News & Events
Sustainable Move-In Checklist
Move-in Day is just around the corner: First-years will arrive on August 28th, and upperclassmen can arrive as early as August 30th. You may have seen our End of Semester To-Do list, and wished you had a similar guide for the beginning of the year. Whether you’re gearing up for first days or moving in
Sustainable Dorm Tips for This School Year
Live Sustainably! Follow these simple tips to reduce consumption and energy use from the comfort of your dorm room. Developing sustainable living habits now will benefit you and the planet for years to come. Things to Buy: Stop Vampire electricity: Lots of devices and appliances, such as monitors and charging cords, use energy even when
Root Leadership Team Prepares to Welcome Class of 2021
With August right around the corner, student-leaders and staff are working hard to polish the final details for Root – a first year EphVenture program that explores identity, social justice and sustainability. Through activities on and off campus, Root participants learn more about the role of identity in the culture and history of Williams, as
The Story Behind Wild Oats’ New Grocery Delivery Service
For Williams students on a reduced meal plan, one of the hardest things about buying groceries is getting to the store. Landon Marchant ‘20 this as saw an opportunity to fight food insecurity on campus during their spring semester internship with the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives. One of the results of their efforts
Art at the Envi Center: wooden planets Now on Display
When you proceed down the outdoor steps of the Class of ’66 Environmental Center, four driftwood-and-glass sculptures come into view. These pieces are part of wooden planets, Eva Henderson ’19’s first installation as the Zilkha Center’s Artist-in-Residence. On Friday, fellow Zilkha Center interns and friends gathered at the Envi Center’s patio to celebrate the opening of the
Interview with Elayne Elliott, Sustainability Coordinator
Meet Elayne Elliott, the Zilkha Center’s brand new Sustainability Coordinator! A graduate of Emory University, Elayne joined the Zilkha Center following experiences with the National Wildlife Federation (Atlanta), Sierra Club (Detroit), the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Emory’s Office of Sustainability Initiatives. I caught up with Elayne to chat with her about
Take and Eat Brings Meals to Williamstown Elderly
Since September of 2015, Take and Eat has been an effort from the Williams College Chaplain’s Office and Williams College InterFaith with one simple goal: to provide meals to those in need. Take and Eat, Inc. is a faith-based nonprofit in North Adams, MA dedicated to providing meals for the elderly on weekends and three-day
Residence Hall Compost Pilot
Residence Hall Composting Pilot Report June 2017 Background This past May a composting program was piloted in selected residence halls. There has been increased interest in composting among students in recent years. Dining halls all have post-consumer compost and are in the process of getting all the dining halls to have pre-consumer composting as
Envi Center Achieves Petal Certification for Living Building Challenge
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., May 22, 2017—The Class of 1966 Environmental Center has achieved Petal Certification, meeting six of the seven environmental performance criteria for the Living Building Challenge (LBC). Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives Director Amy Johns ’98 accepted the building’s Petal Certification at the Living Future Conference in Seattle, Wash., on May 18. Twelve months
Responsibly Dispose of Unwanted Computing Equipment at Green Up
Responsibly dispose of old and unwanted personal computing equipment. OIT will be accepting unwanted personal computing equipment at Green Up again this year. Green Up for Underclass Students When: Sunday and Monday, the 21st and 22nd, from 10am to 2pm – – Where: Main desk at Jesup Who: UNDERCLASS STUDENTS ONLY (a Williams ID is
Sammi Stone ’17 Explains Give it Up!
I interviewed Sammi Stone ’17, a Give it Up! student employee. She answered my questions about why you should donate to Give it Up! How would you describe Give it Up! to someone who’s never heard of it before? Give it Up! is a program run by the Center for Learning in Action (CLiA)
Post Your Campus Sustainability Project on This Website
Have You Worked on a Project Related to Campus Sustainability? Help move sustainability initiatives at Williams forward by sharing your research, paper or project with the next generation! Submit your work to be highlighted on the Williams Sustainability website. Email Mike Examples of past projects can be found on the Student Projects page By
Local Farms Hiring Summer Interns
A couple nearby farms have part and full-time summer employment opportunities Cricket Creek Farm in Williamstown We are hiring for several positions, in particular: We’re trying to get help in the creamery – ideally a long term position of a co-cheesemaker or year-long apprentice but are also looking for immediate help in the form of a
Community Climate Fund: Local carbon reduction projects
I just can’t seem to stay away from Amherst (really, the Pioneer Valley more broadly), and it’s not the wider range of restaurants and good coffee that are drawing me there. I’m recently taken my second work-related trip to the Pioneer Valley in as many weeks. Williams, Amherst, Smith, Hampshire (and sometimes UMass Amherst) are working
Williamstown Farmers Market – Opens May 20th
This upcoming Saturday is Opening Day for the Williamstown Farmers Market. This year, the market is expanding its produce and prepared food offerings with four new vendors for a total of 29 regular vendors. For a complete vendor listing visit http://www.williamstownfarmersmarket.org/ Among the new vendors, certified organic Mighty Food Farm will start the season with lettuces
Local, Sustainable Seafood: An Independent Study by Erica Chang ‘18
Erica Chang ‘18 had always been interested in the ocean, but studying away at Williams-Mystic in spring 2016 gave her a real taste for it. When she traveled to the Pacific northwest with the program, she discovered an interest in salmon, fisheries, and our country’s relationship with seafood. It’s ironic, she said: as a vegetarian, she
Farm & Fishery Spring Field Trips
This spring, we’ve headed out to check out a number of farms and college food suppliers with an eye towards visiting farms and businesses that the college does business with or is considering doing business with. High Lawn Farm in Lee, MA According to Executive Chef Mark Thompson, about 95% of the college’s liquid milk
NESEA Pro Tour of the Envi Center
On Friday April 21st, members of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association came to campus to learn more about the Class of 1966 Environmental Center. This visit was part of NESEA’s Pro Tour Series, which provide opportunities “for sustainable building professionals to get to see [high performance buildings] projects in progress with their own eyes, share
How should we reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
How should we reduce greenhouse gas emissions? That seems like a pretty simple question on the surface, but dig down and things get complicated quickly. Williams has emissions reduction goals – 35% below 1990 levels by 2020, then carbon neutrality (through the purchase of carbon offsets) by the end of 2020. We have a plan for
Thinking Ahead to Move-Out. And in related news – Cookies!
Give It Up Move-out is coming soon! If you have items that you no longer want, please bring them to the “Give It Up!” pods that will be located around campus starting the week of May 15th – so that the goods can be donated to local charities. Look for this banner hanging on moving/storage
Composting Pilot Program in Dorms
This May a composting pilot program will go into effect in selected dorms. There has been increased interest in composting among students in recent years. Dining halls all have post-consumer compost and are in the process of getting all the dining halls to have pre-consumer composting as well. In the last year, Dining shifting all
Reduce Emissions at Williams – You Decide
You may have heard about “The Wedge Exercise.” Here’s an opportunity for you to try it out yourself. The quick overview: Each activity at Williams College can be represented by a little slice – or wedge – of the total emissions on a pie chart or a graph. What combination of things would enable us
Meaningful Mystic Report by Jessica Munoz ’19
Over spring break, eight students and OSL’s Assistant Director for Student Organizations and Involvement Benjamin Lamb went on the Meaningful Mystic Spring Break Out Trip. The students engaged in meaningful work that revolved around environmental sustainability and climate change through a historical lens in Mystic, Connecticut. During late night conversations, they reflected on the issues at hand and deepened their
Turkey Vulture Hazing at Dodd Raises Questions About Wildlife Management and Land Use
For the past seven years, Assistant Director for Custodial Services and Special Functions Dan Levering told me, turkey vultures have taken up residence on and around Dodd House. Though the vultures first roosted in the trees around the dorm, they’ve grown especially fond of the building’s roof in recent years. Passersby might think the birds