Welcome to the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives, Williams' sustainability office.
Effective July 1, 2024, the Zilkha Center and the Center for Environmental Studies will merge to become the new Zilkha Center for the Environment, while the Environmental Studies Program becomes a stand-alone interdisciplinary academic program that is the home of the environmental studies curriculum. You can read more about the changes here. We will update our webpages over the next few weeks.
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.
NEWS & UPDATES
🌳🎓 Excited to announce that Williams has received the Tree Campus official plaque and Tree Campus flag at @arbordayfoundation ‘s Tree Campus Awards!🌱💚
To be recognized as a Tree Campus, Williams has had to meet five standards set by the @arbordayfoundation :
- Establishment of a campus tree advisory committee
- Evidence of a campus tree care plan
-Verification of the plan’s dedicated annual expenditures
-Observing Arbor Day
-Creating a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body
Thanks to the work of facilities and our landscaping ecology director, Felicity Purzycki, Williams has met all of these requirements and is committing to continue planting and maintaining the trees on campus. 🌳💚 #treecampus
🚨“Currant” Events in the ZCE gardens!🚨
Our dedicated garden & landscaping interns, Mali and Beatrice, harvested currants and hosted the entire Williams summer community at the Zilkha Center for some delicious currant-based treats!🍪 Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy!
🌞🌿 Our summer interns had a blast visiting @soulfirefarm for their annual SOULstice celebration! 🎉✨
Soul Fire Farm is an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm dedicated to identifying and removing racism in the food system and fostering food sovereignty.🌽🍯
Interns ate amazing food, watched beautiful aerial silk performances, and enjoyed performances by @reynatropical and other talented artists from the Soul Fire community. 🌍💚
🌱 Exciting news, Williams! 🌱
Starting today, the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives and the Center for Environmental Studies are merging into the new Zilkha Center for the Environment (ZCE)! With this merge, the ZCE will:
🌲 Oversee campus sustainability efforts
🌲 Collaborate on stewardship over Hopkins Memorial Forest
🌲 Continue initiatives like the student summer grant program, Log Lunch, and Maple Fest
🌲 Serve as the administrative home of the Environmental Justice Clinic
🌲 Act as home of the academic ENVI major & concentration
🌿🌎Earlier this month, Tanja Srebotnjak & Mike Evans, Zilkha Center Director & Deputy Director respectively, presented their work at the Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium at Southern New Hampshire University.🌿🌎
Their presentation reflected on opportunities and challenges in working to decarbonize Williams` campus while looking into local carbon credit projects, all while tying in student engagement to this project. The NECSC conference aims to bring together higher education sustainability professionals for a place to network, learn from each other, and explore alternative and innovative solutions.
All are welcome to join us outside (or in if it rains!) the Zilkha Center this Wednesday from 9-12 for some delicious treats! Courtesy of our wonderful garden interns Mali and Beatrice, who will have currants and currant cookies to try! 🍪😋 See you there!
🌿🌸 In their first week, our summer interns spent an afternoon helping out and mulching pathways in @caretakerfarm ‘s herb and flower gardens! 🌱👩🌾
Since its founding in 1969, Caretaker Farm now feeds over 200 families in the Berkshire area with fresh, sustainably grown produce. Right now, they’re cultivating a diverse array of crops, from juicy tomatoes and crisp snap peas to spicy radishes. 🍅🌿🥕You can also check out the farm’s beautiful peace garden, which is full of flowers and overlooks the farmland. 🌻🌷
Caretaker Farm is located in Williamstown, on land that was historically stewarded by the Stockbridge-Munsee Community of the Mohican Nation. The farm is committed to the use of sustainable farming methods to ensure the health of this land for future generations.
The farm utilizes a CSA (community-sponsored agriculture) model, which the Zilkha Center participates in! In exchange for access to fresh seasonal produce available for pickup every week, community members purchase a membership to the farm and contribute 2hr/person of farmwork. Caretaker Farm is spread over 35 acres of land, used to grow over 175+ varieties of 40 different crops per season! On top of this, the farm rears 100 chickens (that produce around 95 eggs/day!) and 3 pigs. The farm uses compost from these animals instead of chemical fertilizers, and mulch cover to reduce pests and weed growth. 🌾🏡
Check out the Caretaker Farm instagram for more info on their operations!
🌍🌿 Happy World Rainforest Day! 🌿🌍
Did you know that 20% of the oxygen we breathe and the freshwater we drink comes from the Amazon rainforest? Rainforest ecosystems absorb carbon dioxide, stabilize climate patterns, and house half of the world’s plant and animal species. Yet, every minute, an area of rainforest the size of 40 football fields is lost each day.
Rainforests are endangered due to logging, mining, and industrial agriculture. Nearly 20% of the Amazon has been destroyed in the last 50 years, taking with it countless plants and animals.
Founded in 2017 by the @rainforestpartnership , World Rainforest Day celebrates the vital role rainforests play in our climate, biodiversity, culture, and livelihoods. The Rainforest Partnership holds annual summits, featuring 105 organizations from 77 countries, fostering global collaboration and knowledge exchange. In 2024, they introduced the World Rainforest Day pledge program to drive immediate action for rainforest and climate protection.
Ways You Can Support World Rainforest Day:
1.Educate Yourself: Read more about rainforests on @rainforestpartnership ‘s instagram page!
2. Shop Smart: Choose Rainforest Alliance Certified products.
3. Palm Oil Awareness: Look for the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) or Green Palm logo when purchasing palm oil.
Let’s all work to protect our rainforests for everyone! 🌳💧🌎
🌿📸 Introducing Our Summer Communications Intern! 🌿📸
This summer, Alyson will be bringing a fresh perspective to sustainability at the Zilkha Center by keeping our Instagram active, documenting the summer intern experience, and working to reimagine some of our sustainability initiatives. She’ll also be capturing what campus sustainability looks like over the summer through photography and blog posts. Follow along for exciting updates and new content!
🌱🌿 Introducing Our Summer Sustainable Purchasing Intern! 🌿🌱
This summer, Stella will be working on integrating sustainability into the college’s purchasing habits. She’ll be researching the best buying practices, examining trends, and looking into policies to reduce consumption and promote sustainable products that align with both our sustainability and DEI goals. We’re excited to see the positive impact she’ll bring to campus!
🌍✈️ Introducing Our Summer Air Travel and Data Dashboard Intern! 🌍✈️
This summer, Nikhil will be diving into the Williams Air Travel Greenhouse Gas Emissions Information & Reduction Program, analyzing flight emissions to help reduce our community’s carbon footprint. In addition to this work, as our Data Dashboard Intern, Nikhil will work on organizing and visualizing our sustainability data, making our progress toward a sustainable future more transparent and easily accessible to the Williams community. Stay tuned for updates on his progress!
🌿🌷 Introducing Our Summer First Days Intern! 🌿🌷
We’re excited to introduce our 2024 first days intern, Bekah, who will be working with the Zilkha Center this summer to help ensure an unforgettable First Days experience for incoming freshman! From organizing sustainable First Days events like the Sorbet Social and Cider-Pressing, to collaborating with RLT to plan trainings for JA’s and HC’s, Bekah will play a key role in making First Days fun, sustainable, and impactful. With her hard work over the summer, we’re setting up for an amazing start to the fall semester!
🌼🍎 Introducing Our Second Summer Gardening & Landscaping Intern! 🌼🍎
Say hello to Beatrice, who is joining the Zilkha Center this summer to help enhance and maintain the beautiful gardens and plant life around campus. Beatrice will be busy planting, harvesting, and distributing produce, managing pests, and organizing community engagement activities in the gardens. Stay tuned for updates on her journey and exciting garden projects from her and Mali!
🌱🌼 Introducing The First Of Our Summer Gardening & Landscaping Interns! 🌼🌱
Meet Mali, who is joining the Zilkha Center this summer to help foster the beauty in our gardens on campus! They will be planning and implementing garden upkeep, harvesting and distributing produce, managing pests, and engaging with the summer campus community through educational activities. Stay tuned for updates on their journey and exciting garden projects!
Big improvements came to the ‘66 Envi Center gardens this year with the help of current and former ZC interns. Former ZC intern, Sam Samuel ‘25, now a MakerSpace Intern, took the lead on designing engraved garden signage, a long-time need for the space. In the project, Sam incorporated sustainability by using reclaimed wood from @hopkinsforest and old telephone poles. We’re so thankful to make the space more welcoming and accessible through these signs!
Uhart Bradnock ‘27, one the Zilkha Center’s Landscaping and Gardening Interns, came to the internship with deep experience growing food. He took initiative to partner with Dr. Allison Gill to analyze the soil around the envi center to help inform future plantings. His work gave us insights into the pH and carbon/nitrogen ratios in the soil so we can better plan the gardens.
Shout-out to intern Mercy Lagat for all her hard work keeping the gardens up this year. They look fantastic, and we can’t wait for your wildflowers to come up!
Did you know that the Zilkha Center hosts a dish kit that you can borrow to help make your events zero waste? The staff at Sawyer Library do! They recently hosted their senior send-off party using the dish kit to reduce their waste. Thanks for keeping sustainability in mind during your event planning!
Want to learn more about hosting sustainable events, including checking out the dish kit? Check out the link in our bio to the Sustainable Events Guide!
In case you missed it, there were sheep on campus earlier this year! Honoring the ancient Roman festival of Parilia, the Classics Department hosted this experiential learning event to talk about the traditions of sheep grazing. Emphasizing the interconnectedness of sheep with ecology, history, literature, religion, and more, this event was a blaaaast!
The Zilkha Center is excited to welcome Alex Martone to the team as the new Sustainability Coordinator! Prior to this role, Alex was at Binghamton University in New York where she completed a Master of Science in Sustainable Communities. Alex brings valuable expertise in student engagement, environmental education, and a dedication to sustainable food systems and addressing food insecurity. Alex is eager to explore the relationships of sustainability across departments and organizations during her time at Williams. Fun fact - As a self proclaimed coffee hobbyist and enthusiast, Alex owns almost every appliance in which brewing coffee is made possible. Please join us in welcoming Alex!
In honor of senior week, we’re highlighting several wonderful seniors we’ve had the chance to work with.
Hikaru Wakeel Hayakawa, has been a 2x Root leader, Root Director, Sustainable Living Community Coordinator, and a member of the Campus Environmental Advisory Committee, among many other activities on campus. The summer before attending Williams, Hikaru also helped launch Climate Cardinals, a youth-led non-profit that translates information on climate and empowers grassroots climate education so everyone can access and understand the climate crisis. Hikaru currently serves as the Deputy Executive Director, focusing on Climate Cardinals’ strategic partnerships and fundraising. Hikaru received the William Bradford Turner Citizenship Prize during the 2024 Commencement ceremony. We’re so thankful to know you, and excited to see where you’ll go next!
Amelia Linton, former Sustainable Food intern and Root leader, recipient of the Hazel M. Johnson Fellowship awarded by Black Girl Environmentalist, will be placed at the Harvard Climate Action Accelerator for the upcoming summer. In this role, she will help with revisiting the Accelerators Strategic Framework, meeting outside partners and helping to grow and strengthen the core team. She is excited to be a part of a team with such a wide reaching impact and learn the strategic thinking required to take on long term and large scale projects. We’re so proud of you, Amelia!
Brian Lavinio, previous Zero Waste and Plastics intern for the Zilkha Center, landed a position at the U.S. Department of Energy, working as an ORISE Clean Energy Fellow. He’ll be working in the Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) on the Community Innovation and Technical Assistance team helping several clean energy deployment grant and prize programs at the local level. Through this role, he will have the opportunity to connect with local, state, and tribal governments across the country to advance their energy and efficiency goals! Way to go Brian!
Shout-out to all of the amazing ZC interns for a great year! Swipe to read some of their most memorable moments of the program.
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