illiams College Environmental Studies - Center for ... · illiams College Environmental Studies 0...

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illiams College Environmental Studies 0 Summer 2004 A Publication of the Center for EnvironmentalStudies, Kellogg House, Williams College, P.O. Box 632, Williamstown, MA 01267 http://www.williams.eduiCES Some Observations from Kellogg and beyond.. . . . The purple haze of birch and red maple buds that washes the hills during winter has given way to the lush green of spring, as always is anticipated, expected, and seems to occur ove ing of our local environment is not limited to the return of chlorophyl/ to the lands reflected in a persistent effort on behalf of the Campus Environmenta and many members of the environmental community to institute gree liams. The new student center, ch will replace Baxter Hall, will incorporate many energy and material efficiency elements, in le forest products harvested from local sources {in- cluding the Vermont woodlots of the morial Foresv. As planning proceeds for the Stet- son & Sawyer reconstruction project, CEAC and the CES are working with the buildin committee on a variety of issues including the future of Kellogg House and maintaining an environmentally friendly campus as a new library structure grows out of the original Stetson Hall in our direction. As many of you already know, llogg House is the ol st frame-structure building on campus and served as the president's residence efore the curren sidenf's Mansion (Sloan House) became available for that purpose in the 19th Century. Kellog House d to the north when Hopkins H a l was built in and a quarfer century later moved to its current location n Stetson Hall was built. may be continuing our pol reconnecting to the norfh end of the joining it to the east. We'll keep you posted as plans evolve. In the interim, this letter is being written with ' flow through the wiring at Kellogg Mouse. College announced that they tificates to power CES for the year. If any of you would like to see

Transcript of illiams College Environmental Studies - Center for ... · illiams College Environmental Studies 0...

i l l iams Co l l ege E n v i r o n m e n t a l S t u d i e s

0

Summer 2004 A Publication of the Center for EnvironmentalStudies, Kellogg House, Williams College, P.O. Box 632,

Williamstown, MA 01267 http://www.williams.eduiCES

Some Observations from Kellogg and beyond.. . . .

The purple haze of birch and red maple buds that washes the hills during winter has given way to the lush green of spring, as always is anticipated, expected, and seems to occur ove ing of our local environment is not limited to the return of chlorophyl/ to the lands reflected in a persistent effort on behalf of the Campus Environmenta and many members of the environmental community to institute gree liams. The new student center, ch will replace Baxter Hall, will incorporate many energy and material efficiency elements, in le forest products harvested from local sources {in- cluding the Vermont woodlots of the morial Foresv. As planning proceeds for the Stet- son & Sawyer reconstruction project, CEAC and the CES are working with the buildin committee on a variety of issues including the future of Kellogg House and maintaining an environmentally friendly campus as a new library structure grows out of the original Stetson Hall in our direction.

As many of you already know, llogg House is the ol st frame-structure building on campus and served as the president's residence efore the curren sidenf's Mansion (Sloan House) became

available for that purpose in the 19th Century. Kellog House d to the north when Hopkins Hal was built in and a quarfer century later moved to its current location n Stetson Hall was built. may be continuing our pol reconnecting to the norfh end of the joining it to the east. We'll keep you posted as plans evolve. In the interim, this letter is being written with ' flow through the wiring at Kellogg Mouse. College announced that they tificates to power CES for the year. If any of you would like to see

the source of our power, visit http://www. fennenlvind.com/ to see the wind turbine in Fenner, New York that is patfially responsible for our green electrons. By the way, after suffering a set-back at the hands of the Berlin, NY zoning board, we are moving ahead this summer with an attempt to collect local wind resource data at a site in Williamstown for a potential Williams College Wind Farm. Finally, in the Winter 2004 edition of otes, Sarah Gardner wrote about an ENVl302 - Environmental Planning Workshop project on redevelopment of the station mill - Photech site. The Williamstown Planning Board (which Sarah chairs) sponsored a warrant article for the May 2004 Town Meeting to change the zoning of the site to accommodate the kind of mixed-use development embodied in the students' report (available at http://www. williams.edu/CES/studentpapers/photech.pdf). The new by- law was adopted by a landslide, an appropriate term since the roof of the old mill building collapsed last summer during a torrential rain storm. It is indeed gratifying to see the collaborations among our students, staff, and the larger community bearing such fruits.

Cheers, Hank Art

Prize in Environmental Sutdies for his work entitled, "Energy Yield and Visual Impact Studies of the Berlin Wind Project." The Hardie prize is awarded to the student who has done the best work in Environmental Studies.

Sam with Prof Dethier

The Scheffey Award, in the name of Andrew J.W. Scheffey (the first director of the Center for Environmental Studies), was awarded to M

, in recognition of his outstanding environmental leadership.

Mark

was awarded the Robert F. Rosenburg Prize. The Rosenburg prize is awarded to a member of the graduating class in recognition of outstanding scholarship, potential for solving local, national, or international environmental problems, and strong prospects for leadership in the environmental community.

Prof. Arf with Carlos

Lunch speakers during spring semester featured an auto dealer (hybrids, of course), a fashion show, a field botanist, and a little it of everything in between. The homemade lunches, whipped-

udent cooks, were, as always, delicious n adventurous. Log Lunch continues glue of the CES co

ents, faculty, staff and local her for a meal! conversation,

On a sub-zero day in early January we heard

On January 16, as the thermometer hovered

auto purchase would be a hybrid.

The final talk of January term featured three student recipients of CES summer internships.

0 ' discussed their summer project developing the Williamstown Op n. They shared

, who discussed his internship working on developing a climate friendly air conditioning refrigerant at the EPA.

destruction should be the top concern in terms of conservation issues. Gill set out to restore a

e grasslands because

to restore various bird

as a successful restoration site.

students who

gave a talk entitled,

These students experienced a different winter study than most: they traveled to Nicaragua

in order to explore the idea of solidarity and to listen to the stories the people of to tell. They told touching stories of the lives of the Nicaraguans they met and stressed the peoples' connection to the land as a source of life and food. Furthermore, the ideals and dangers that fuel American consumptive habits became apparent during their travels, during which they learned the importance of a simpler lifestyle.

ew England and presented their plan for a collaborative demonstration farm. As farming in

ew England has slowly declined, it has become more difficult to buy locally produced food. Sunways Farm in Great Barrington is a planned "think tank farm" that will produce organic free- range eggs and grass-fed beef. Their goal is to demonstrate that fa ew England can be profitable by pro that local food tastes better a and that farming is an important way to protects grasslands and open space. Furthermore,

arkets give farmers more control in the marketplace, liberating them from being

Tom Gardner, George Wislocki, and Sara Hathaway

controlled, as slaughterhous

Summer grant recipient on April 23 about his su

," analyzed the effect of paraquat on female mice and their fetuses, and the herbicide's connection to Parkinson's Disease. His research was detailed and extensive, and ultimately, he discovered a link between the herbicide and developmental disabilities or mortality in mice. The importance of this research, Hahn stressed, is the impact of the chemical on humans and the environment. If important connections can be established, then more restrictions on the use of the herbicide (and other chemicals like it) will be put in place, enhancing both the health of

ere are still many

the need for objectivity in environmental reporting and journalism questioned what it means to be an environmental journalist, stressing that there needs to be a greater awareness of the totality of issues.

Last but not least,

of the Hoosic River Watershed team. Elaine's research analyzed contamination levels in different river locations. She talked about the history of PCB use along the river and discussed her research, which included an elaborate process of extracting PCBs from the soil in the river and fro fish and fish. She found that downstream old Sprague Electric buildings there were higher levels of PCBs. These levels, however, have ecreased since 1990, which is a positive sign, yet these levels may still be too high to be healthy.

took ten years to document a yet extremely impo ant and incredible

aspect of New York City that very few people have ever heard of: the role of gardens (or basically small farms) in some of the poorest, most dilapidated neighborhoods in the city. On March 9,2004 she showed her documentary and discussed it with a roomful of students and community members. The documentary was thirty minutes long and included an original jazz score as well as interviews with various "farmers." These neighborhoods, which now have extremely prosperous gardens (including vegetables, fruits and flowers) were originally junkyards full of broken-down cars, trash and dead bodies. These

were previously places of crime and violence. As the land like this was transformed all over the city, these places became safe and peaceful. The communal gardens offer the people of the neighborhood a sense of entitlement; they own this garden and it is theirs to take care of -this includes people from the very young to the very old. One young boy stated that it was his dedication to the garden which kept him out of jail. The people interviewed stressed their absolute love for their gardens; the transformed land gave them food, as well as wildlife and nature within the city, creating happiness and a sense of well-being. These gardens are popping up all over the city; however, they are in danger now because of the desire of developers to plow down the gardens and build new apartment complexes. The only reason they want to develop is because of the transformation of

unity - and the reason for this? The garden.

Sarah Torkelson '04

Beth Bogarf '77

, a former Williams student now living and working in public relations in D.C. led an informal discussion about environmental journalism and advertising on April 29, 2004. She stressed that a new vocabulary must be created in order to attract the average consumer. For instance, people become wary of the

term "Global Climate Change" and the title "Environmentalist." Therefore, a new way to convey these issues to the public must be sought in order to change the way people think about and react to environmental issues. Furthermore, Ms. Bogart stressed that if a human face is attached to environmental issues, this shows that environmentalists want to put people, and their well-being, first. This would also convey the idea to people that if they start caring about their own lives, they will inadvertently begin to care about their impact on the environment and how this will affect their lives. In general, the way to educate and spread awareness concerning environmental issues is to get to the more personal side of things and to affect, in some way, the values that those people hold.

Class of 1960'

American History, Righter, an eminent scholar and retired professor from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, has written about some of the most ground-breaking and influential developments in this country's environmental history, including the creation of Grand Teton National Park, the controversial Hetch Hetchy Dam, and the invention of the wind generator and subsequent evolution of wind as a feasible source of energy. In his talk, the two main points Righter relayed were a general appreciation for wind, the "gift from our environment," and an understanding that while the technology is here, and it is good (both at harnessing the power of the wind and protecting the environment), the question facing our communities is, "do we want to use it?" Unfortunately, for many people, the response is "not in my backyard!"

As he traced the history of wind energy from the earliest irrigation windmills in 10th centry Persia to the famous Jacobs generators of the 20Lh century American West, Righter highlighted the egalitarian quality of wind as a source of power. Unlike coal, gas, or oil, wind is equally available to everyone, and according to the man who invented the post-mill in 1137, "the free benefit of the wind ought not to be denied to any man." Although wind technology has come a long way, Righter's own opinion is that, instead of always modeling themselves after the old (though reliable) Danish three-pronged windmill, modern generators could stand to learn something from the experimental designs of the past. Right now, wind energy is a hot topic, especially out here in the Berkshires. As towns such as Florida forge ahead with plans for their own wind-farms, Williams continues to investigate the possi of putting a few tur ines on Berlin Mountain. Righter's visit could not

Emily Russell-Roy '06

The second Class of 1960s speaker of the s semester was the renowned yet controversial author and critic of modern land use patterns, James Kunstler of Saratoga Springs, New York.

The following article is reprinted by permission of the Berkshire Eagle (April 23, 2004, p. B5).

WILLIAMSTOW s College Tuesday

approached by a woman from Pittsfield who said parking is one of the biggest concerns in the city. "It struck me that that's fairly typical around the country right now," he said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "People are preoccupied with something that is not going to be an issue in ?0 years ... we'll be entering a period of time when cars will be a diminished presence in our lives."

He said the era of strip malls and automobile- centric planning is coming to an end. "It's

probably counterintuitive because right now people feel parking is the most important thing," he said. "It probably seems kind of futile, but my own sense is that the current conditions of things are going to reverse."

Kunstler has nothing good to say about how America's cities and towns have developed in the past 50 years. During his talk, he described today's strip malls and "big box" super-stores as a "national automobile slum," and said that "the immersive ugliness of our environment is entropy made visible," and amounts to "the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world ."

Kunstler was invited to speak to kick off the College's Earth Week 2004 events. In his 1994 book Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape, he warned that "a land full of places that are not worth caring about will soon be a nation and a way of life that is not worth defending." He said that notions of "public space" and "urban design" had been abandoned in the postwar years in favor of spaces engineered for cars. The result is a loss of any sense of orientation in space or in time and culture. "They have deprived us of the ability to live in a hopeful environment," he said.

He also attacked the use of "green space" and "open space" in select urban settings, calling them "nature Band-Aids." "We spend so much money on landscaping fantasies because our buildings suck," he said. "This is not good enough. Our city's need more, and you've got to do better."

The problem is compounded by America's unique confusion between the town and the country. As American cities grew in the industrial era, people associated them with noise and disease and idealized the country. The answer, he said, is simply to return to abandoned values in urban design: multistory buildings, residential units within commercial districts, entrances on grade with sidewalks, and street-level windows.

trends in modern architecture have done to cities, citing as an example I.M. Pei's design for Boston City Hall plaza, with its long blank walls, parking garages, and lack of commercial activity at its edges. He called it "a void so forbidding and unpleasant that even the winos don't want to go there."

Kunstler disputed some assertions that because people move to suburbs they clearly prefer them. He said that is in large part simply because urban spaces have become so ugly and degrading.

Christopher Marcisz (Berkshire Eagle Staff)

Jim Kunstler

"This pattern of design is universal all over the world," he said. He pointed out the damage

High Lawn Jersey Cow (photo: J. Houston)

Williams Dining Services has entered into a contract to purchase milk and dairy products from a Berkshire dairy, High Lawn Farm of Lee, Massachusetts. This decision will boost the local agricultural economy while providing students with the freshest, safest, and highest quality, hormone-free milk. "Being locally produced and affordable allows us the opportunity to achieve this goal," said Robert Volpi, Director of Dining Services. Williams buys about 2,195 gallons of milk per month, including whole, low-fat, and chocolate. High Lawn's Jersey cows have won national awards for the quality of the herd and Jersey milk is more nutritious-containing about 17% more protein and 20% more calcium-than the milk of other major breeds.

High Lawn Farm is an old fashioned dairy that is making a comeback with state of the art processing facilities, a range of wholesome dairy products, and home delivery. It has been in continuous operation since 1900 and is the sole remaining creamery (a place where milk is processed and bottled) in Berkshire County, which was a major dairy-producing region from the mid-1800s to the late 1900s. The industry is now on the decline as soaring real estate values have either tempted or forced farmers to sell their farmland for development. "Buying locally can save farms," says Bob Volpi, and to that end the Center for Environmental Studies is currently

issue of Field Notes will have a report on her findings.

Sarah Gardner

This past spring was an eventful one in the Hopkins Forest. As winter let up its unusually tight grip this year, we tapped 125 trees, many along Northwest Hill Road, the rest in the sugarbush. The sugaring season lasted through March and ended literally with a bang as the aging evaporator stove finally rusted out and collapsed. Fortunately, around 45 gallons of syrup, mostly grade 'A,' had already been produced by then.

On the educational front, HMF hosted several workshops and interpretive programs this year. Among them were two tracking workshops by John McCarter, formerly of the Paul Rezendez school of tracking. John's programs turned up tracks and sign of bobcat, fisher, mink and otter in addition to the more common forest denizens-mice, squirrel, deer and others.

Tom Tyning's reptile and amphibian foray in April drew a big enthusiastic crowd of locals aged from 3 to 83. Among the critters observed were four species of salamanders, wood frogs, numerous tadpoles, egg masses and one garter

snake. Arising from this program was a spring long campaign to certify the vernal pools in the forest. Guided by Manager Drew Jones, a determined group of home school families from around the region have been making weekly visits to the small temporary pools in the Forest, documenting signs of indicator species, including spotted salamanders, wood frogs and a variety of invertebrate life. Photos and written documentation will be submitted to Massachusetts state officials to legally certify these pools, which will afford them a measure of protection from future disturbances.

This spring's family weekend was another busy time at the forest. Numerous parents and siblings of Williams students made the climb up the canopy walkway where views were more limited than expected due to an unusually early flush of greenery in the forest this year. An interpretive hike of the lower loop was offered for those exhibiting a less adventurous streak.

The next act featured CES Director Hank Art guiding a wildflower walk on May Day. The event featured the flora of the Ford Glen Trail, which was highlighted by blooming Jacks-in-the-pulpit, trout lily and a myriad of violets.

his exploration into the dynamics of the growth hormone Indoleacetic acid (IAA) in quaking aspen.

In other summer activities, we aim to complete the acquisition of the Wire Bridge Farm, a parcel that would greatly increase the variety of ecosystems and research opportunities in HMF. Indeed, this parcel features an array of habitats including an open floodplain with agriculture, a calcareous fen, a thermal spring and a half mile of river frontage with bottomland forests. A pre-acquisition survey of the land is currently underway and we hope to have the parcel acquired by mid-summer.

Drew Jones

In academics, two classes made numerous visits Wire Bridge Farm

latter, taught by visiting professor Doug Gill, investigated the extent and degree of exotic plant encroachments in the Forest during their visits. Earlier, a winter class, The New England Throughout February and March, Greensense Forest, spent many frigid January mornings continued our push for green technologies on tromping learning the trees campus and welcomed the news of waterless that were enduring there. urinals that should save us over 40,000

In research, Joan Edwards' study of garlic mustard population dynamics will continue at three locations within the forest this summer. Manuel Morales' investigations of leaf-hopper1 ant mutualism will focus on density dependent effects this year. In addition, we welcome Eric Kramer of Simon's Rock College of Bard to

gallons of water per year. We also resumed a collaborative effort with the Dining Services Leadership Team to reduce volume of food waste. New educational signs were posted in all dining halls--we decided not to follow through with the idea to put a day's worth of compost on Morty's lawn.

the forest. Dr. Kramer will begin in earnest

Several Greensense members volunteered ick Hiza '02 with his great efforts on

the Berlin Mountain wind energy project. They assisted by brainstorming ideas and promoting discussions to dispel fictitious rumors ~nvolving red and white stripe paint jobs and massive avian fatalities. Shortly after Rapunzel chocolates were introduced at the Eco Cafe, we received word from an anonymous sophomore that a gift of vegan, fair-trade, organic chocolate (purchased as a belated valentine) stole her heart. Emily Russell-Roy '06 and Erin Blanchard '06 coordinated the first biannual Greensense Organic Pasta Feast, with a turn out of 30 Greensense enthusiasts.

Over spring break, several Greensense members joined the growing nationwide student movement for trade justice by attending the Northeast Conference for Students for a Global Conscience at Cornell where they met with fellow student leaders, Oxfam America and allied organizations, and worked to build the movement to stop the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and to promote fair trade rules.

Back on campus in April, after pressure from Greensense at a CEAC meeting, Irene Addison, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Auxiliary Services, announced that Williams College would make their first entry into the green power market by purchasing renewable energy credits. Buildings and Grounds bought green power in the amount equal to the annual usage of Kellogg House (30,000 KWH).

Earth Week marked the formation of the Williamstown Community Earth Day Committee and a history-worthy collaborative effort between Greensense, CES, Wild Oats Co-op, Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, Friends of the Milne Library, Williams Outing Club, Williamstown Elementary School, Williamstown Youth Center, HooRWA, Kidspace at MassMoCA, Dining Services, Williams College Museum of Art, Clark Art Institute, Williams Anti-gravity Society, Williams Meditation Sangha, and the Williams Chemistry Student Advisory Committee. To kick off Earth Week, Laura Cavin '05 coordinated a special earth week highway clean-up with both

student and community volunteers. Greensense collaborated with CET, a non-profit resource conservation organization based in Pittsfield, to collect clothing and textiles for Goodw~ll Industries (see page 21 for Berkshire Eagle coverage of Williams Earth Day 2004).

some of this year's Greensense members (left to right): Sarah Jablonski '07, Mike Gallagher '06, Alison Koppe '07, Sarah Mar- tin '07, Robin Stewarf '06, Alison Davies '07, Alexis Saba '06, Emily Russell-Roy '06

James Howard Kunstler, former staff writer for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and author of Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-made Landscape and Home from Nowhere: Remaking our Everyday World for the 2Isf Century, delivered a well attended and provocative talk entitled, "Parking Lot Nation: Suburbia and the Fiasco of its Coming End."

Darel Paul, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Williams, was our guest at a Globalization themed dinner discussion. Professor Paul addressed the politics of food and consumption. In honor of the International Monetary Fund's 60th Anniversary, Greensense and SSJ members celebrated with an "Un- Birthday Party" complete with Jen Messier's '06

On Earth Day, an exciting policy was instituted: free Earth Day fair trade coffee from Eco Cafe for all students with CUPPS cups. Emily Russell- Roy '06 pitched the idea, convincing Dining

Services with "maybe that one experience will change the daily habits of some unsuspecting Williams student for the better!" WCMA Museum Associate Erin Blanchard '06 gave an "Art and Nature" themed tour of WCMA, looking at the relationships between humans and the environment in 1 Sth century American landscape painting, Rajasthan, Mughal, and contemporary painting. Boasting a large, so-called Jackson Pollock-esque "Happy Earth Day" banner, we tabled outside of Baxter selling organic cotton Earth Day t-shirts and CUPPS cups, and handing out complimentary green ribbons. Robin Stewart '06 attracted a crowd with a juggling extravaganza, the highlight of which was a special flaming torch demonstration dedicated to Mother Nature (see photo, page 21).

The culminating Earth Week event was the 2nd Annual Earth Day Benefit Concert. The show featured the musical talent of The Accidentals,

i Marimba Band, The Cider, and ten sololdu

benefit, we honored the winners of this year's t- shirt contest, Hank and Ale Elementary for their art wo "Want a good scene? eep it clean!" Seven honorable mention winners were awarded certificates and packets of seeds from Seeds of Change. All of the designs were amazing (one even included an Earth Day rap -- "Make it clean! You know what I mean! Pick up your trash, If you don't you'll be a mean-y. Tell your Mom and Dad!") The grand finale of the evening was Camboulay's closing set-- their steel pan rhythms inspired a dance party that Williams professors, staff, students, and community members alike could not resist. By the end of the night, $700 was raised to support Heifer International, a non- profit organization promoting grass roots efforts to build community and relieve hunger in over 70 countries.

The first weeks of May sped by at an incredible pace. Greensense launched a joint anti-CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) campaign with two other campus activist groups, Student Global AIDS Campaign and Students for Social Justice. Members from each group tabled in Baxter, handing out factsheets and answering

questions. Nika Engberg '06 spoke as part of a panel at our educational CAFTA dinner, raising concerns about the erosion of environmental standards, rural farming, sustainable development, and the privatization of national resource extraction, including water distribution

Several Greensense members modeled in Students for Social Justice's Sweat-Free Fashion Show, to prove to the campus, that, to quote Heather Foran '04, "wearing sweat-free clothing is ANYTHING but unattractive." In other areas, we received extra College Council funding for a project to put an educational solar panel display on the roof of the Morley Science Center. As finals approached, Mark Orlowski '04 made an enormous push to promote the Social Choice Fund as an option for student and alumni donors. Shawn Powers '04 again organized The Drive to End All Drives, a massive end of the year collection co-sponsored by Newman Catholic, Lehman Community Service Council and Greensense.

Earth Day benefit in Goodrich

To close the semester we gathered for a potluck picnic atop Stone Hill, complete with quality snacks, Frisbee, and the usual tree hugging. Next year, under the leadership of the amazing Jocelyn Gardner '05, we look forward to working on many projects, some of which will include voter education, encouraging the college to commit to reducing energy use by 5% (which could save about $80,000) and perhaps convincing Buildings and Grounds to follow the example of an Ivy-league trendsetter and convert its entire fleet to biodiesel. Thanks for reading,

and remember, as soon as classes resume, Greensense meetings will too, on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. in Kellogg. We hope to see you there.

Erin Blanchard, Greensense President '03-'04

For Greensense Info, Updates, and Photos,

recently launched by Robin and Erin.

The Campus Environmental Advisory Committee (CEAC) has certainly been busy this semester. In addition to the leadership of its three experienced members from the class of '04, CEAC greatly benefited from the enthusiasm of four new staff and faculty members. While the highlight of the semester may have been when the April meeting

into President Schapiro's private room, some pretty exciting leaps

and bounds were made on the environmental front as well. In honor of Earth

ildings and Gro nds made its firstpurchase Green Power from a wind farm in upstate the

rchase will offset the carbon e energy used to power

Kellogg house for an entire year. CEAC has also been actively involved in kee the construction projects works over the next few years, primarily the new Student Center and the Sawyer-Stetson Renovation Project. An environmental consultant with knowledge of LEED, an evaluative standard for green buildings, came to speak with CEAC about the benefits of working towards and achieving certification for the Student (which is already set to incorporate $1 worth of green features into its design). CEAC is looking forward to working closely with B&G as it moves towards LEED certification through the

into next year. Two more projects currently underway include participation in the Chicago Climate Exchange, and the acquisition of solar panels for the roof of the Science Center.

The solar panel project is mere inches from completion, as the college asse funding contributions. If all goe may even be reaping the benefits of clean, renewable energy this time next year!

ussell-Roy '06, CEAC Chair

During the first third of 20 3, Nick Hiza '02, Chris Warshaw '02 and Fred Hines '02 study the Berlin Pass site first draft of a revised feasi spring, the College decide siasm exhibited by many stu of the wind resource at a good educational proj of the Geosciences Department agreed to serve as the principal investigator for the educational project. Hiza was hired as a rt-time research

Physics major, was hired a

Pass. Using a combi

where turbines simulated view

Berlin to install a meteorological tower at Berlin Pass. The application process roused some con- cern among local residents who began to actively

st further research at th

the College to file a fu Statement for a Wind would allow wind mea installed. When it became apparent that a permit would not be attained in time for Sam to collect information for use in his researc , Sam arranged to install the anemometers and wind vanes on

a short tower on top of orley Science Center. This provided one of the data sources that Sam used in his thesis.

Throughout the past year, the investigation into the wind resource at the rlin Pass has served as a resource for several illiams courses, both

Ily through the preparation of course and informally throu

students interested in rene The Berlin Project continu portunity for students and

n renewable energy to learn more power and gain hands-on experience

in the practicalities and implications of developing such a project.

ick Hiza '02

Samuel Arons '04 installs wind measurement equipment on fhe top of theThompson Biology Laborafory to collect data for his thesis. Those present, from left to right: Matthew S Boyer (Fire Safety Inspector), Heather Main (Safety Coordinator), Dwight L ifaker (Assistant Professor of Physics); Sarah R Bolton (Associate Professor of Physics), Joseph M Moran (Manager of Environmental Health and Safety), Samuel Arons, Lawrence C Mattison (Model-Maker)

we made a long time ago was

s are just getting started.

open up and bloom through the summer, and we've never traditionally had any other flowers but those. Last fall, though, we bought and

e bulbs, (crocuses and tulips), and distributed some iris bulbs someone had planted in the garden years ago. Every single one we

[anted grew to full maturity: bulbs are expensive, ut really easy a really satisfying to gardeners ho are used to

Additional sights to look for in spring are our 50- year old pink azalea bush, and the huge, showy white star flowers of our clematis, creeping up the drainpipe by the door to CES.

time brings the usual increased need ity for work, and an unfortunate ur labor supply. Wit

covered over in a foot of snow all winter, there's uch to do, and people get out of the habit

of coming to our early work parties. This year, though we had the most promising turnouts in garden history in the fall; spring found us back to a few faithfuls, with lots to do.

But the garden is still in very good shape. We did a very good job of mulching and turning soil last fall, and that translates into fewer weeds,

soil that is much easier to work in some ed was prepared

eedlings in only a few days, to be holding up less well than

snow peas that I love so e crunchy nectar!) are looking

retty glum, and our yellow cherry tomatoes are just hanging in there. The sunny hill is being left alone to let the bulbs finish blooming, but Vivian took a bare swath of it and planted blue potatoes

roduce for more farmer's scrambles next fall.

Our perennials are always dependable. The raspberries are ahead of schedule in

generating, and the eir thorny fortress. (

blasted clear this year, so shred yourself to get to the fruit.) Drew Jones has announced that the mountain strawberries

is diagnosis of our grape arbor is ually, the grape plant is food for

the Japanese beetles that swarm in the summer,

and the Forest Garden has never seen a grape in its life. We'll be hopeful this year, but another new development is making us sad already: our asparagus, a well-established perennial returning in its fourth year, is infested with beetles, and covered in eggs. Kristen Wilmer '04 noticed the pests all over it one day, and we don't know any way to fight it except to cut the shoots back. We haven't done it yet . . . hopefully we'll get to it before it's too late.

I am taking up the straw hat and staying on campus this summer to care for the garden (don't tell the professor I'm "officially" working for). Vivian did a great job last summer, and her hard work has carried through to this season, giving us the potential to have an even better growing season and harvest afterwards. But this summer could be one of our last: as you may know, the Stetson-Sawyer building project will involve the land on which the Forest Garden has existed for about ten years, and it will be destroyed. There's a lot we'd like to save if we could, and no question that we believe that the campus should have a student-tended garden. We believe the school will be willing to give us land on another part of campus, but we have yet to determine where and, more concerning, whether we'll have the necessary solid number of people required for the extensive work it takes to prepare a new plot: turn the soil, cover crop, and transplant any perennials we can. Many would mourn the loss of our raspberries and blackberries at least, and they can be saved, but it takes work and interest.

Jonathan Landsman '05

, environmental stu concentrator, established himself this year as a student leader of the sociaily responsible investment movement, which received national coverage this spring. The article below is reprinted with permission of SocialFunds.com (April 22, 2004).

Students and alumni from 22 prestigious colleges and universities launch the Responsible Endowment Coalition to urge schools to practice socially responsible investing.

SocialFunds.com -- College campus activism was born in the 1960s when students occupied administration buildings to address issues such as the Vietnam War,civil rights, and free speech. In the 21st century, student activism seems to have matured. Student activists are now scrutinizing university and coilege endowment investments to reveal whether or not the companies financed practice the kinds of social justice and environmental stewardship professors lecture about in the classroom.

Today, a group of students and alumni from 22 colleges and universities with combined endowments exceeding $56 billion is launching the Responsible Endowment Coalition. Represented in the group are some of the country's most prestigious schools, including five of eight in the Ivy League (Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Pennsylvania, and Yale) and four of the six "Little Ivies" (Amherst, Middlebury, Swarthmore, and Williams). The coalition advocates for their schools to practice socially responsible investment (SRI).

"Colleges and universities pride themselves on offering an open environment for discourse where information and ideas can flow freely," said Mark

Forest Garden Crew

Orlowski, a Williams senior who co-founded the group with Duke, UPenn, Swarthmore, and Barnard students. "Those principles should not stop at the investment office's door."

The intersection of faculty liberalism and institutional conservatism can create a contradiction between academic ideals and economic priorities. The coalition seeks to reconcile this apparent paradox.

"In order to be consistent, universities and colleges need to align investment decisions and shareholder votes with their educational values and with research results recognized by their scholars," Mr. Orlowski told SocialFunds.com. "For example, scientific research about the threat of global warming and the health dangers of smoking tobacco has been widely accepted in higher education, yet this research is often ignored when it comes to investment priorities and shareholder voting."

Several of the coalition members are also involved in a 70-campus campaign asking Farallon Capital Management, one of the countries largest hedge funds, to dialogue and disclose how it invests university endowment assets. Last week, the campaigners announced a "National Day of Action for Transparency in University Investments." Transparency is one of the biggest challenges facins the Responsible Endowment Coalition as well.

"Probably the biggest obstacle that most of us have faced is the difficulty in getting access to information, which is closely guarded by investment offices and university officials," said Mr. Orlowski. "Yale University is an example of a school that has tended to actively block student engagement and dialogue."

Yale's Advisory Committee on lnvestor Responsibility (ACIR) meetings and its proxy voting record are closed to the public. In contrast to Yale's paternalistic approach, Williams' Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility (ACSR) opens its meetings to the community and publishes its proxy voting record

for students and alumni online. Williams also offers alumni an SRI option for contributing to the endowment via a Social Choice Fund, which has reached $10,000 in assets since its 2001 inception.

Another challenge is the perception amongst university trustees that fiduciary duty precludes SRI, which they mistakenly assume will automatically lower returns. Coalition members hold the opposite opinion in both cases: they believe that fiduciary duty requires trustees to assess the potential impact of social and environmental issues, and that such due diligence stands to protect financial performance.

"I think that college and university trustees should recognize that taking social and environmental factors into account is a necessary component of fiduciary responsibility," said Mr. Orlowski. "For example, if corporations ignore the impact of global warming in their business planning, they can be vulnerable to the impact of climate risk on their bottom line."

He cites reports issued by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) documenting the financial risks of climate change, and points to the recently-formed institutional investor group, the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR).

"While leading pension funds have joined in this effort, so far no university or college has become involved," Mr. Orlowski said. "Neglecting to take these risks into account is neither prudent nor responsible."

"As recent corporate scandals have shown, it is necessary for shareholders to be proactive- -otherwise they are vulnerable to the financial consequences," he concluded.

Fortunately, a Washington-based U was able to read Dr. Toepfer's address.

On January 29th, four Williams College students forged through snow and ice to arrive in Washington D.C. for the fourth annual National Conference on Science, Policy, and Environment. The conference, held by the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) and entitled "Water for a Sustainable and Secure Future," used speakers, panel discussions, and breakout sessions to create a forum on how to improve the scientific basis for environmental decision making. As the keynote address by William Reilly, former EPA administrator, suggested, we are witnesses to the "arrival of the water age," an age where all disciplines - scientific, social, and political - will be needed to tackle the complicated issues that surround water security and sustainability.

The conference featured an impressive lineup of both American and international speakers from the nonprofit and private sector and academia. The featured speaker was Jared Diamond, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel, who offered a witty but wholly sobering assessment of the lessons learned from the environmental collapses of past societies. World-renowned water expert Peter Gleick, and former interior secretary Bruce Babbitt, also spoke at the conference and each helped set the major themes for the conference. Gleick advocated a "soft path" for water provision, focused on conservation and efficiency rather than expensive and environmentally costly solutions such as dams. Reilly addressed the role of the private sector in water supply, and Babbitt outlined the promise and pitfalls of introducing markets for water. The only disappointment of the conference was that Dr. Klaus Toepfer, the head of the UN Environment Programme and Friday's keynote speaker, was unable to attend due to weather-related travel difficulties.

After hearing from several prominent speakers, all conference participants attended one of seventeen breakout sessions on topics ranging from the economics of water sustainability to technologies for water purification. The discussions were led by representatives from government research organizations, corporations, and NGOs. The participants of each breakout session had an opportunity to contribute and pose their own questions to science and policy experts. As the discussions ended, each group developed a summary of their policy and research recommendations. Making scientific data more accessible to the public, coordinating environmental standards at the national and local levels, and using government agencies to minimize urban inequity are among the many suggestions that will be published with the conference proceedings. Several ideas from our group of four Williams representatives made it into the final summary which will be distributed to government officials, educational organizations, and the public.

Overall, the conference provided a comprehensive look at the water issues facing the world, from deteriorating dams and water treatment systems in the United States to the lack of access to any clean water in many developing countries. Each speaker and panelist brought the~r own views to the fore, yet all emphasized the importance of a greater integration of science and policy making. Several scientists urged their colleagues to take a more active role in the political process. Judging from the number of scientists at the conference, it appeared that many are trying to do just that. The interest and concern displayed by all of the conference's participants indicated that the conference was a step in the right direction in the effort to ensure a healthy water supply for all in the future.

Brittany Post '06, Ashleigh Theberge '06, Shawn Powers '04, Margaret Demment '05

spent winter term taking a Permaculture Design certification course through the lsland School on Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas ...

When I decided to leave the conventional classroom setting and expose myself to new ideas and experiences beyond the familiarity of the Purple Bubble, people scoffed at the idea of a WS 99 in the Bahamas. (And understandably.) But my experience was not the stereotypical Bahamas experience. And the setting proved to be a huge part of the experiential, place- based learning process. Due to its small scale, the geographic, social, economic, ecological and political factors of the Bahamas are much easier to see and understand. Additionally, the current drive of tourism forces the Bahamas to far exceed carrying capacity for food, energy, and other resources. The Bahamas can then be used in context to learn about other areas and consider other applications and bioregions.

My course in Permaculture Design stands for "permanent agriculture/culture," a systems-based approach to sustainable design. The general idea is that natural systems can be mimicked to create a system or community in which all elements function together and benefit. Just as ecosystems are self-regulating in nature, Permaculture attempts to use proven patterns as a means of attaining sustainability. It is vital to consider traditional culture, analog climates, and especially local precedent-past history, development, and even mistakes. It is often difficult to imagine how one person can take on world problems that are perpetuated by forces far beyond personal control. This course made more tangible the sense of enacting change in my own life, my own microcosm, my own local realm-and making a difference. And so, while the notion of studying in the Bahamas certainly is enticing in and of itself, it is much more than the climate that made this experience so valuable. It is priceless.

Kristen Van Woert '04

Kristen repairing a palm fence on Eleuthera Island

The "semi" in my semi-retirement is due in large part to my ongoing work for The Nature Conservancy. I am a Vice-chairman of the Ohio Chapter's Board of Trustees, and continue to act as a strategy consultant to the Worldwide headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.

My company, The Conference Department, just held the second annual Governing Forum on Managing Environmental Information, a conference for top state and local information technology and environmental officials. We developed and managed the event presented by Governing Magazine and the Environmental Compliance Consortium in cooperation with 13 associations of state and local environmental officials. The conference is designed to help governments improve compliance while reducing costs. Based on the success of the event we are now planning for a third annual conference in Chicago in 2005.

I also continue to serve as treasurer for a nonprofit foundation preserving open space for public use in Southern Vermont. And I was out last weekend on a trail day with the "Friends of the Fells" working on public trails in state owned Fells Reservation near my home in Winchester, MA, trying to generate a little good will between the mountain bike and hiker user factions.

After more than twenty years teaching at Northfield Mount Hermon School, I've moved on to Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, New Hampshire, where I am an associate professor in the department of environmental studies, teaching in both the environmental education and teacher certification programs.

At UVM, we've been working on a project over the past couple years that I think will be of interest to some Williams CES alums. Using

SF funding, we have developed that "landscape change program," a web based archive of Vermont landscape images going back over 150 years. We now have over 5000 images online and anticipate several thousand more by summer's end. The archive illustrates human interaction with the landscape, highlighting a number of environmental effects including erosion, flooding and landsliding triggered by

Both sample images are the property of UVM Special Collections, Bailey Howe Library;

courtesy of Paul Bierman

a working Vershire, Vermont landscape, I89 7

a stereoview of Highgate Springs, Vermont circa 1870

clearcutting. You can check out the site at uvm.edulperkins/landscape and read more about what we do by clicking on the "mission" link.

I am beginning my fourth year working as the New England Conservation Director for Trout Unlimited. Almost all of my work is in Maine, where I coordinated TU's efforts to have Atlantic salmon listed as an Endangered Species, and am now working to implement actions for salmon recovery. Much of my work involves working to improve fish passage for salmon and other species at dams. I recently worked with a dam owner on the St. George iver in mid-coast Maine to remove an exist g dam and replace it with a "rock ramp" fishway. We believe this is the first application of this technology in England. More recently, I am one of many

on a large scale restoration project enobscot, Maine's largest river. Over

the next 5-7 years, we intend to purchase and remove the lowest 2 dams on the Penobscot, and install a bypass channel around a dam on the Piscataquis, the lowest major tributary. Details of the project are available at

. In my free lime, I enjo striped bass fishing, mostly in Maine. Any alums who will be in the Pine Tree state are encouraged to look me up for free guide service and advice. I also still play in the occasional water polo game, although I must admit the recent Bowdoin and Colby alums I play with are beginning to make me feel old and slow.

I have just graduated with a Ph.D. in social ecology from the Yale School of Forestry and

Environmental Studies, having written my thesis on social dimensions of protected areas management in the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary, Peru. Starting in September, I will be a visiting lecturer in environmental policy at Bates College.

I haven't written in to CES in ages, but thought now might be a good time. I graduated from law school in 2003, and I'm finishing a clerkship on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Mexico. Exploring the deserts and mou New Mexico has been just amazing--I've gone out hiking and/or skiing almost every weekend this year, and I can't get enough of it. In the fall, I'll be moving to D.C. to start another clerkship on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which handles a great deal of environmental litigation because of its proxi ity to various federal agency headquarte . Though the scenery won't be as spectacular (T e sky is so big here!

ins enormous compared to the really looking foward to the

environmental and administr ive law experience I'll gain working there, After the goal is to find a town where I can practice environmental law, hike and ski.

I have been living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, since last August and I am excited to say that this first year in a city has converted commuter (except on really snowy days)! I will begin teaching high school art at South Boston Harbor Academy Charter School in the fall.

n my recent life. At the e I finished up a nearly 2 year

stint doing environmental law an policy research and writing with the Environmental Law Institute; I worked on everything from indoor air quality, to green school buil ing, to compensatory wetlands mitigation. In June I moved up to Warren, VT to spend the summer interning and taking classes at Yestermorrow Design Build School (yestermorrow.org) - a small school that has classes for architect, builders, homeowners and anyone else on various aspects of design and

construction with a strong focus on sustainable building. It has been quite a change of gears but, the school is great and the Mad River Valley is wonderful.

I just got a new job in Boston at the Cecil Group, a planning and urban design firm. The job is basically writing and editing proposals for new projects and involves working closely with the planners, urban designer, and landscape architects in the firm--a perfect opportunity to build on my ever expanding interest in the planning field.

I just got back a month ago from Cairo where I was working for a year for the Association for

rotection of the Environment on a World Institute project to increase environmental

awareness, and other garbage-related projects. (One event with the Japanese embassy in Cairo -- part of Bush's strategic alliance plan to keep terrorism to a minimum.) I got another

rasite; what else is new ... and learned a lot of abic (and lived through some "cracked-out"

experiences dealing with Israel and American blowing thingslpeople up, and Al-Quada delivering mail bombs to the embassies next to my apartment). It was a great time, and I miss Egypt so dearly. I felt very lucky to have had this chance, and learned a lot about garbage, education, and rural poverty.

The vice president of our NGO is a leader in the field of environmental engineering, and a professor at AUC, so the job also gave me a great chance to work on some research with him. We worked on improving the legal protocol for implementing smog filters in factories, safety equipment among workers, and I learned how one goes about constructing recycling machines out of some truly primitive raw materials. I even got to use my German when I organized our exhibit in the Hanover Environmental Technologies and the Cairo Environmental Technologies conferences. The Germans are really everywhere! And they love to help Egyptians to recycle.

Now, I am working as a Volunteer Coordinator for a committee called Americans Overseas for Kerry, which is chaired by the Senator's sister at the John Kerry for President office in Boston. They don't pay me, but it's the most fun job I've had -- ever. Otherwise, life is good. I became an American citizen last week, and after 1 got done jumping up and down with excitement, I registered to vote, which now makes me true to my new campaign e-mail account:

. I am actually an American for Kerry! I haven't gotten a chance to work on any more forest research, but maybe once the election is over and has been won by JK, I'll get back to the Harvard Arboretum and keep reading!

A I will be an Assistant Planner at Parsons

Brinckerhoff, a planning and engineering 200 offices all over the world

). I'm at the Princeton, office. And perhaps I'll get to move to another office, in Boston or Barcelona or who knows. Anyway, I started on Monday, July 12, and I'm excited and curious to see how it goes. I think I ' l l mostly be doing transportation planning here ... which is, of course, tremendously important in central NJ. 1 ' 1 1 keep you posted and will certainly be back in Williamstown. Thank you all for your support and inspiration. I ' l l see if I can of this smart growth, new urbanism stu practice!

Professor of Geosciences emeritus Bill Fox '54 (2nd from left) and his wife Norma (far right) with

friends outside Kellogg on Alumni weekend

Mca Faulkner '84 and Alison Tucher '84

The foilowing article and accompanying photos have been reprinted by permission of the North Adarns Transcript (April 23, ZOO#> p. A 1)

By Carrie Saldo

Thursday, for many, was spent drawing attention to something that is used every day -the Earth. The 34th annual Earth Day was celebrated locally at the Williams College Museum of Art and

Students milled in and out of Baxter, stopping by an Earth Day table asking questions, pinning on a green ribbon, and perhaps buying a t-shirt or re-useable plastic mug. "Happy Earth Day," read a large sheet spread on the lawn. sat on the grass eating lunch and watching a juggler.

"We need to draw people's attention to these le tend to ignore them," e said. "There are small uld take and can take." energy use, paying

onsume and how you dispose of it as a few of those steps.

ay is a great opportunity for everyone to come together, Penner said. "[People] can look

at and celebrate what they can do t and do more." Penner also helped

Erin Blanchard '06 with Hannah Fein at the Williams College Museum of Art (photo: Gillian Jones, North

Adams Transcript) plan some of the events.

It is estimated that 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, according to Reason online. And in 2000, 500 million people around the world were estimated to have participated in Earth Day celebrations, workshops, and demonstrations.

Locally, an Earth Day clean-up group is ex to gather Saturday at the Whitcomb Summit Lodge in Florida at 9 a.m. The clean-up is open to the public; for ore information call Carl Marick at (41 3) 323-8286.

A variety of Earth Day events taking place to and over the weekend are fisted in Thursday's Berkshire Weeks section.

Robin Stewart '06 juggling on Baxter lawn during Earth Day celebrations (photo: Gillian Jones)

I CES spring picnic at KeNogg House I

ack, left to right): Jon Langer, Tisha Joseph, Amanda Stout, ick Brandfon, Briana Melissa Umezaki, Peter Endres, Carlos Silva; (front): Luis Diego Cob, Anna

Saerom Park, Vivian Schoung, Sarah Torkelson

in touch with CES alums through ni Notes: send us updates for

the next issue through the CES website ms. edu/ces/resources/

If you'd like to stay in touch with CES and 'th each other, consider subscribing to

ne of the CES listsen/ers. Go to williams. edu/ces/resources/

Iumni. htm for more information

(left to right): Drew Jones, Hopkins Forest Manager; Norm Parker, Information ecialist; Sarah Gardner, Assistant Director; Hank Art, Director; Sandy Zepka, rninistrative Assistant; Kai Lee, Rosenburg Professor of Environmental Studies

Field Notes: Sarah Gardner layout: Erik Wobus '06

nvironmental Kellogg House Williams College P.O. Box 632 Williamstown, MA 0 1267 http ://www.williams.edu/CES

A PUBLICATION OF THE CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Field Notes is printed on paper containing 30% post-consumer waste.