Sustainability Mission Statement

Sustainability Mission Statement

Westland School is committed to practices that promote sustainability. Environmental sustainability encompasses the thoughtful management of natural resources to fulfill present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. We approach our work both within the school and in the Los Angeles community. We believe it is up to each of us and all of us together to strive towards environmental justice and that an imperative part of what it means to be a responsible, thoughtful citizen and community member includes a commitment to sustainability. 

Westland works to strengthen the relationship between ourselves and the earth. Children, staff, the Board, parents, and guardians incorporate everyday sustainable practices in our school community and in the local community. These practices build our engagement to advocate for local and global environmental concerns.

All community members at Westland are invited to consider their experience as individuals in context of the community. We strive to demonstrate respect, reciprocity, and care for the earth and world around us on the personal level, interpersonal level, institutional level, and cultural level: 

• Sustainability lives at the personal level through each community member’s consideration of how their choices impact their daily life on campus  and consider as part of their own reflective practice and mindfulness of the environment.
  

• At the interpersonal level, community members learn from, share with, and teach each other about sustainable practices and environmental justice. Children share their learning at Sings, promoting sustainable practices through projects and sign making. Children also go out to the Los Angeles community on field trips to build community and partnerships. Through the curriculum, Westland emphasizes sustainability in each group, building children’s  understanding of how to  steward the environment in their school community.
  

• At the institutional level, Westland evolves its systems and policies to promote environmental sustainability. The staff, Board of Trustees, and parent committees view their work through a sustainable lens, making decisions and seeking practices that help to slow climate change. Through their classroom and campus jobs, through environment-focused curriculum, and through their outdoor experiences on campus, children live out these sustainability-centered practices. Westland also incorporates parent education to heighten awareness of initiatives within the community and to share supportive ways to incorporate practices into the lives of members of the community. Westland is continually seeking ways to make the campus as green as possible, including ongoing self examination of ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the physical plant of the school.
  

• Combined, these beliefs and practices create a school that is, at the cultural level, action-centered and focused on community-, human-, and environmental-health. All community members develop the habits of sustainability, seeking ways to care for our campus environment, our city, one another, and our earth – an imperative part of what community means here. 

An essential element of Westland’s philosophy is the connection between an individual and their community. When children understand their connection to the Group, the Group’s connection to the School, and the School’s connection to Los Angeles and the world around them, they internalize habits of democracy and active citizenship. At Westland, there has been a long lasting commitment to people and the planet, and that commitment continues. Our curiosity is never contained, and our commitment to making the world a better place is at the forefront of all we do with children and each other.