An inside look at the Gilchrist Environmental Fellowship
Madeline Shani ’25
Tonnam Jongcharoensiri ’28
The Gilchrist Environmental Fellowship program, also known as GEF, is a leadership opportunity for all students at Loomis Chaffee. Students can propose a project focused on an initiative to address an environmental issue. If the proposal is accepted, the student is provided with a budget and support to bring their project to fruition. Currently, many students have received a GEF and have been working diligently on their projects.
As a part of her project, Senior Sally Hayes has planted trees near the school’s solar panel array. Altogether, she has planted 13 trees: six sycamores and seven birches. “The primary reason that I did this planting was to help the pollinators on campus,” Sally said. She explained that she “focused on the apiary and trying to find trees that filled a niche blooming season; because when [few] trees are blooming, it can be hard on the pollinators.” Sally also chose to plant the trees near the solar panels to screen the solar panels from the view of faculty members who live on campus, creating a natural look. This initiative also involved the help of GESC seniors, who joined Sally to plant trees in the area in 2023.
Senior Grace Rodner is another recipient of the fellowship who advocated for plant-based eating and encouraged students to adopt similar eating habits. Grace stated, “I noticed that when people talked about why they switched diets, they often cited watching a plant-based diet documentary.” As such, her project– titled One Movie for the Planet – centered around the power of filmmaking in environmental advocacy. Grace’s project included multiple steps, starting with 10-minute presentations in which she shared the environmental impacts of animal agriculture with the Loomis community. Afterward, she challenged each audience member to watch a plant-based diet advocacy documentary. Additionally, utilizing the funds from her fellowship, Grace hosted a screening of the documentary film The Game Changers accompanied by a Q&A session with James Wilks, the elite special forces trainer and ultimate fighter featured in the documentary.
Finally, junior Ashley Jun has also received a Gilchrist Environmental Fellowship. Ashley's project focuses on sustainability in clothing and upcycling. Last spring, Ashley collected clothes for her project, which is fully underway this year with a thrift store initiative. Additionally, clothing that is not sold at the thrift store will be upcycled, as she plans to create new clothes from the old items.
Ultimately, each of these projects sponsored by the Gilchrist Environmental Fellowship is a testament to the program’s importance: fostering students' leadership and advocacy skills as they work to make a difference in the world. As GEF applications plan to open again this school year, we invite more passionate students to participate and contribute their part in helping the environment and the Loomis Chaffee community.
