Past Events

How are governmental negotiations at UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties (COPs) shaped by generational gaps and questions about intersectionality? Former climate negotiator for the government of Mexico, Ivonne Maricarmen Serna ‘23, will speak about her experiences at UNFCCC COP-29 to the Middlebury community and broader public.

“How to Love a Forest” a Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series talk by Ethan Tapper, Forester, Author of “How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World.”

Environmental Studies Program Spring Social

Come meet fellow ES majors, minors, and faculty. Learn more about the major and opportunities in the program and get any questions answered prior to fall registration. Prospective majors and minors are also encouraged to attend.

A variety of snacks and treats will be provided.

“Tell Me What You Think – Three Thousand Acres in the Champlain Valley: Middlebury College Lands Planning” a Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series talk by Marc Lapin, College Lands Conservationist and Associate Laboratory Professor in Environmental Studies.

Join us for an interactive workshop sponsored by Conflict Transformation and the Climate Action Program on Nonviolent Direct Action with Dr Emily Welty and Dr Matthew Bolton on April 8th from 2:30pm - 4:30pm. The workshop will include specific case studies and explore how to name a strategic demand, how to identify the opponent/decision maker and their needs, how to think carefully about tactics and what the ethical challenges are in building grassroots campaigns. If interested, please RSVP by April 4.

Emily Welty and Matthew Breay Bolton are members of a Nobel Prize-winner campaign to abolish nuclear weapons and 2024 Middlebury honorary degree recipients. At the beginning of their week-long residency, join a talk and discussion to learn about their work in Peace and Conflict Studies, disarmament, playwrighting, and activism.

You can watch the livesteam here.

Ancilleno Davis is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at the University of the Bahamas and Faculty Programs Coordinator of UB North Field Station. He grew up on New Providence Island in The Bahamas and has visited more than 13 countries and territories to deliver scientific talks or presentations on ecology and conservation.

Ancilleno Davis, Michelle LeFebvre, and Alexis Mychajliw in conversation

Ancilleno Davis is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at the University of the Bahamas and Faculty Programs Coordinator of UB North Field Station. He grew up on New Providence Island in The Bahamas and has visited more than 13 countries and territories to deliver scientific talks or presentations on ecology and conservation.

White, disabled, and genderqueer, Eli Clare lives near Lake Champlain in unceded Abenaki territory (also known as Vermont) where he writes and proudly claims a penchant for rabble-rousing. He has written two books of essays, the award-winning Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure and Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation, and a collection of poetry, The Marrow’s Telling: Words in Motion.

Join us for a workshop with renowned writer, activist, storyteller, and poet Eli Clare to explore the ways in which we can share, model, and foster inclusive spaces, gatherings, and communities.

RSVP here

Co-sponsored by Climate Action Program, Sustainability and Environmental Affairs, Disability Resource Center, Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Join us for an information session about the Climate Action Fellowship! You can find out more about the fellowship here.

Terry Kellogg ’94, P ‘24, ‘27 will return to campus for a conversation, moderated by Maeve Nolan ’25 (Economics major) and Santiago G. Canella ’25 (History major), about the pitfalls and opportunities of sustainable innovation. Terry is the Founder and Managing Director of https://helioscv.com/.

Environmental Studies Core Conversations: Success and Failure

Dan Brayton, Professor of Environmental Studies and Julian W. Abernathy Professor of Literature
Molly Costanza-Robinson, Professor of Environmental Studies and Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Jeff Howarth, Associate Professor of Geography
Dan Suarez, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and C.V. Starr Fellow in International Studies

Middlebury alums Lauren Markham and Chris Knapp will read from their recent work and take questions. 

Join us for a crucial discussion on the evolving political landscape and its impacts on climate research, scientific data, citizens, education, environmental justice and beyond. As government priorities shift, what challenges and opportunities lie ahead for scholars, practitioners, and advocates? Let’s strategize, share insights, and explore ways to safeguard critical research and inclusive policies in these uncertain times.

All are welcome—bring your questions, concerns, and ideas!

Food will be provided.

Join us for an information session about the Climate Action Fellowship! You can find out more about the fellowship here.

The 2025 Scott A. Margolin ‘99 Lecture in Environmental Affairs presents Dr. Jenna R. Jambeck, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Environmental Engineering giving a talk titled “Stories from Sea to Source: Reducing Plastic Pollution.” 

“Exporting Extinction: How the International Financial System Constrains Biodiverse Futures” a Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series talk by Audrey Irvine-Broque, PhD Student, University of British Columbia.

Applications for the Climate Action Fellowship open in early March! Join us for an info session on this wonderful paid opportunity to build community and support around a diverse array of projects that bridge the gap between theory and practice in climate related work.

Do you speak for the trees? If so, come to EcoReps Movie Night (Wednesday, Feb. 26, 7 PM in Hillcrest 103) and spend time with like-minded sustainability enthusiasts! 

The night will kick off with some quick trivia where you’ll have the chance to Kahoot your way into some sweet prizes. After that, our Lorax-ing will begin. Plus, we’ll have popcorn and snacks! 

All are welcome: You, your friends, sustainability enthusiasts, Lorax enthusiasts, Kahoot enthusiasts, popcorn enthusiasts and more. See you there!

What is EcoReps?

Reduce Reuse Recycle Repurpose: Quilting for Change. An Art Exhibit and Quilting Event.

Featuring several decades of work of local quilt artist: Ann Eileen Miller Baker.
Come learn or share your experience quilting. Bring pieces of clothing you want to turn into a quilt, potholder, wall hanging, etc.  

*scissors, needles, thread and fabric will be available

“Here Comes the Sun” a Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series talk by Bill McKibben, Schumann Distinguished Scholar Environmental Studies.

McKibben will reflect on the sudden remarkable explosion of renewable energy around the world. The talk will include the climate implications of this development as well as the cultural and artistic meaning of reconnecting humans with the sun.

Bill McKibben is founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 for action on climate and justice.

“Dispossession in the Heartland: A Critical Analysis of Consolidated Agricultural Power and the Path Toward Fair-Market Farmland Access” a senior thesis presentation by Windsor Smith ‘24.5, Environmental Justice major. Windsor’s thesis engages Marxist agrarian research to critique the actors, processes, and consequences of small and mid-size farm dispossession in the U.S., as well as potential solutions for improving future land access within a capitalist system. 

Can you envision a world free of poverty on a livable planet? How can we influence the actions of global financial institutions to play a greater role in achieving such a goal? Please join this discussion with people who are actively engaged with this important topic both globally and locally. On the 80^th anniversary of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), a critical perspective on mandates and what lies ahead. Insights and observations will be shared by https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/profiles/mark-brown.

Peter Lovell Memorial Lecture in Architecture and Design:

Kevin Chu, Executive Director of Vermont Futures Project gives a lecture on “Housing and the Economic Health of Vermont”. The lecture will be followed by a Panel Discussion and Q&A.

Join renowned thought leaders John Fullerton and Bill McKibben for a compelling dialogue, Era of Change or Change of Era? The Path Towards a Regenerative Future. This event explores the emerging paradigm of regenerative economics - a radical idea of redesigning economies based on living systems.

Join the Sustainability and Environmental Affairs team to learn about upcoming spring and summer internship opportunities and timelines.

Hear all about The Knoll, Sustainability Solutions Lab, and Climate Action Fellowship. 

Staff and current students will share experiences, expectations, and help you make decisions about what you might want to apply for!

Light snacks will be provided.

 Kick off 2025 with an Inner Regenerative Journey with Sandy Wiggins.  In this workshop we will explore the inner landscape where the foundation of culture and economic life reside. It is through inner transformation that the evolution toward a regenerative economy and culture is catalyzed and sustained. Accessing and addressing our inner beliefs and paradigms is the potent work of systems change.

Interested in mixing up your wardrobe?! The EcoReps will be hosting a FREE clothing thrift and swap on December 6, 12-3 PM in Gifford! Stop by for some new pieces for your closet and contribute to sustainability on campus.

 

Are you student who majors in Environmental Studies or just wants to do sustainability/environment related work while studying abroad? Do you have questions about what type of program you should choose, where you should travel to, what you should expect in classes outside of Middlebury?  Come listen to current students who have studied in different countries talk about their time abroad, what they wish they had known, what they got from their program, etc. and ask questions about their experience!

ENVS 0401 B Community Engaged Practicum Presentations: The Economy of the Future.

ENVS 0401 A Community Engaged Practicum Presentations: Flooded.

Umar Serajuddin ‘96 will return to campus for a conversation moderated by Lomus Pudasaini ‘25 (Economics) and Lillian Caldwell ‘26 (Economics). This discussion explores pathways, out of the current polycrisis, to achieve progress toward eradicating poverty and boosting shared prosperity on a livable planet. The conversation is centered on the findings of the World Bank’s newly released Poverty, Prosperity, and Planet Report 2024: Pathways Out of the Polycrisis, which provides the first post-pandemic global assessment of poverty and shared prosperity. 

The Precarious State of Moose in Vermont and the Challenges of Managing Wildlife Under Climate Change, a Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series talk by Jed Murdoch, Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Program, University of Vermont.

 

Local Honey Tasting. Come sample some local honey products and learn about the process of keeping bees, running an apiary, and local business. Sponsored by Middlebury EcoReps.

Come meet fellow ES majors, minors, and faculty. Learn more about the major and opportunities in the program and get any questions answered prior to spring registration. Prospective majors and minors are also encouraged to attend.
Apples, cider, and cider doughnuts will be served. 
Monday, November 4, 2024 4:30 pm in HLD 103, the Orchard.

New Perennials at Middlebury College is pleased to announce Radical Pamphlets Past and Present, a celebration of and conversation about the pamphlet as a means of radical thought and inspiration for social change.

 When: Friday, November 1, 2024; 4pm-6pm
Where: Middlebury College, Davis Library: Harmon Periodical Reading Area, Middlebury, VT

Environmental Studies Core Conversations: “Contingency and Complexity” a Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series talk featuring Middlebury College Professors:
Rebecca Gould, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies;
Christopher Klyza, Robert ’35 and Helen ’38 Stafford Professor in Public Policy, Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies; 
Peter Ryan, Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences and Environmental Studies.

Charlie Kronick ‘78 will join a conversation moderated by students Maya Teiman ‘25 and Ken Deng ‘24.5. The impacts of climate change, including physical impacts - rising sea levels, shrinking glaciers, more intense extreme weather events (including Helene and Milton) - are ubiquitous and plain to see. The climate crisis is an existential threat on a variety of levels. Yet the response to this global problem is disputed, deeply polarizing, far from rational and for many audiences signifies far beyond its actual “real world” manifestation.

Come watch a screening of Princess Mononoke followed by a discussion of its environmental awareness! A program sponsored by EcoReps!  

Bring your snagged jackets! Bring your holey hats! Bring your tents with broken zippers! 

MMC, Outdoor Programs, Climate Action Program, and Innovation Hub are delighted to bring Maine GearShare to campus. They’ll be offering free gear repair from 12-5 on Oct 25! Drop off gear in need of repair, then connect with student orgs about how to get outside. 

Find us on the lawn in between Gifford and the Middlebury Chapel.

The Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs program on Global Economics presents Peter Andre and “A Behavioral Economics Perspective on Climate Action: Turning Concern into Change.”

Restoration through Dam Removal and River Reconnection - A Nature Based Approach to Community Resilience, a Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series talk by Karina Dailey, Vermont Natural Resources Council.

Justin Mankin Associate Professor of Geography at Dartmouth College  Principle Investigator of Dartmouth’s Climate Modeling and Impact Group   Constraining Uncertanty in the Human Impacts of Climate Change Tuesday, October 15, @ 4:30 PM in Axinn Center, room 229 Justin’s lecture will explore the climate change impacts on people and the things they value, by drawing examples from violent conflict, economic growth, and water resources.

In this moment of environmental, political, and social change, what are the stories of “now”? Who is doing the telling?  And why does it matter?

Come join EcoReps and garden at the Knoll! Get an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the campus garden, help with garden maintenance, and eat outside at our beautiful Knoll! Co-Sponsored by EcoReps.  

Join renowned fiction and non-fiction author Emily Raboteau for an environmentally-minded reading and talk in Axinn 232.

The Guarantees: Building an Inclusive Economy, a Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series talk by Natalie Foster, Economic Security Project.

RSVP Here

Meet at the front porch of Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest to join the popular Fall Family Weekend Campus Tree Tour led by passionate Middlebury horticulturalist and tree expert Tim Parsons. Learn fun facts and hear stories about various trees around campus. Tim will also explain how he manages our rural Vermont campus as an urban forest.

Check out Tim Parson’s blog, The Middlebury Landscape, or follow Tim on Instagram.