From April 18 to April 24, Williams celebrated Earth Week with lectures, student group events, and delicious campus meals. Read more about the week below.
Panel Discussion: “Alumni Work for Climate Solutions”
On Monday night, the Center for Environmental Studies, Williams Environmental Council (WEC), and Divest Williams sponsored a panel discussion in Dodd Dining Room with three alumni working in different fields for climate solutions. On the panel were Daniel Shearer ’04, Member-Owner at Tamarack Media Cooperative and organizer of alumni supporting fossil fuel divestment, Nick Hiza ’02, Chief Development Officer at Orion Renewable Energy Group, and Sophie Robinson, Executive Producer at PF Pictures.
Joined by the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar class, faculty, interested students, and community members, the panel was a largely informal discussion led by Lucy Bergwall ’16 and Ben Corwin ’15. After members of student groups introduced the speakers, Bergwall and Corwin solicited questions from the audience that ranged from how one maintains optimism and enthusiasm in climate work to inquiries about effective environmental communication strategies. The alumni were engaging and open, producing a discussion that was multifaceted given their distinct fields but united by the intellect of Ephs and the necessity to combat climate change.
Mid-Week Student Group Events
Student group members planned a variety of events for Earth Week. On the Saturday before Earth Week, Divest Williams led a walk of support for divestment that coincided with the trustee meeting on campus and the Class of 1966 Environmental Center dedication. The Williams Environmental Coalition organized a plant your own personal pot on Monday, screening of Uranium Drive-In on Tuesday, clothing swap at Stressbusters on Wednesday, and a Stone Hill campout on Thursday. On Tuesday, the Purple Bike Coalition held a bike repair session with Norwegian heart waffles on Paresky steps. Finally, Real Food Williams and the Williams Sustainable Growers planned a hike to Wirebridge Farm, a site for a potential campus farm in Hopkins Forest, followed by a picnic on Friday, yet this event was unfortunately cancelled due to weather.
Campus Lectures
Earth Week featured three campus lectures. First on Wednesday, Real Food Williams sponsored a lecture and discussion with Freight Farms. On Thursday in Griffin, Heather Paxson presented “The Life of Cheese: Negotiating the Values of Unfinished Commodity,” sponsored by the Center for Environmental Studies Class of 1960 Scholars Program in Environmental Studies, The Sustainable Food and Agriculture Program, and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Paxson spoke following a tasting on local artisan cheeses. Additionally Earth Week featured the usual Friday Log Lunch with Natalie Bump Vena, Bolin Fellow at Williams, speaking about “Preservation’s Loss in Cook County, Illinois.”
Earth Week Meals
Throughout the entire week, Dining Services in collaboration with Read Food Williams and the Sustainable Food and Agriculture Program sponsored delicious, local and/or environmentally-friendly additions to campus meals. Monday started with a fair trade breakfast in Mission, Tuesday featured an organic Japanese lunch in Driscoll, and Wednesday, Earth Day, brought the now annual 150-mile dinner to all dining halls. On Thursday, there were local pulled-pork sandwiches in Paresky, and Friday finished the week with the breakfast addition of house-cured Oregon wild salmon with cream cheese on bagels in Driscoll.
With inspiring lectures, entertaining student group events, and tasty, sustainable meals, Earth Week 2015 was a fun and full week for the environmental community on campus to engage others in environmental work and heighten energy for its own pursuits.
By Sara Clark ‘15
For more information about the week’s events, please view the Earth Week 2015 Calendar.
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