What sustainable methods have you implemented in the Sacred Heart Greenwich community thus far?

“With the support of the Greenwich Audubon Center, we have promoted wildlife habitats by building birdhouses, creating meadows, pollinator gardens, and introducing honeybees.  We have installed a weather station to monitor our weather and allow me to be more efficient with the irrigation of the lawns, shrub beds, and soccer fields.  We have also built compost bins and composted the non-meat food scraps from the kitchen.  We will eventually use this composted soil in the garden, greenhouse, and lawn areas.  In addition, with the help of the Audubon committee, we have developed our own Sacred Heart Sustainability website.”

What projects are you introducing to promote a more sustainable environment? 

“One exciting new feature is our greenhouse.  This will allow students and staff to plant vegetables and herbs for use in the garden and to grow vegetables and herbs in the winter.  We want to continue to expand our wildlife habitats and land usage by building more birdhouses.  We also want to enhance our meadow’s pollinator gardens with more native plant species, planting more trees and enhancing our orchards.”

What inspired your interest in environmental concerns?

“Growing up on a farm, I learned how to value the land and its finite resources.  My parents also cherished the outdoors.  They camped, fished, kayaked, white water rafted, snowmobiled, and more.  My childhood instilled in me to be an avid outdoorsman and love nature.  Adding in my passion for sports, being the Grounds Manager here at Sacred Heart covers everything.  At this point in my life, being an environmental steward is about preserving the memories that I had, allowing my children to experience these same memories and have the ability to add new adventures as well.  My goal as the Grounds Manager at Sacred Heart is the same.  I want to preserve the past while hopefully enhancing the future of our 108-acre campus.”

The King Street Chronicle thanks Mr. Wilford Smyers, Grounds Manager, for his contributions to “Humans of Sacred Heart.”