Poly hosted the third annual Nathan & Estelle Feldman Sustainability Prize & Lecture on Wednesday evening, May 20, but this year’s lecture by Dr. Alexandra Harrington was presented as a webinar in Virtual Poly. Nicholas Perez, a member of the graduating Class of 2020, was awarded the Nathan & Estelle Feldman Sustainability Prize. He will attend Yale in the fall.

The Nathan & Estelle Feldman Sustainability Prize & Lecture was initiated by alumnus Ira Feldman ’75 in honor of his parents. Previous recipients include Shania Smith ’19 and Arman Kermanshah ’18.

Director of Sustainability Brian Filiatraut welcomed the audience including Head of School Audrius Barzdukas P’20, who said the lecture is “such a wonderful tradition that Ira and Brian have started. Thank you for your vision and keeping it going.” Filiatraut thanked Ira Feldman for “his passion for sustainability and for Poly,” noting Feldman was part of the first Earth Day at Poly.

“Climate change is a non-partisan issue.”

Nicholas Perez ’20

After Filiatraut presented the Nathan & Estelle Feldman Sustainability Prize to Nick Perez, he explained that the student who is awarded the prize is “one who understands the far-reaching and inclusive definition and integration of sustainability—environmental protection, economic development, and social justice; has demonstrated a passion and commitment to sustainability at Poly and in their own community; and will continue to lead a sustainable life by challenging others and striving to make a difference in the world.

Perez, who led a Climate Strike March at Poly last fall, said that sustainability draws from every facet of study we know and “touches all our lives… We must take action. Climate change is a non-partisan issue.”

Guest lecturer, Dr. Alexandra Harrington, discussed sustainability in the age of COVID-19, as part of the celebration of Earth Month & Beyond at Poly.

Dr. Harrington was a Fulbright Canada Special Foundation Fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Canada and is currently visiting associate professor at Albany Law School and the Research Director and Lead Counsel for Peace, Justice and Accountability with the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL).

Dr. Harrington spoke about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the U.N. and how laws will impact climate change. She added that the COVID-19 pandemic “could be empowering for communities impacted by COVID” and that we may be developing new models for post-COVID life. She advised her audience to “reflect on what you have learned” during the pandemic and “take those lessons with you.”