Campus as Living Lab

Faculty, opportunities to use the college campus as a living sustainability lab abound! Below are helpful links that can connect you with campus datasets and college commitments that can inform your research. Please look at the student research that has already been conducted, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you want to design a research project for yourself or your class that could help move campus sustainability forward!

Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) report: A national sustainability ranking system that Williams submits data to approximately every 3 years and receives a sustainability rating of Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum in return. A great source for sustainability data. 

Greenhouse Gas emissions inventories: A more detailed view of Williams’ GHG emissions by scope and over time.

Air travel program: An educational program created to raise awareness of the impact of air travel on the climate and information on greener travel with the goal to reduce emissions from institutional travel. 

Carbon offsets: Learn more about the approach behind how the college chooses carbon offsets.

Community Climate Fund: Learn more about how the college makes financial contributions to climate action in the region.

Prior student research / projects: A useful archive of student sustainability research projects to inform current and future actions on campus and our surrounding region and communities.

Community Collaborations: The Zilkha Center and the college seek opportunities to advance sustainability priorities on campus and in partnership with our local communities.

Data dashboard: Key metrics on campus sustainability, visualized and ready for further analysis and download.