Copy
View this email in your browser

ZILKHA CENTER
FOR ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES

CLICK "View this email in your browser" AT THE TOP TO SEE ALL NEWSLETTER CONTENT

STAY IN TOUCH...

Visit our website and follow us on social media to learn more about our efforts to build a sustainable future for Williams College.
F A C E B O O K
F A C E B O O K
T W I T T E R
T W I T T E R
I N S T A G R A M
I N S T A G R A M

DIRECTOR'S CORNER

Well, here we are.  This semester - undoubtedly one of the most unusual semesters in the history of Williams College - is nearly in the books.  I hope you and your families are safe, healthy, and finding joy where you can.  

Sustainability at the college is an ever-moving target.  Here are two examples:  1) Back in 2007, the college set its first emissions goals, and by 2014, those seemed woefully inadequate. Subsequently, we set new emissions goals, and now that those have come due, we’re in the process of setting a third round of goals, each increasing the college’s push to be more sustainable and do our small part to mitigate climate change.  2) The collection and donation of unwanted student items goes back decades; it started with clothes and then expanded beyond that.  The Chaplains office was involved with these organizing efforts and then around 2008, it officially began the Give It Up! Program, which pairs donations benefiting charity with reuse and  diverting items from the waste stream and the incinerator.  The program, which is now managed by CliA, has had real and ever-increasing success and yet, CLiA and the Zilkha Center both recognize that the program could collect, divert, and donate even more items to give them a second life with new owners.  

While sustainability is an ever-moving target, COVID has, of course, altered the playing field. Waste has increased this fall through necessary health and safety measures, meals provided to quarantined students, and state regulations regarding restrictions around self-service stations in dining halls. On the other hand, college transportation emissions have bottomed out with the restrictions around business travel while we all have had to familiarize ourselves with a handle of video conference platforms in order to find alternatives for in-person meetings and conferences.

I hope you’ll read below to learn about how COVID impacted college emissions in the 2020 fiscal year, what our hard-working interns have been up to, about the electric vehicle charging stations on campus, and much more.

Hope you all enjoy the upcoming break.  We’ll see you on zoom and then hopefully back here again in the spring.

Best,
Mike


UPDATES
EMISSIONS

As you’ll see in the college’s fiscal year 2020 emissions report, emissions were down primarily due to the shutdown starting in March. We will undoubtedly see a continued emissions decrease in FY2021 as the pause on college-related travel continues and our electricity comes from renewable sources. The Zilkha Center is working with partners across campus to realize energy savings now and pair the high level goals articulated in the sustainability strategic plan with the lessons learned from COVID to create a more specific sustainability plan with detailed climate action, zero waste, and sustainable food sections with agreed upon targets.  Read the full FY20 emissions report here and learn more about the 2020 goals here.

 

CARBON OFFSETS
After the Campus Environmental Advisory Committee defined principles around purchasing carbon offsets, the Carbon Offsets Working Group spent this past spring, summer, and fall examining comprehensive monitoring and verification documents for each offset project under consideration and engaged in discussions about a potential portfolio of projects with a third-party aggregator through whom we are purchasing the offsets.  The group recently finalized their recommendations and the rationale behind the decisions, which can be read here.  More information about offsets at Williams can be found on the college’s offsets webpage.
INTERN UPDATES

The nine Zilkha Center Interns have been working hard this fall often with campus stakeholders to advance sustainability in particular areas. Learn more about the specific work each intern is doing here. 

The interns recently had a virtual meet-up with sustainability interns from Swarthmore and Princeton to discuss goals, challenges, and successes. It was amazing to hear about the sustainability work they’ve been doing and we’re so excited for our next cross-campus meet-up!


 
BIDDING ADIEU TO CAROLINE

In October the Zilkha Center said goodbye to Caroline Bruno ‘15, who served as the ZC’s Sustainability Coordinator and then Assistant Director for two plus years. Learn more about the great work she did in her time working with the Zilkha Center here. 


CROSS-POSTING
PROFESSOR SARAH JACOBSON ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Economics Professor Sarah Jacobson was recently asked to weigh in on energy efficiency in homes for this article. Read more here to learn about her tips for purchasing energy-efficient products, reducing energy use in your home, and more.
COMMUNITY GARDEN

The college’s first community garden, located behind Poker Flats, is being built now and will have plots available by next spring for students, faculty, staff, and community members. Read this article by Annie Lu, news editor for The Williams Record, to learn more about the planning that went into constructing the community garden.


NEW BLOG POSTS
2020 ORGANIZATION FEATURES

2020 Organization Features highlights the student organizations such as WEC and WRAPS that are working towards a more sustainable campus and how their goals have changed as a result of new COVID restrictions.

NEW ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS

This post talks about the locations of the EV charging stations installed in summer 2020 and includes tips on how to make the most out of your electric vehicle as well as a short interview with track and field coach Ethan Barron.

FORT BRADSHAW SCRIM UPCYCLING
Fort Bradshaw Scrim Upcycling features a creative upcycling project that turned mesh fence wrap from the Fort Bradshaw construction project into beautiful and unique tote bags.
 
AN UPDATE ON SUSTAINABLE FOOD AT WILLIAMS
Maria Tews, a Food Sustainability Intern in summer 2020, who goes into depth about her research on the Cool Food Pledge and other work she accomplished as an intern in this piece.

EVENTS
Environmental Planning Workshop Presentation: Northern Berkshire Food Bank Farm Feasibility Study
Monday, December 14, 1 pm EST
Maya Spalding-Fecher ’21 and Wyndom Chase ’21 present their planning study for a food bank farm for Berkshire County, conducted in conjunction with local farmer alumna Megan Bantle and the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition.

Environmental Planning Workshop Presentation: Farm to Food Pantry Exchange for Berkshire County
Monday, December 14, 2:30 pm EST
Olivia Gomez ’21 and Sarah Levitt ’21 present their fall planning project researching a business exchange that promotes the purchase of fresh produce from local farms for distribution at local food pantries.

QUESTIONS?
Drop any questions or comments you have here! We would love to hear from you.
Copyright © 2018 Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
41 Mission Park Dr, Williamstown, MA 01267

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.






This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives · 39 Chapin Hall Drive · Williamstown, Ma 01267 · USA

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp