For more than 20 years, the Environmental Council has played an active role in shaping Middlebury’s commitment to environmental and sustainability issues.

The standing committee of students, faculty, and staff members recommends policy, undertakes assessment and projects, educates the College community, and advises the president.

Comprised of a cross-section of students, faculty, and staff, the Environmental Council meets monthly throughout the academic year with committee meetings in between to advise the president and to address sustainability matters of policy and practice.

Each year, the Environmental Council committees take on topics of current relevance to the College community. Read about the 2023-2024 committee projects

2023–2024 Members

Students

Phoebe An, 2027
Ashiyaan Asif, 2026
Esteban Catano, 2027
Josette Chun, 2026
Graham Gordon, 2026.5
Tyler Hadar, 2025
Matthew Hensel, 2025
Emily Hogan, 2024
Carina Huang, 2025
Ziye Huang, 2027
Emily Kuperstein, 2024
Bella Lucente, 2025
Changchang Ma, 2026
Olivia Maloney, 2026
Lily McGovern, 2025
Lia Morrison, 2027
Lucinda Pollitt, 2026
Claire Quigley, 2024.5
Abram Rau, 2025.5
Lexa Rivas, 2027
Ella Roelofs, 2023.5
Violet Ross, 2025
Jessica Tseo, 2024
Maxime Warnery, 2025
Jackson Weeks, 2027
Ella Wilshire, 2026.5
Charlotte Xu, 2026.5
Axis (Zhaozhuo) Zhang, 2027

Faculty

Andrea Vaccari, Co-Chair, Computer Science
Jamie McCallum, Sociology
Yumna Siddiqi, English 

Staff

Jack Byrne, Co-Chair, Environmental Affairs at Franklin Environmental Center
Karen Bartlett, College Admissions
Tracy Himmel-Isham, Center for Careers and Internships
Natalie Steen, Executive Assistant and Paralegal to General Counsel
James Zieger, Facilities Services

Reports and Recommendations

The Council regularly makes recommendations to the president on sustainability topics, plans for the future, and suggested objectives for offices and departments across campus.