Editor’s note: The following was submitted by Sustainable Westport, reflecting the group’s views on the Long Lots Elementary School project and the future of the Westport Community Gardens.

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We are inspired by our community’s response to the Long Lots Building Committee’s consideration of plans to relocate the Westport Community Gardens and Long Lots Preserve. 

As hundreds of residents have already stated, the community gardens are a valuable community asset. Not only do they support exceptional programs like Grow-A-Row, but they are also emblematic of the type of spaces Westport wants to promote and foster — a natural resource that provides flood storage, wildlife habitat and tree canopy while also providing an educational and enriching environment for our community. 

Sustainable Westport wholeheartedly supports preserving the community gardens and building a sustainable school to support our town’s commitment to use best efforts to become a Net Zero community by 2050.

As a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting individuals, businesses and our town government in making changes to reduce our overall carbon footprint, Sustainable Westport recognizes the immense opportunity this project represents for our community. Westport has not built a new school from the ground up since 2001, and prior to that, not since 1965. 

In a recent letter to the selectwomen and the RTM, Save Westport Now shared several important observations about proposed plans to relocate or modify the community gardens and preserve. Although Sustainable Westport was not invited to participate in the committee, our team has made every effort to attend all public committee meetings and has used our platform to encourage our community to make their voices heard. 

Since last October, Sustainable Westport has shared informative content both with the committee and the public to educate residents about the advantages associated with constructing a sustainable school.

Sustainable schools deliver significant health, educational, financial and environmental benefits to students, teachers and communities. Not only are sustainable schools more energy efficient, leading to lower operating costs, but they also provide learning spaces that significantly improve the wellness and productivity of those in and around the building. Learn more here.

We also strongly advocated for sustainability to be included as a primary objective for the Long Lots Building Committee. In fact, the resolution appointing the committee includes the directive to incorporate “sustainable and energy efficient design practices to the extent possible into the scope of work as appropriate to achieve the best long term value for the town, in support of the 2017 resolution committing Westport to use best efforts to become a Net Zero community by 2050.”  

We have been pleased by the committee’s willingness to explore sustainable options for each potential outcome: renovate, renovate and expand, or build new. Most considerations focus on energy, including solar, geothermal, ground-source heat pumps, and insulation.

However, we have also heard discussions about installing dishwashers (to reduce the single-use waste), induction stovetops, using mass timber and concrete to lower embodied carbon, implementing rain gardens and sustainable landscaping, and using grey water or a retention pond for irrigation. As these examples illustrate, the umbrella of “sustainability” is complex and far-reaching.

Our ask is simple. 

Please extend your energy and enthusiasm beyond protecting the Westport Community Gardens and Long Lots Preserve, a long-standing example of our community’s commitment to sustainability, by also advocating for establishing a school that aligns with the town’s objective of achieving Net Zero status by 2050. 

Let us work together to encourage the Long Lots Building Committee to both preserve our existing natural resources and create new infrastructure that reinforces our shared dedication to sustainability. 

Please contact your RTM member and the Westport Board of Education to inform them that you support the Town of Westport investing in Net Zero infrastructure, including schools and other public buildings. 

Also, keep apprised of the Long Lots Elementary School Building Committee meetings; join when you can and make your voice heard! To sign up for email alerts when meetings are announced, please click here, then add your email address under “Subscribe to Meet & News Updates.” Next, under “Calendar,” select “Long Lots School Building Committee.”