Associate Director and Lecturer in Environmental Studies
Education
M.P.A. Columbia University
Ph.D. City University of New York
Areas of Expertise
Focus areas include environmental planning, city planning, community development, rural planning, state and local environmental politics and policy, renewable energy, climate policy, farm and food systems, farmland protection, agricultural policy. With a focus on state and local issues, I have many connections to governmental, non-profit and advocacy organizations in the regional community. At the Center for Environmental Studies I organize several programs such as Log Lunch, the Class of 1960 Scholars Program, and the Summer Grants Program. In addition, I am the faculty sponsor of several student organizations, including the Purple Bike Coalition (PBC), the Garden Club, and the Williams Environmental Council (WEC). I serve on the Environmental Studies Advisory Committee and the Campus Environmental Advisory Committee (CEAC). In the past decade, my own work has focussed on producing documentary films. Current project: “My Town,” rural America in the age of Covid, climate change, and corporate consolidation.
Sarah Gardner has been at Williams teaching environmental studies and managing the Center for Environmental Studies since January 2002.
Academic Year and Winter Study Courses:
Winter Study 2024
“Farming New England”
Winter Study 2023
“Tropical Marine Conservation” (Eleuthera, Bahamas)
Scholarship/Creative Work
Films
“Hear Me” (2022) The stories of youth living with gun violence in Western Massachusetts. (Co-Produced by Sarah Gardner, Directed by Dave Simonds)
“Farms for the Future” (2021) Development threats and opportunities for farmland preservation in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Vimeo. (Produced by Sarah Gardner, Directed by Dave Simonds)
“Finding Hope in Farmland” (2020) The story of Somali Bantu refugees in Utica, New York, who seek to revive their farming heritage by finding land and establishing a farm. (Produced by Sarah Gardner, Directed by Dave Simonds). Film hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension.
“Confronting Climate Change” (2017) How colleges should lead our society in addressing climate change. With Elizabeth Kolbert, Van Jones, James Hansen, Bill McKibben, Rob Nixon, Maxine Burkett, Stephen Gardiner and Mark Tercek. (Produced by Sarah Gardner, Directed by Dave Simonds) https://ces.williams.edu/features/8439/
“Forgotten Farms” (2016) The story of the Northeast dairy industry and the cultural and class conflicts within contemporary agriculture. (Produced by Sarah Gardner, Directed by Dave Simonds) https://forgottenfarms.org/
“Farming in Eleuthera” (2011) A profile of farming in Eleuthera through the words of farmers who strive to keep farming to feed their communities despite the multiple hardships presented by everything from tropical storms to global economic trends and the loss of local markets. Filmed with Williams College “Sustainable Island” Winter Study students. (Produced by Sarah Gardner, Directed by Dave Simonds)
Professional Affiliations
Grant Reviewer, Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center, 2022-current
Member, Dairy Sustainability Task Force, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, 2021-current
Farm Futures Project, 2022-current
Researcher, Dairy Processing Study, Federal State Marketing Improvement Plan, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, 2020-2021
Trustee, Berkshire Grown, 2012-current
Renewable Energy Advisory Committee, Environment Massachusetts, 2018-current
Chair, Williamstown Agricultural Commission, 2018-current
Williamstown Comprehensive Plan Committee, 2021-current
Board Member, Hoosic River Watershed Association, 2010-current
Williamstown COOL Committee (Carbon Lowering Committee), 2011-current
Wilderness First Aid certified (2020-current)
Press & Articles (selection)
“What has happened to New England’s Dairy Farms?” (Press coverage)
“Food Security Starts Here”
“New England Dairies: Using Business as a Force For Good”
“We Can’t Afford to Take Our Farmers for Granted Anymore”
https://www.gazettenet.com/Gardner-column-34596855
“In Praise of Farmers”
https://www.concordmonitor.com/My-Turn-Gardner-Dairy-Month-NH-3117429
“Buying Local at the Mini-Mart”
“GOP Still Places Environment Last”
Megamenu Social