The unmistakable urgency of the climate crisis is becoming ever more dire, and Middlebury is rising to meet the moment. 

As an international institution, we are poised to use all of our networks, perspectives, and resources to help tackle this daunting challenge head-on.

Aligned with Middlebury’s commitment to prepare students to lead impactful, engaged lives and to tackle society’s most pressing challenges, the Office of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs cultivates experiential learning and institutional action towards a more sustainable and just world. 

Get Involved

Below are just a few of the many ways you can get involved with Sustainability and Environmental Affairs—on campus, locally, and around the world.

  • The Knoll

    Our student-powered garden offers opportunities to sink hands in soil, research, and connect with community.

    More about The Knoll
  • Climate Action Program 

    The Climate Action Program supports vital work being done on campus while piloting new opportunities to drive real impact and student capacity.

    More about CAP
  • Sustainability Solutions Lab (SSL) 

    Provides paid, on-campus experiential learning opportunities for the practice and cultivation of critical thinking and professional skills.

    More about SSL
  • EcoReps

    EcoReps help to create an environmental network through peer-to-peer education, events, student connections

    More about EcoReps
Students in a well lit dining hall with fresh food on trays.

Living Sustainably

From dining halls to dorms to driving around the town and state, your daily actions can help reduce carbon emissions and contribute to cultural shift that values sustainable living. Find out how.

Sustainable Middlebury

An exterior view of the Biomass Gasification Plant

Energy2028

Working toward a Middlebury campus fueled entirely by locally produced renewable energy and an institutional endowment that thrives without fossil-fuel investments.

More about Energy2028

Renewable Energy

Our biomass gasification plant distributes steam throughout campus for heating, cooling, hot water, and cooking, and our local partnership with a biomethane digester has supplied renewable natural gas to the main campus since 2021

More about Renewable Energy

Upcoming Events

See Events for a complete list.

  • Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series: "ES Core Conversations: Truth in Environmentalism"

    Environmental Studies Core Conversations: Truth in Environmentalism
    Mez Baker-Medard, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
    Dan Brayton, Julian W. Abernethy Professor of Literature and member of the Environmental Studies Program
    Molly Costanza-Robinson, Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Studies
    Joseph Holler, Associate Professor of Geography

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public

  • 2026 Scott A. Margolin '99 Lecture - The Ocean Remade

    The Scott A. Margolin ’99 Lecture in Environmental Affairs takes an interdisciplinary approach to the natural environment and human interaction with it.

    In 1998, the Environmental Affairs Lecture was named in honor of Scott A. Margolin, of the Middlebury College Class of 1999. In his one year here, Scott established himself as a dedicated student of Environmental Studies, a leader in Environmental Quality and other student affairs, and an outstanding writer. He lives in our memory.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public