Sustainability

Sustainability is an integral consideration in many facets of a Hamilton education, from curricular offerings to off-campus study options and student research opportunities.

Members of the Hamilton College community are committed to developing environmentally conscious facilities and policies and are active in sustainability initiatives.

Hamilton College students find many ways to get involved with sustainability efforts on campus and beyond through clubs such as HEAG and summer internships.

Hamilton has a 1,350-acre campus (800 acres of which are undeveloped) and can trace its landscape-preservation commitment to 1850, when Oren and Nancy Root bought a building near the center of campus and began their stewardship of the surrounding environment.

Hamilton uses Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines as a basis for design in new construction and for major renovations. The College also seeks sources of renewable energy to reduce its carbon footprint.

Hamilton cuts waste by promoting campus-wide recycling, composting food and reusing products through annual programs such as Cram & Scram. Hamilton also participates in Recyclemania, an eight-week competition for colleges and universities.

Shrinking the distance our food travels from farm to plate is one way that Bon Appétit, Hamilton’s food service provider, leads the way in changing the way people eat. Sourcing closer to home draws us back to the land, back to the kitchen, and back to the simple pleasure of real, seasonal food.

Students don’t need to have a car on campus to run an errand, visit the mall, or go out to dinner and a movie. They can use the Jitney shuttle service, sign up for a Zipcar account to rent a car by the hour or day, take a taxi, or hop the public bus.