Welcome to the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives, Williams' sustainability office.
The Zilkha Center advances sustainability at Williams College in collaboration with operational departments, faculty, students and partners outside the college. Our key focus areas include:
How does the Zilkha Center fit into the campus ecosystem? Campus sustainability is everyone’s job, but the Zilkha Center exists to support and keep the work moving forward. The Center focuses primarily on improving campus operations while engaging students in the work.
Academic courses around sustainability and the environment fall under the Center for Environmental Studies (CES). Students interested in majoring in environmental studies or the research and internship opportunities CES provides should reach out directly to CES.
🌎 Earth Week is approaching quite soon! Here`s the official lineup of events happening for Earth Week. There`s something for everyone—lectures, food, hikes, and so much more. Be sure to check them out! 🌎
🎞️ Enjoy Earth Week with free movies! Images Cinema is hosting free screenings of environmentalism-themed films from April 19 to the 25th. Visit imagescinema.org for the full lineup of films, as well as extra events and shorts! 🎞️
Caught in the act - The Mount Greylock HS Youth Environmental Squad hosting a cleanup near Cole Field! Thanks so much for your service to our community!
Keep your eyes peeled for our SCAVENGER HUNT starting April 19th! Solve puzzles (like this!) on our story to win ice cream, fresh fruit, boba, and more! 🍓🥭🍦
Williams is committed to an ongoing effort to decarbonize its operations and reduce its scope 1 and 2 emissions by 80% (against a 1991 baseline year). You can learn more on the Zilkha Center’s website (link in bio)!
🗣 With Earth Week rolling around, you may see terms like "green" or "sustainable" tossed around. But what do they all mean, and how do we know if they actually benefit the earth? Here`s a guide on how to spot trustworthy terms. 🗣
Notice anything unusual in the second image? Yup, the eclipse confused the solar trackers, making them point in the precise *opposite* direction of the sun. They must have heard you’re not supposed to look directly at the eclipse 🤷🏼♀️
🏡 Over break the Zilkha Center hosted two groups for a tour of the `66 Environmental Center - a sustainable architecture class from Colgate University and a kindergarten class from Williamstown Elementary School. Very different tours, but both great groups. Thanks for visiting! 🏡
Shout-out to Doug Schlaefer and Jason Moran for sharing the inner workings of both the Envi Center and Garfield with the Colgate group!
Join the ECGO Earth Month Challenge, starting today, April 1st!
Recycle and compost through the app to get gift card and discount rewards!
To get started, use the link in our bio to download the app! (use your phone - clicking from a desktop will just take you to the general ECGO website)
Can you be-leaf we have over 550 maple trees on campus?! Which species do you recognize? Check out our other tree species in the Data Dash (link in bio)!
Pursuing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is critical for creating a just and livable future! This stacked chart shows the primary listings of sustainability classes that also fulfill Diversity, Power and Equity (DPE) course requirements. Read more about sustainability curriculum on the data dashboard (link in bio).
Transportation, including college-sponsored air travel, accounted for 12.6% of Williams College’s greenhouse gas emissions in fiscal year 2023. We’re working to actively encourage more sustainable modes of transportation – learn more on our Data Dash (link in bio)!
Williams is committed to reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions by at least 80% from our fiscal 1991 baseline. Check out our progress on the Sustainability Data Dashboard (link in bio)!
Emissions are often broken into three “scopes” - directly controlled sources such as the central plant (scope 1), emissions associated with purchased electricity (scope 2), and emissions associated with the college’s other operational activities (scope 3).
Happy Pi Day from the ZC! Join us for the next two weeks as we dive into our newly-launched Sustainability Data Dashboard (link in bio) and share more about our progress through numbers!
In the meantime, enjoy our pie 🥧 chart from the Dashboard featuring the College’s 2021 Scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions — which includes emissions from combustion boilers, furnaces, and college-owned vehicles combustion as well as refrigerants and fertilizer use.
Get to know the Sustainable Living Community! Swipe to learn more about this awesome cohort of students who are seeking to live more sustainably on campus.
@williams.slc
Have you been enjoying the sunny weather lately? Learn more about the local ecosystem at Hopkins Forest and how the fauna contributes to a healthy forest! Here’s Part 2 of our Flora & Fauna series at Hopkins Forest, featuring fauna!
Thank you to the Hopkins Forest’s website for the info and (some of) the pictures!
Have you been enjoying the sunny weather lately? Learn more about the local ecosystem at Hopkins Forest and how the flora contributes to a healthy forest! Here’s Part 1 (out of 2) of our Flora and Fauna series at Hopkins Forest, featuring flora!
Thank you to the Hopkin’s Forest website for the information and (some of) the pictures!
Yesterday was National Battery Day! In the spirit of this holiday, here’s a guide on how to recycle batteries on campus, as well as why it’s important to do so.
🌤 Enjoy a summer exploring the Berkshires, gaining sustainability skills, and making change on campus! Zilkha Center Interns focus on an individual project while collaborating with one another, going on field trips, and enjoying the bounty of a CSA share & community meals. And you get paid hourly! 🌤
Whether you`re interested in learning more about environmental orgs in the Berkshires, want to integrate a justice lens into environmental work, or are just hoping to find a community of sustainability-minded peers, this is the space for you!
Applications are due Wednesday, February 21st at 11:59pm - see link in bio to apply
Intern Spotlight! Shout-out to our Community Engagement and Outreach Intern Fiona Zheng ’27 for her work at Flying Cloud Institute in Pittsfield, MA! Through the Institute, Zheng visited two schools to teach students on the importance of sustainability and ways to take action.
🍂 Today we celebrate World Wetlands Day! To learn more about wetlands in our area and the people working to protect these critical ecosystems, check out the local non-profits Hoosic River Watershed Association (HooRWA) and Williamstown Rural Lands. 🍂
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