Student Engagement
Hamilton Sustainability Coordinators (HSC)
Hamilton Sustainability Coordinators (HSC) are students who work for the Environmental Protection, Safety and Sustainability Office to plan and implement sustainability initiatives undertaken by the College, particularly student-facing projects. They also represent a bridge between all students and their elected representatives on Student Assembly. Founded in 2004 as the Recycling Task Force, HSC changed its name in 2018 to reflect the expansion of its mission beyond waste management. Coordinators are regularly involved in and/or facilitate dorm composting, reforestation plot/pollinator habitat management, and community education and outreach. HSCers are mentored by Sara Soika and Brian Hansen and may be contacted at hsc@hamilton.edu.
Other Sustainability Themed Clubs, Groups and Organizations
- Aquaponics
- AXB (formerly known as Alternative Spring Break)
- Bike Co-op
- BLSU
- Climate Justice Coalition
- Hamilton Sugaring
- HAVOC (Hamilton Association for Volunteering, Outreach and Charity)
- HOC (Hamilton Outing Club)
- Plants @ Hamilton
- Slow Food
- Special Interest Community
- The Harvest
- VCLS (Voices of Color Lecture Series)
Summer Sustainability Internships
The Environmental Protection, Safety and Sustainability Office hires several students each summer to both advance Hamilton’s sustainability initiatives and provide experiential opportunities to inform and enhance participants’ future career interests. Three former sustainability interns (now graduates) are leading sustainability efforts on other college campuses, including:
- Jennifer Kleindienst ’09: Director of Sustainability, Wesleyan University
- Olivia Shehan ’18: Sustainability Coordinator, Wellesley College
- Hayley Berliner ’19: Sustainability Coordinator, Trinity College
The office announces new internship opportunities each spring. Examples of recent internship participants and their projects are below.
Summer Sustainability Interns
Shey Sanges ’26, Austin Cipriano ’25, and Marcela Rondon ’27
Among the three major projects that the interns took on during their summer work was developing a waste management action plan that will help Hamilton achieve its goal of diverting 90% of its waste from the landfill by 2030.
Betsy Gross ’24 and Adrian Stefan ’24
Betsy Gross ’24 and Adrian Stefan ’24 spent much of their summer ensuring that the near-3,000 trees on campus are appropriately marked and cataloged — a tedious but crucial task to help the College make strides toward a more sustainable future.
Ellie Sangree ’24, Helen Xin ’25, Eileen Bussiere ’25, Emmy Goodwin ’23, Clara Zhou de Magalhaes ’24
The “Green Attributes” project, designed by five students, outlines how the College can use green landscaping as a tool to further Hamilton’s commitment to sustainability.
Avery Morgan ’21, Lilia Harlan ’22, Margaret Phipps ’23
Avery, Lilia, and Margaret worked on a new reforestation plot (tract 11), developed new trail systems in the Rogers and Reservoir forests, and researched strategies to expand low-mow zones and pollinator gardens on campus.
Ryan Wall ’20 and Jay Carhart ’21
Ryan and Jay worked on projects ranging from maintaining the many trails around campus, overseeing recycling efforts at weekly community lunches, to improving the reforestation area located on the former golf course.
Enogie Omoregbee ’21 and Christopher Hart ’19
Enogie and Christopher worked in the community farm by building pollinator gardens, and worked at reforestation sites around Clinton.
Hayley Berliner ’19 and Nick Pace ’19
Hayley and Nick researched and implemented forest stewardship practices, investigated community engagement opportunities that generate carbon offsets through community tree planting, and investigated the practical and financial viability of projects related to green roofs/rooftop gardens, green fitness equipment, and green revolving funds.
Emma Karsten ’18 and Olivia Shehan ’18
Emma and Olivia investigated peer institution best practices to improve Cram & Scram, developed detailed analyses of alternative land use practices (no-mow zones, butterfly gardens, forest carbon sequestration) with the assistance of local forester Dr. Steven Bick, and worked on a community service project to clean up the Oriskany Creek.
Victoria Blumenfeld ’16
Victoria investigated a geothermal replacement compressor system for Sage Rink, attended meetings hosted by BYSERDA and Second Nature regarding ongoing Hamilton initiatives, wrote a waste management plan, including an informational packet for RA’s, and contributed to the logistics for a sustainability-themed orientation adventure trip for first-year students.
Contact
Contact Name
Brian Hansen
Director of Environmental Protection, Safety and Sustainability
