Environmental Council

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 recommends policy, undertakes assessment and projects, educates the College community, advises the president, and administers an annual grants fund.

What We Do

The council develops outreach efforts related to management of College lands, environmentally preferred purchasing, energy, transportation, food, and carbon neutrality. It also awards grants to members of the College community for sustainability projects. These resources have given students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to create and participate in over 70 projects that further Middlebury’s sustainability goals.

Apply for a Grant - Increase Sustainability Literacy and Competency

All Middlebury College staff, faculty, and students are eligible to apply. A portion of the grant fund has also been reserved for proposals from faculty, staff and students of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey ($4,000).

The Environmental Council is requesting proposals for projects designed to increase the sustainability literacy and competency of individuals and groups within the college community. Click here for details on what we mean by sustainability literacy and competency.

The most successful projects are collaborative, creative, and sustainable—bringing together groups and individuals from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds, providing a new solution to a difficult problem, and having continuity beyond the initial funding phase.

Grant Amounts and Due Dates: Applications for grants up to $2500 are accepted at any time during the academic year.

Application Guidelines

We welcome applications that address, but are not limited to, the following areas: energy efficiency, renewable energy, resource conservation (soil, water, land, waste, etc), food and agriculture, policy, green design, co-curricular and extra-curricular programs, and outreach and engagement.
If your project requires or affects resources controlled by another department or student organization, please fill out this form and include it with your application.
Grants may be awarded for on or off-campus projects that clearly advance Middlebury's sustainability leadership and resiliency. We do not fund organizations that are outside of Middlebury College or Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
Grants for projects that involve travel (including transportation, lodging, and food) are limited to $500 per person and no more than half of the request can be for travel. Conference registration fees can also be included with the travel support request.
We do not fund academic research or coursework. We do, however, fund implementation of ideas developed through coursework or academic research provided that the phase of the project is beyond the academic requirements of the course.
For collaborative projects, include letter(s) of support from partners. Letters can be uploaded at the end of the application form, emailed to Eva Fillion at efillion@middlebury.edu, or delivered to Room 109 Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest.

Apply for an EC grant here

2016–2017 Environmental Council

Comprised of a cross-section of faculty, staff, and students, the Environmental Council meets monthly throughout the academic year.

Students

Samuel Alexander '20 Oriyomi Adeliyi '20 Jimmy Conboy '20 Tatiana Rengifo '19.5 Calla Rosenfeld '19 Anna Novak '19 Hunter Cole '18.5 Tevan Goldberg '18 Michael Shrader '18 Abbie McCeney '18 Jack Petrillo '18 Mariah Nielsen '18 Jennifer Ortega '18 Elana Feldman '17.5 Graham Kenter '17.5 Ali Surdoval '17 Sarah Gledhill '17 Anahi Naranjo '17 Morgan Raith '16.5 Caitlin Haedrich '16.5

Faculty

David Allen, Biology, Co-Chair
Molly Anderson, Food Studies
Ellery Foutch, American Studies
Alison Nurok, Biology

Staff

Jack Byrne, Director, Office of Sustainability Integration, Co-Chair
Eva Fillion, Outreach/Communications Coordinator, Office of Sustainability Integration
Katie Gillespie, Research Compliance Manager
Victoria "Tori" Jones, Assistant Director Annual GivingCharlotte Tate, Rohatyn Center for International Affairs

Committees

Defining and Measuring Sustainability Literacy
Employee Sustainability Benefits and VEIC Project
Travel Surcharge for Carbon Emissions
Grants

Council 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.

2015–2016 Recommendations

PDF icon 2015-16 Environmental Council Recommendations