The future of sustainability at Williams, Dukes Love, Provost and Class of 1969 Professor of Economics

Professor of Economics and Provost Dukes Love. 

This week at Log Lunch, Provost and Professor Dukes Love talked about Williams’ approach to sustainability and its future at the college. He is on the sustainability planning group for strategic planning and as Williams is closing in on the 2020 commitment to sustainability goals set out in 2015, the group is talking about where to go next. The Log was packed with students, faculty, and community members all interested in learning about the path that Williams has taken for sustainability and where it will go. Teaching, research, and sharing are all elements unique to educational institutions like Williams that make their approach to sustainability inherently different. He informed us of what Williams has done to meet the 2020 goal. Some highlights include large solar projects and LEED certified building projects. Professor Love informed us of the three biggest scopes of carbon emissions on campus: combustion, electricity and travel. He explained the challenges of measuring and addressing these heavy emission sources, especially travel and electricity. Professor Love posed a question to illustrate the types of challenges they’ll be facing, “How can we think intentionally about lowering our amount of travel while keeping in mind how essential it is for modern research?” He shared with us some projects that Williams may undertake such as creating a center for climate justice and joining forces with other liberal arts colleges to get more renewable energy onto the grid. The future of sustainability at Williams will require interdisciplinary thinking and problem solving centered around areas such as teaching and research, emission, toxins and materials, food and water, diversity, inclusion, and transportation.

By: Cristina Mancilla ’20