Wrapped in Hope: Marian High School

Hello and happy Sunday. Welcome to the fourth edition of our series: Wrapped in Hope. This edition features Omaha Marian High School.

Marian stands at the forefront of environmental progress in Omaha. This year, much of Marian’s focus was on continuing their zero waste lunch program. They worked to organize a kick-off block for each grade level, and kept a daily sign-up sheet so that student volunteers can help guide everyone on how to best sort waste.

The Sustainability Board also presented to the faculty recently, sharing ideas for making classrooms more sustainable. Some ideas they proposed were to minimize paper and address recycling and environmental education in the school curriculum.

Martha Chapman, the student leader of the Sustainability Club at Marian, recently gave a speech about sustainable agriculture and how agriculture can be responsibly farmed yet also still be most beneficial to the farmer.

In recent events, the Sustainability club has hosted a “12 Days of Sustainable Holiday Practice” social media campaign. Students share 12 eco-friendly holiday tips as stories in the twelve days leading up to Christmas.

In January, Marian will launch a gently used coat & winter gear drive. Items collected will be donated to The Stephen Center.

In the future, Marian hopes to partner with several Catholic grade schools to help kickstart a compost program this spring.

Omaha Marian’s hard work towards the protection of our common home is incredible. They serve as a model for what schools around the country can do for our environment. Thank you Omaha Marian High School.

~ Seamus Haney