Williams Takes Historic Step, Pledges Milestone Greenhouse Emissions Reduction

12:00AM / Wednesday, January 24, 2007Print Story | Email Story

Williamstown- Williams College today announced that a Board of Trustees vote unanimously approved establishing a goal to reduce the college's greenhouse gas emissions to a level of 10 percent below the college emissions of the 1990-91 academic year. The goal target date is 2020. Below is a letter sent to the Williams College faculty, staff and students from college president Morton O. Schapiro. The letter includes a link to a college Climate Action Committee report, which contains information about strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and additional information. To the Williams Community, Williams today commits to help lead the effort to reverse climate change induced by greenhouse gas emissions. Last spring I formed a Climate Action Committee and asked its members to recommend to the College a goal for reducing its emissions and the strategies to attain it. The Committee has worked commendably hard on this important task and issued a thoughtful report, which can be seen at http://www.williams.edu/go/cac/ I am pleased to say that President's Staff enthusiastically endorsed the report and that the Board of Trustees, in what someday may be considered a historic vote, unanimously passed this resolution: "WHEREAS, The President and Trustees of Williams College believe that the principles and practices of environmental sustainability in general, and greenhouse gas emissions reductions specifically, are institutional priorities, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT: As recommended by the President's Staff acting on the report of the Climate Action Committee, Williams College hereby adopts as a goal the reduction of its greenhouse gas emissions by ten percent below the College's 1990-91 emissions level by the year 2020." This goal presents a considerable challenge but one that with strong, continuing effort we can make. Williams has long worked on issues of sustainability-in fact our Center for Environmental Studies is the oldest in the country. Now we must make these considerations more central to how the college operates. Sustainability thus becomes for Williams a guiding principle, like those of accessibility and diversity. We need to honor that principle in all that we do. Faculty in all divisions will want to think of how to incorporate issues of sustainability into their courses. As you can see in the report, we will have to alter as a college what we buy and how we build, along with how we heat, cool, and light our buildings. The report points out the importance of energy conservation, an effort that must engage all of us on campus. We will need to limit our building growth. And we will have to adjust to working within budgets, for individual projects and for the College as a whole, that include significant investments in sustainability. Since resources are finite difficult decisions on tradeoffs lie ahead. To coordinate this widespread campaign we are thinking about the best way to develop a sustainability office. For now these efforts will be centered in the office of Vice President for Operations Steve Klass, where it will be a prime responsibility for Manager of Special Projects Stephanie Boyd. Devising mechanisms for the ongoing involvement of faculty, staff, and students in this planning and implementation will be important. Reversing the growth in greenhouse gas emissions will require a worldwide effort, in which Williams should play a leading role. We do that, perhaps most effectively, by example in pursuing a goal that is among the most ambitious of any college or university. We are able at the same time to contribute significantly to the emissions reduction efforts of Williamstown and the region, both of which the College is an important part. As an educational institution, our greatest influence derives from our students, who, in this case, will be involved in multiple ways with an engaging and important effort, the lessons from which they will take with them as they enter the wider world. We all owe thanks to the members of the Climate Action Committee for the hard intellectual work they have put into leading Williams to the brink of this vital commitment. Best regards, M. Schapiro [Williams College President Morton O. Schapiro]

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St. Stan's Students Spread Holiday Cheer at Williamstown Commons

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
12:50PM / Sunday, December 21, 2025

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Students from St. Stanislaus Kostka School in Adams brought the holiday spirit to Williamstown Commons on Thursday, delivering handmade Christmas cards and leading residents in a community caroling session.

"It honestly means the world to us because it means the world to them," said nursing home Administrator Alex Fox on Thursday morning. "This made their days. This could have even made their weeks. It could have made their Christmas, seeing the children and interacting with the community."

Teacher Kate Mendonca said this is the first year her class has visited the facility, noting that the initiative was driven entirely by the students.

"This came from the kids. They said they wanted to create something and give back," Mendonca said. "We want our students involved in the community instead of just reading from a religion book."

Preparation for the event began in early December, with students crafting bells to accompany their singing. The handmade cards were completed last week.

"It's important for them to know that it's not just about them during Christmas," Mendonca said. "It's about everyone, for sure. I hope that they know they really helped a lot of people today and hopefully it brought joy to the residents here."

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