Associate Director and Lecturer in Environmental Studies
Education
M.P.A. Columbia University
Ph.D. City University of New York
Areas of Expertise
My focus areas include environmental planning, city planning, community development, rural planning, state and local environmental politics and policy, renewable energy, climate policy, and 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 CES, I also administer several programs such as the Log Lunch program, the Class of 1960 Scholars Program, and the Summer Grants Program. 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.
Courses:
Winter Study 2022
“Tropical Marine Conservation” (Eleuthera, Bahamas)
Scholarship/Creative Work
Films
“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
Researcher, Dairy Processing Study, Federal State Marketing Improvement Plan, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
Trustee, Berkshire Grown
Renewable Energy Advisory Committee, Environment Massachusetts
Chair, Williamstown Agricultural Commission
Williamstown Master Plan Committee
Board Member, Hoosic River Watershed Association
Williamstown COOL Committee (Carbon Lowering Committee)
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”
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