The Center for Environmental Studies

Environmental issues call upon citizens, organizations, and governments to grasp complex scientific concepts, address conflicting human values, and make difficult economic, political and ethical choices. The three curricular options in Environmental Studies—the Major in Environmental Studies and the Concentration in Environmental Studies and the Concentration in Coastal and Ocean Studies—are designed to prepare students to effectively address these issues by integrating perspectives and methodologies from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the arts and humanities.

The program is administered by the Center for Environmental Studies (CES), located in the Class of 1966 Environmental Center. Founded in 1967, CES was one of the first environmental studies programs at a liberal arts college.

To learn more about our work, please check out the 2023 edition of our annual newsletter, the CES Fieldnotes.

Department News

Log Lunch with Molly Pickel ’15: Parks & Rec…Knope, It’s Not Like on TV

Last Friday, students, faculty, and community members gathered in the Log for the final log lunch of the semester. Log Lunchers enjoyed vegetable spring rolls with a sweet chili sauce as well as sesame coconut rice with mango and a...

“Empathy and Justice Beyond the Human,” Lori Gruen, Chair & Professor of Philosophy, Wesleyan University, 1960s Scholars Program Lecture

On March 5th, students and faculty gathered in Griffin Hall to listen to author, professor, scholar, and activist Lori Gruen present her Class of 1960 Scholars Lecture entitled “Justice and Empathy Beyond the Human.” Gruen is a leading scholar in...

Log Lunch with Angel Ortiz ’17: Enhancement & Innovation in Residential Energy Efficiency, and How to Get Involved

As Rabbi Seth Wax highlighted in his opening remarks, community connection is one of the most important methods for navigating grief. On Friday February 22, students gathered together for Log Lunch following the tragic death of a student as a...
View All →