Inaugural Pener Conference highlights sustainability efforts

The inaugural James Tufts Pener Environmental Stewardship Conference offered a scholarly focus on environmental sustainability as well as practical tips to effect real and lasting change. 

Held May 19 in the CFA’s Hale Theater, the conference honored the life and legacy of James Pener ‘23. A rising Thayer senior at the time, Pener died in July of 2022 in a car accident in Maine. 

Dr. Austin Gallagher ‘04, founder and CEO of Beneath The Waves, served as the conference’s keynote speaker. The acclaimed marine biologist highlighted the organization’s efforts to study and preserve seagrass in the Bahamas and around the globe. The Thayer alum also addressed the race to explore the mysteries of the deep ocean using both high- and low-tech solutions. 

Joining Gallagher that day were student presenters from Thayer and from Brookline High School, the school Pener attended before coming to Thayer. The student groups educated conference attendees on a variety of topics, displaying a depth and breadth to their presentations that spoke to their commitment to environmental sustainability. 

Presenting first, Brookline High’s Ezra Kleinbaum chronicled his own journey to a diet of plant-based foods before explaining how eating lower on the food chain preserves needed habitat, decreases water usage, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. 

“Switching to a plant-based diet is one of the most important things that people can do to reduce their impact on the environment,” he said. 

Kleinbaum also detailed how, beginning as freshmen, he and five fellow students formed an advocacy group and started an ongoing conversation with Brookline Public Schools and its food services vendor. Years later, Brookline schools now boast “Meatless Mondays” and will soon add vegan options at every meal. The student group also advocates for change at the state and federal level and even weighed in on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed updates to the nation’s school nutrition program. 

“You have so much power to make change,” said Kleinbaum. 

Brookline High’s next presenter, Emma Eisenhauer, advocated for the use of new technology to promote sustainability and combat climate change. Specifically, she touted digital twinning — creating a virtual model of a physical object — as one way to create simulations using real-time data. She pointed to Destination Earth, billed as the flagship initiative of the European Commission, the politically independent executive arm of the European Union, as one large-scale example. The project seeks to create a highly accurate digital model of the Earth and its ecosystems to better understand and predict “the interaction between natural phenomena and human activities.” 

Eisenhauer also discussed ChatGPT and showed audience members how she used the artificial intelligence chatbot to create EarthGPT, a prototype which walks people through the various ways of helping the environment.

“We can use that technology (ChatGPT and digital twinning) for good to help our planet,” she said. 

The Thayer students were equally as informative and impassioned. Katelyn Sentnor ‘24 and Charlotte Murphy ‘24 discussed the topic of ecotourism and examined its potential as an alternative to less sustainable mainstream tourism options. They cited the three pillars of sustainability — planet, people, and profit — and offered data showing that businesses which prioritized all three pillars were more successful in the long run. The students highlighted one ecotourism destination in Mexico where the tour guides employed by the business are former commercial fishermen who can no longer do that job due to overfishing. The new model is good for the environment, good for the business and its clients, and good for local residents. 

“All three pillars are prioritized,” said Murphy. 

For Thayer’s Rebecca Rudolph ‘24, Charlie Denomme ‘23, and Sam Taylor ‘23, the topic was the loss of eelgrass in New England; the trio urged an increase in the utilization of public transportation and a decrease in the use of fertilizers as two of their many brass-tacks suggestions for preserving eelgrass, a key ally in the fight against climate change because of its ability to effectively store carbon. 

“We need to decarbonize our atmosphere by recarbonizing our biosphere,” said Rudolph.

Thayer seniors Diego Teixiera '23, Eli Kream '23, and Ty Mainini '23 updated conference attendees on the revival of sustainability efforts at Thayer and the resurgence of the Academy’s Sustainability Club. Accomplishments include a significant increase in the amount of recycling at the school, the 20 filtered water bottle filling stations which dot the campus and eliminate any need for single-use plastic water bottles, working with Chef Doug and his team to make composting “second nature” at Thayer, and recent volunteer cleanups along the South Shore. 

Pener, the students noted, was himself a member of the club and planned to study environmental science in college after taking an AP course in the subject here at Thayer. 

“This is something he would have wanted,” said Mainini. The group ended their presentation with a slide reading “Run free,” a tribute to their friend, a gifted athlete who excelled in cross country. 

Delivering his keynote address, Gallagher put much of the focus on underwater seagrass meadows, which he said are 15 times more efficient than the rainforest at capturing carbon and thus combating climate change. He referenced Beneath The Waves’ recent discovery of the world’s largest seagrass meadow — 32,521 square miles, or roughly the size of Maine — which is found across the banks of the Bahamas. 

“This is the new ‘lungs of the planet,’” said Gallagher, referring to the moniker given rainforests as an acknowledged sine qua non in addressing climate change. “It’s just underwater.” 

The major seagrass meadow discovery came about because the Beneath The Waves team had been studying Tiger Sharks and noticed that the sharks spent significantly more time in areas where there are seagrass meadows, a crucial feeding location. Trying to better understand the connection, researchers outfitted the Tiger Sharks with 360-degree cameras; the sharks then successfully scouted out the ecosystems for the scientists. The Beneath The Waves team then mapped out the extent of the seagrass meadow with the help of satellites. 

“It’s the largest carbon sink on Earth,” said Gallagher. 

Gallagher ended his presentation on an encouraging note: these seagrass meadows and other “blue carbon” assets represent a vital tool in the battle against climate change. He pointed out that the discovery occurred because researchers wanted to learn more about the ecosystems on which Tiger Sharks depend. 

“If you can protect the sharks, you can protect the people,” he said. 

For their efforts at the conference, student presenters from both schools received one-year memberships to The Trustees of Reservations, a nonprofit which cares for roughly 47,000 acres of land across Massachusetts. They also received a copy of Blue Natural Capital, co-written by Gallagher and Dr. Carlos M. Duarte, a member of Beneath The Waves’ science and policy advisory board. 

In his remarks, Head of School Fortunato P ‘26, ‘28 said those gathered at the inaugural conference did so “in scholarship, in community, and in remembrance.” He thanked all attendees for making the conference so impactful but singled out the yeoman’s work of the event’s planning committee: Upper School Science Faculty Don Donovan P ‘10, ‘13; Upper School English Faculty Joe Pelletier; Upper School Math Faculty Justin Maloney; and Upper School Science Faculty Skip Schneider P ‘20, ‘22. 

Mark Pener P ‘23, James’ father, had the honor of welcoming guests to the conference which shared his son’s love of nature and passion for meaningful change. 

“It means so much to us that you’re here today,” said the elder Pener, who spoke of his son’s caring and compassion as well as his loyalty to those he loved. James, said his father, was a proud member of the Adirondack 46ers, having climbed all 46 major peaks of New York’s Adirondack Mountains by the age of 14. He then urged listeners to embrace their passions with that same kind of intensity. 

“Find your mountain and climb it,” he said.