Sophie Kapica Lauded for Green Project

Sophie Kapica, a junior at and a member of the Girl Scouts of the USA, worked with Dyson Ltd., an international manufacturer of hand dryers and other fan-based products, to capture her Girl Scouts’ Gold Award and ensure that her school has a greener future.

“I contacted the Dyson Company. I talked to them for a good amount of time, and I was able to negotiate with them. They were able to donate the eight hand driers if we did some testimonials for them,” Kapica said. “It worked out very nicely, because the school district was able to help out with paying for the installation.”

The eight hand dryers can now be found in the two bathrooms nearest the Chatham High office, four bathrooms in the school’s “B” wing and two others in the “C” wing.

Kapica said reducing paper waste with the hand dryers was just part of the overall scope of the project.

“The general theme is paper saving, so this is just a part of it,” Kapica said. “The other parts included making a video, which is posted on the Chatham Patch, an environmental website and a couple other websites, as well as spreading educational materials in the schools.”

Peter Daquila, the business administrator for the , commended Kapica for her efforts at Monday night’s meeting.

“Sophie singlehandedly took on big business and got them to listen. She worked with the Dyson Company and got them to donate to the district eight Dyson hand dryers,” Daquila said.

“She ultimately thought that she would have to fundraise to get the money to get them installed, but when (District Building & Grounds Supervisor) John Cataldo and I got involved, we realized that if Sophie could work hard enough to get them donated, the district could find the funds to get them installed. ...

“I think she’s gone above and beyond,” Daquila continued. “I think the district needed to acknowledge her efforts, as well.”