Tara Federoff
she/her
Sustainability Specialist
- Office
- Franklin Environmental Ctr Hillcrest 111
- Tel
- (802) 443-2536
- tfederoff@middlebury.edu
- Office Hours
- Tuesdays, 10 am-12 pm
As sustainability specialist, Tara performs a dual role- focusing on sustainability and climate communications and working with students in the Sustainability Solutions Lab. Tara graduated from the Robert E. Cook Honors College at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a dual degree in Political Science and Environmental Anthropology and went on to get her master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh in their Global Environment, Politics, and Society program. Professionally, she has experience in marketing, communications, sustainable event coordination, and community engagement.
In her work, she strives to always come from a place of respect, learning, and unlearning and to infuse every project with her deep passion for environmental justice, community building, and the creation of more equitable, safe, and inclusive futures for all. She is driven by hope for the future and believes deeply in humanity’s role as stewards of the earth.
Outside of work, she loves to travel and experience cultures different from her own, garden, paint, eat good food (especially cheese!), hike, and snowboard.
Her door is always open and she’s excited to meet you all!
Courses Taught
ENVS 0101
Current
Reimagining Sustainability
Course Description
Reimagining Sustainability: Exploring Holistic Futures (Half Credit)
What does Sustainability mean and how does it apply to our campus and beyond? In this course students will deconstruct the mainstream views of sustainability and the systems that surround it. Using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and excerpts from climate thinkers such as Adrienne Marie Brown, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson as a framework, we will delve into themes surrounding an evolving paradigm shift. Students will explore how to redefine what sustainability could mean for a holistic future grounded in interdependence and interconnectedness and develop their climate communication and storytelling skillsets. Readings will include Johnson and Wilkinson, eds., All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, and Jeremy Caradonna, Sustainability: A History. 1.5 hours sem.
Terms Taught