Green Action Cleans Up!

Entrepreneurs aren’t only found in the business world—Dana Hall’s Green Action Committee student leaders have built partnerships, designed programs, and rallied schools to work together on environmental action. Over the past three years, the Upper School Green Action Committee leaders have developed a partnership with Belmont Hill School to sponsor community environmental awareness events and programs. The spark for this collaboration came from E. Kennedy ’26, who worked with O. Julian ’24 and C. Woll ’26 to bring it to fruition. The student leaders developed a plan to invite local area independent high schools to participate in a series of Zoom calls that would then identify green action initiatives students were excited to support together.

Kennedy reflects, “We wanted to expand the scope of the club. We didn’t start out with set ideas, but let the collaboration process develop ideas that both schools wanted to pursue.”

Like most entrepreneurs, the leaders quickly learned that opportunity, timing, and resources must align to make progress. The Belmont Hill School Green Action Club, already well-established, was excited to join the Dana Hall student initiative. 

A Charles River clean-up was hosted in May 2024 alongside the Charles River Watershed Association’s annual event. More than 20 student volunteers participated and collected microplastics from the river edge and assorted waste from the surrounding marshlands. As the new entrepreneurs soon realized, launching a new initiative can be challenging, but making it a practice can be harder. 

“Keep at it. It can be difficult to coordinate and communicate effectively with new people, especially from a different school who you are not familiar with. In the long run, it is the relationships and community that you build that will keep the initiative going and help the club reach greater goals,” encourages Woll.

Dana Hall student leaders wanted a new site with a greater need, and therefore a greater impact for the second annual event. This proved a daunting task. Massachusetts government initiatives at both the state and local levels have created a well-integrated system that promotes environmental awareness and supports impactful clean-up activities. Still, the students were determined to find new opportunities where their leadership could make the biggest difference. Last spring, the group spent a Sunday afternoon picking, poking, and bagging trash along Farm Pond in Framingham. The park—popular with dog walkers, families, and young adults—benefitted from the effort, and for the volunteers and community members alike, the cleanup proved both meaningful and rewarding. The effort collected and bagged more than eight large-size garbage bags.

“An experience like a water cleanup can change your perspective on environmental advocacy. Sometimes it’s best to just get out there and do it yourself, get others involved, and make it happen.” recommends both Dana Hall Green Action leaders.

In true entrepreneurial spirit, these students continue to seek out challenges, adapt to obstacles, and inspire others to take action—proving that leadership and innovation thrive wherever passion meets purpose.