Publications and Resources

ZCE Newsletters

Fieldnotes Publications by the former Center for Environmental Studies (CES)

Books

Learning to Eat Locally: Berkshire Recipes for All Seasons

Learning to Eat LocallyA vegetarian cookbook based on the local produce available in each season created with the support of the Williams College Center for Environmental Studies and Caretaker Farm in Williamstown. By highlighting local agriculture and offering practical instructions for participation (i.e., recipes), this non-profit, community-based project aims to promote awareness of the connection between community and landscape in the Berkshires.

The 152-page paperback book contains 85 recipes, an introduction, a short pantry guide, basic produce storage techniques and dates of local availability, a comprehensive list relevant community organizations and sources for local produce (farms, farm stands, and markets), bibliographic information, and an index.

$9.00 (see ordering information below)

Farms to Forest: A Naturalist’s Guide to the Ecology and Human History of the Hopkins Memorial Forest

Farms to ForestConceived by students in early 1994, and published in the summer of 1995. The students, members of the Williams Naturalists, asked CES for support for a field guide to be used by those interested in learning about the landscape of the Williamstown area, including a guided tour through the Hopkins Forest.

The writing group registered for an independent study course in the fall of 1994, and drafted the book with help from faculty in Biology, Geology, Chemistry, and English. CES then brought the manuscript to a typographer teaching a Winter Study course in January 1995, who agreed to use the design of the book as a case study for his course. A visiting professional magazine writer read the manuscript and suggested editorial changes. The book design was completed by a Williams student who took the winter study course. CES advanced funds for printing the book.

Farms to Forest includes a map of the Hopkins Forest, compiled from a detailed survey of the Forest boundaries in 1992-94. That map is drawn from an electronic database that forms the foundation of a geographic information system now under construction, which will bring together six decades of observations of the Forest.

$8.95 (see ordering information below)

Ordering Information

These books are available for purchase from ZCE or may be ordered by mail.

Order by Mail

Please send the following amount(s):
Learning to Eat Locally $12.00 ($9 + $3 shipping)
Farms to Forest $11.00 ($8.95 + $2.05 shipping)
with your address to:

ZCE/Williams College
55 Missions Park Dr.
Williamstown MA, 01267

If you have any questions please call the ZCE office at 413-597- 2346 or email zce​@williams​.edu

The Matt Cole Reading Room and Library

The need for an interdisciplinary environmental library collection became apparent early in the history of the former Center for Environmental Studies (CES). The library started with books and documents shelved in three wooden bookcases in an office in the Center’s initial home, the Van Rensselaer Mansion – where Sawyer Library now stands.

When CES moved to Kellogg House in 1978, the library was put on the porch.

In 1982, a fund created in memory of CES graduate Matt Cole ’80 by his family initiated a self-supporting endowment for the library, which was then named the Matt Cole Memorial Library. These funds also supported the renovation of the Center’s living room into a library reading room.

In 2007-08, in an effort to consolidate all College Libraries, The Matt Cole Collection was moved to Sawyer and Schow libraries. All books from the collection, and new books purchased, are now housed in these two libraries. They can be found on the computerized catalog, FRANCIS, which can be accessed via the Williams College Libraries home page. The Matt Cole Collection includes about 13,000 volumes on a wide range of environmental topics, from climate change, to land use planning, to nature writing. There are several distinct collections in the Matt Cole Collection Library of historical interest, such as a collection of Berkshire County documents, Hopkins Memorial Forest research papers and documents, early books and periodicals on 19th century agriculture, correspondence and working papers dealing with the enactment of the Clean Air Act and other environmental legislation, and a collection of articles and documents on the proposed development of the Mount Greylock Reservation. Collections such as these are an important resource now and for future historians.

“While many students at Williams have had an interest in agriculture and some are now farmers, few had the intensity of interest while they were here that Matt did.  In many ways, Matt like Thoreau marched to the beat of a different drummer than do most Williams students. A suburban boy from New Jersey, Matt found the unlikely circumstance of finding satisfaction in studying agriculture at Williams.” 

-William R. Moomaw at the Matt Cole Memorial Library Dedication, October 1982

The Matt Cole Memorial Reading Room, housed in the Class of 1966 Environmental Center, is a comfortable place to read and study. The Reading Room houses environmental journals, magazines, and newsletters.

Eleuthera Winter Study Course Research Reports and Films

Center for Environmental Studies 50th Anniversary

In honor of the former Center for Environmental Studies’ 50th anniversary, the college invited a series of prominent speakers to address the topic “Confronting Climate Change.”

50th Anniversary of CES—Agenda

A few of the main events are shown below.

Achieving Environmental Goals in the Time of Trump: The Role of the Not-for-Profit, Business, and Foundation Sectors.  Ned Sullivan ’76, President, Scenic Hudson, with remarks by Joseph Cotter ’81, Founder and CEO, National Resources, Inc. and Lindi von Mutius ’03, Chief of Staff, Sierra Club.  Facilitated by Professor Henry Art.

Memories and Expectations for CES, Bill Moomaw, Former CES Director and Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Studies at Williams and emeritus Professor of International Environmental Policy and Co-Director Global Development and Environment Institute, Tufts University.

 

CES Fellow Elizabeth Kolbert invited several prominent environmentalists and climate activists to discuss what has been called the defining issue of our time.

In the short film Confronting Climate Change  (24min) journalist Elizabeth Kolbert hosts a searching conversation with leading environmentalists Van Jones, James Hansen, Bill McKibben, Rob Nixon, Maxine Burkett, Stephen Gardiner and Mark Tercek. The film was produced by Sarah Gardner and directed by Dave Simonds.

25th Anniversary of the Center for Environmental Studies Journal