With decades of dedication, Deb Harrison mentors students in sustainability, inspiring a whole generation of environmental advocates.
Deb Harrison is the Environmental Action Club (EAC) advisor at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, MA. The EAC is one of Nobles’ most popular clubs and it organizes many projects both inside and outside the school, with help from Mrs. Harrison, who has been running it for 11 years. She is additionally the environmental science teacher, as well as the school’s devoted senior faculty member. This interview was conducted in the fall of 2024.
Jacinta: Growing up, did you have any role models or figures who influenced your thoughts on environmental issues?
D.H.: Excellent question. As far as I remember, I did not; however, I played outside a lot. I know many people say, “When I was a kid, I used to …” but I don’t think life for most kids looks how it used to anymore. There is less access to places to play and explore. I distinctly remember playing on the road, just being outside, and witnessing so many things in the natural world. I think we all are drawn to the natural world and outdoors in different ways, and this really caught my attention at that age. So, I didn’t necessarily have role models, but I did have the freedom to explore.
Jacinta: Was there a specific event or thing you noticed that inspired you to get involved in environmental advocacy?
D.H.: When I was in high school, there was no Environmental Action Club (EAC). [The first] Earth Day happened five years before I graduated high school. Although I wasn’t super involved, I still had an ecological mindset. When I went to college, I was aware of the importance of local foods, and I was a biology major, which gave me some environmental information. Right after college, I traveled with two close friends to Europe, and we got this pass that allowed us to take any train we wanted. Although I loved traveling to big cities, I still loved visiting the countryside and hiking around glaciers. This traveling put me into natural settings with incredible beauty and cultures, emphasizing the environment and preserving natural areas. Seeing cool bugs, evidence that beavers had chewed down a tree, and spending time in the mountains was incredibly exciting and sparked my interest in promoting environmental advocacy.
Jacinta: What role did being part of the Nobles community play in your work?
D.H.: At Nobles, we once ran a program that did an extensive Charles River study. Unfortunately, the pandemic put a stop to it, but we ran this program for almost thirty years, taking students to do water sampling near our Charles River watershed. This was an incredible opportunity to open kids’ eyes to our local environment and how we all live upstream and downstream of somebody. We are affected by anything people do upstream, and vice versa when we live downstream. Additionally, a wonderful colleague of mine ran EAC and did incredible work with it. He retired in 2003, and when he left I realized it was my turn to step up and watch over this fantastic club.
Jacinta: You’re also involved in the community. Can you tell us about that?
In 2010, I became a member of the town of Dedham’s sustainability advisory committee. We advise the board of selectmen and try to impact the conservation efforts the town is doing. These experiences have pulled me in and allowed me to do the hard work like collecting data, migration studies, and so much more.
Jacinta: What message do you want to share with the younger generation about the importance of environmental advocacy?
D.H.: Large or small, everybody needs to make a difference. The younger generation should feel free from being committed neck deep. People can throw themselves into many different efforts and be very involved, but people who don’t have that time or access shouldn’t feel guilty. Taking small steps on a personal level is more significant than people realize. There are some sobering truths that we are living with that will never go away, and with this, it’s easy to feel insignificant and as if one person’s actions don’t matter — when they do.
There are some sobering truths that we are living with that will never go away, and with this, it’s easy to feel insignificant and as if one person’s actions don’t matter — when they do.
Deb Harrison
Jacinta: In your view, how has environmental advocacy changed between when you started and today?
D.H.: In the ’60s, there was a lot of environmental advocacy and protests, especially with the first Earth Day on the horizon for 1970. Ecological advocacy has been around for longer than that, yet it is truly becoming a part of our culture now. Part of this advocacy is not people protesting but incorporating certain things into their lifestyles. I believe there is heightened awareness, and people genuinely try to make thoughtful choices when they can. One thing that underscores this observation is this: I’ve been teaching environmental science for a while. Students used to come into the class unsure what climate change was and ask, “Is this really happening?” Now, when my students come into environmental science, they know quite a bit more than kids used to know. Some kids learn through church groups, some have learned with Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, and maybe camp had specific opportunities for them. No matter the way, kids are much more involved. As you’ve seen, the amount of energy and commitment kids coming into EAC have are some orders of magnitude above where they used to be. Teachers are not taking busloads of kids to rallies like they used to in the ’70s, but we are still creating impactful change.
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