly that Freight Farm advisors have suggested pumping CO2 directly into the Farm. This summer, a Riverdale student-led program at the Farm will offer a smarter solution--growing fungi, using their natural CO2 byproduct to support the Farm while producing fresh oxygen and tasty mushrooms.
To students interested in sustainability or environmentalism, Ms. Costanzo offered one piece of advice: act on that interest! Riverdale provides numerous opportunities, many student-led, to be involved in sustainability. And she added students are welcome to stop by and learn more about the Freight Farm anytime.
Speaking of student-led initiatives, Sustainability Club Leader Maddy Wisse met with The Review to discuss growing environmental issues, and what Riverdale can do about it. The Sustainability Club, she explained, is a student-led group at Riverdale that works to both promote awareness and contribute to the cause. During their meetings, they often hold miniature classes on subtopics in sustainability ranging from sustainable fashion to the politics of climate change, that educate students in the club. They’re seeking to extend their lessons to the rest of the Riverdale community in a highly-anticipated Earth Day assembly.
Beyond awareness, the Sustainability Club hosts drives and sales. While bake sales often prove to be challenging due to the waste generated from plastic wrap to cardboard containers, the Sustainability Club seeks to either do an entirely homemade bake sale or to do a “plant sale”, selling small greenery and succulents instead of food that often goes wasted.
The club’s influence reaches beyond the Riverdale community into the Bronx. One of the specific interests of the club, Wisse explained, is sustainable fashion and upcycling. In the past, they’ve run coat drives with Grassroots Grocery to help people avoid both the financial and environmental strain of purchasing newly made coats, and seek to continue that partnership.
It’s impossible to discuss sustainability at Riverdale without mentioning Class of 2024 alum Joel Grayson. Both Wisse and Ms. Costanzo explained Grayson’s unique interest in sustainability and how he sought to make an impact by switching Riverdale to electric buses, giving rise to the “Students for Electric Buses” Club that now exists on campus. According to Ms. Costanzo, Grayson was “the spark” that set off Riverdale’s newest environmental initiative; an incremental switch to solar energy, starting this spring.
The solar panels, explained Ms. Costanzo, will be constructed on top of buildings across campus in order to align with New York City’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The Climate Act, as it’s commonly referred to, requires the NYC area to source 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, and a zero-emissions grid by 2040. Though Ms. Costanzo warns that the shift may be slow, she has high hopes for this project and envisions a future of an entirely self-sufficient campus.
An anonymous student said that she feels a rising sense of climate anxiety, and she worries that the US as a country doesn’t do enough to handle the issue. Though she tries to recycle, compost, and more at home, she worries that people don’t care. She says that “the most important thing anyone can do for the environment is raise awareness and get others to care”, adding that “daily habits that might seem small add up over time”. She was glad to learn about Riverdale’s climate initiatives, and hopes to see more progress made by other schools.
Ultimately, climate change is an issue that’s becoming increasingly pressing, but that makes it a problem worth addressing for the Riverdale community From solar panel installations to plant sale drives, everything has an impact. Anyone is welcome to partake in the fight against climate change however they can, and Riverdale is a space with nearly unlimited opportunities to do so.
