In last week's Environmental Studies Colloquium lecture entitled, “Change We Can Believe In?” Christopher McGrory Klyza, the Stafford Professor in Public Policy and professor of political science and environmental studies, parsed President Obama’s environmental record for progress, setbacks, and possible future action.

What keeps residents driving around town instead of biking or walking to school, work, and errands? What could change those habits? Four environmental studies (ES) seniors spent a semester looking for answers by getting to know the people, traffic lights, and crosswalks of the City of Vergennes, VT.

During his visit as Middlebury’s 2013 Environmentalist in Residence, Mark Tercek, leader of the world's largest conservation organization, encouraged Middlebury students to bridge longstanding business-environmentalist divides. 

Middlebury hosted the second annual Symposium on Social Entrepreneurship, an event organized by the Center for Social Entrepreneurship and co-sponsored by the Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest. 

The debate over fossil-fuel divestment took a spirited turn on the Middlebury College campus Tuesday evening as proponents and skeptics traded evidence and impassioned arguments for and against selling off endowment investments in the oil, coal and gas industries.

The Burlington Free Press awarded Bill McKibben - author, activist, and Schumann Scholar at Middlebury College- 2012 Vermonter of the Year. McKibben continues to inspire members of the local community by kicking off 2013 with several speaking events at Middlebury College this January.

The Nation blog, Extra Credit, featuring campus oriented news, published this article focusing on divestment efforts at Middlebury College written by current students, Bronwyn Oatley and Kelsey Collins.

Students in chemistry professor Jeff Byers' first-year seminar, Smart Energy Choices, learn how convert French fry oil from Proctor Dining Hall into useable biodiesel.

Jordie Ricigliano (‘12.5) and Lany Khattiya (‘12) embarked on a journey last summer to discover what “local” means to communities across the country. Their travels, encounters, findings, and tastings culminated in an independent journalism project, Local Through the Mouths of Locals.

This September every incoming freshman received a copy of the Sustainability Integration Office's first graphic novel publication, 'Super Sustainability: The Road to Neutral'. The office is currently soliciting feedback on the project and evaluating its capacity to engage and educate readers about sustainability initiatives.

On October 24^th Middlebury College celebrated Campus Sustainability Day with a local dinner provided by Dining Services in Ross and Proctor Dining Halls. Middlebury joined over 150 schools in celebrating Campus Sustainability Day, a tradition that began in 2003 with the intention of focusing one day on sustainability initiatives in higher education. 

On Monday, Sustainable Study Abroad Grant recipients from Spring 2012, including Gillian Lui ’13, Maya von Wodtke ’13, and Lauren Yang ’13, presented their projects at the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs.

Jack Byrne, Director of Sustainability Integration Office, gave the welcoming address at the Vermont Rail Action Network (VRAN) annual meeting held at the Kirk Alumni Center.

On Saturday, October 20th, the R/V Folger was officially dedicated during a celebration at the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes. Before arriving home to Lake Champlain in early September, the research vessel encountered an invasive species, the spiny water flea, which prompted a cleaning of the boat and a demonstration of environmental stewardship.