We are awash in plastics. In fact, plastics are so deeply enmeshed in our lives that we almost don’t notice them anymore. Sure, the plastic bags that are offered in stores or that come home with us from the supermarkets swaddling our bread are on our radar and,… Continue reading »
As summer fades, excitement fills the air at Williams College. This year, the Zilkha Center for the Environment welcomed the Class of 2028 with a special focus on sustainability during our First Days’ Events. Pressing Forward: The Cider Pressing Event One of our highlights… Continue reading »
Source: ecgo.co This past April, I (Stella Dunham ‘26) facilitated the ECGO Earth Month Challenge, a collaboration between the Zilkha Center for the Environment (ZCE) and a mobile app called ECGO that encouraged knowledgeable waste disposal habits amongst Williams students, as my main project as a… Continue reading »
This past Earth Week, Brian Lavinio ‘24 and I (Yunae Zou ‘27) undertook a challenge to keep all of the trash we produced throughout the week and compare how much we produced. Brian and I are both interns at the Zilkha Center, and we wanted to undergo this… Continue reading »
Please take a minute to share your feedback on the new waste bins and waste signage so we can improve our systems and communications. Thanks so much! -Coco Rhum, Lauren Lynch, Mico Mendoza, and Ali Hashim, Zilkha Center Zero Waste Interns … Continue reading »
As you may have noticed, the college has revamped its waste and recycling collection systems to align with a universally recognized color-scheme and has standardized these systems around campus. The changes also include moving from two recycling streams to single stream recycling. In building foyers and… Continue reading »
The momentum of the push to finalize the strategic plan was slowed due to COVID-19, but the Zilkha Center has been working with the Provost and colleagues across campus to continue to advance innovative sustainability solutions. We are beginning to lay the groundwork for more specific and detailed… Continue reading »
Have you ever considered what happens to your trash after you throw it away on campus? Or how the supplies and materials you use came to be purchased? These seemingly unrelated questions shaped the trajectory of our work as Zero Waste Interns for the Zilkha Center. We partnered… Continue reading »
Last year, the Zilkha Center piloted the Green Office Program and asked for volunteers to be “Green Office Liaisons” for their department. These liaisons were asked to work to implement strategies to work towards more sustainable offices via energy conservation, waste minimization, purchasing and… Continue reading »
You just pulled some AA batteries out of the back of the remote control for your TV. Now you have two batteries in your hand, and you’re wracking your brain about what you’re supposed to do with them. You have a faint recollection that batteries shouldn’t be tossed in the… Continue reading »
The bathrooms at the Class of 1966 Environmental Center are the only ones on campus with informational posters about the toilets lining the walls, but at first glance they don’t seem much different from any other toilet on campus. It wouldn’t appear to take much thought to press… Continue reading »
When the clock is ticking on finishing final papers and take-home exams, packing, sorting, and moving out is last on the agenda. Even with that time crunch, donating any unwanted items should be seamless and simple. During Spring semester move out, the Give it Up! pods have been that… Continue reading »
Williamstown Welcomes Solar Array At Landfill – November 29, 2017 Williamstown Landfill Energy Dashboard Screenshot of the dashboard. Click on the image to visit the live dashboard. … Continue reading »
All these items (plus all food waste) is compostable in these bins 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… Continue reading »
Eco Café has become more eco-friendly. Woohoo! Here’s the sign. Here’s the bin. There you go. Composting is up and going at Eco Cafe. For more information about the process of getting composting into Eco, check out this post from a few… Continue reading »
Williams will become the 60th “Campus Kitchen” site across the country reducing food waste and increasing community food security. Thanks to the students and student groups who led this push! WAMC Northeast Public Radio did a nice radio story on it. Click here to listen to it. Visit… Continue reading »
In January, students and staff from the Zilkha Center and Facilities conducted a Waste Audit. Previous Waste Audits had been conducted at the college in 2009 and 2013. The campus recycling team picked up 3 bags from each of 15 buildings across campus and brought them to Lambert garage. The… Continue reading »
Karen Marchegiani and Ildiko Bodor behind the counter at Eco Café In recent months many students have approached Dining Services and the Zilkha Center asking about the possibility of starting a composting program at Eco Café. Over Winter Study the possibility was first seriously discussed at a Waste &… Continue reading »
Kelly Chen ’17 reaches for a new bag What’s in your trash? Volunteers gathered at Lambert Garage on January 12th to find out! Working with Facilities and Zilkha Center staff, students sorted through a cross-section of Williams trash: Three bags from each trash room of sixteen residence halls, academic… Continue reading »