MCLA Unveils Green Initiatives

By Jen Thomas08:00PM / Wednesday, November 07, 2007Print Story | Email Story

MCLA unveiled its action plan for sustainable living this week during 'Going Green' Awareness Week.

NORTH ADAMS - In an ongoing effort to support sustainability and green technology, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts this week unveiled a strategic action plan that will make the campus more environmentally-friendly by April. At "Going Green" Awareness Week events in the Amsler Campus Center this week, members of the Sustainability Committee - also called the "Green Team" - spread the word about MCLA's eco-friendly initiatives, including a new recycling campaign and the creation of a campus community garden. "We want to raise awareness so that people understand the importance of the campus going green," said Audrey Werner, a lecturer in the college's environmental studies department, a program that is currently part of the biology department. "It truly is thinking globally and acting locally." With informational tables set up near the Centennial Room dining room, students were asked to sign personal resolutions to reduce their own carbon footprint and participate in transportation and recycling surveys. On Thursday, the cafeteria will host a "Trayless Thursday" meant to reduce the amount of energy and water wasted for washing dishes. During Thursday's "Green Community Day," a host of events are scheduled to actively engage the campus community in taking responsibility for their personal impact. Officials are urging students to institute energy-saving measures in their daily lives by exchanging an incandescent light bulb for an energy-efficient one in the Campus Center or researching just how many pages the average student prints from the campus computer labs, among other efforts. Dining services will also be promoting the message of sustainability on Thursday, raising awareness about the amount of waste produced each day in the cafeteria. Approximately 390 take-out containers are used in the cafeteria each day and about a third are used in the dining hall when dishes (which could be washed instead of thrown away) should be used instead. New containers are made of biodegradable materials, including potato starch. Sponsored by MCLA's Green Team - a committee composed of 30 students, staff and faculty members - the awareness activities will culminate with a lecture by environmentalist writer Bill McKibben on Thursday night. Campus Green The catalyst for MCLA's concentrated commitment to green initiatives comes following President Mary K. Grant's signing of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment this summer. The resolution "commits campuses to short- and long-term reductions of greenhouse gas emissions," said Karen Gardner, the spokeswoman for the college. This year, the Green Team was formed to develop and implement campuswide measures to reduce energy consumption and increase education on the importance of green technology. With the purchase of a hybrid vehicle for admissions counselors and talks to expand the solar panels located on Venable Hall, MCLA is moving toward "carbon neutrality." "We have a lot of goals. Whether it's building on projects we've already started or developing new ideas, we want to have an impact," said Werner. According to the Green Team, MCLA produces 745 tons of trash per year (two tons a day) while only 32 tons of paper and cardboard are recycled in that same time period. That's only a 4 percent recycling rate. The Green Team has three specific focuses, separated into subcommittees, which are dedicated to recycling, energy saving and special projects. Emily DeMoore, a professor in the education department and chairman of the special projects subcommittee, said she's using a math and science methods course to teach students about permaculture principles. The eight students in the course will design the community garden, to be placed beside the Smith House, and DeMoore said she hopes to see plants in the ground by March. "The community garden is priority one. We want to grow food, herbs and flowers, while also teaching ecological science. The idea is to connect students to where their food comes from," said DeMoore. For Nancy Nylen, the Center for Ecological Technology's associate director and a member of the energy subcommittee, the major priorities of the college are to undertake a full energy audit of all campus buildings. "It's going to be a huge task but we're working to develop low cost resolutions and a plan for implementation while also asking 'Are there additional opportunities for renewable energy?'" said Nylen. As the college continues to promote its "Going Green" campaign, Nylen hopes other schools will follow MCLA's lead. "Hopefully, we'll be able to transfer what we've learned and other campuses will start doing this," she said.

SteepleCats Shut Out on Road

iBerkshires.com Sports09:56PM / Monday, June 08, 2026

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Four Vermont pitchers combined to strike out 11 and allow four hits Tuesday as the Mountaineers beat the North Adams SteepleCats, 11-0, in New England Collegiate Baseball League action.

Evan Meier, Bobby Stang, Tonny Woodie and Chris Diaz each had a hit for the SteepleCats, who used five pitchers in the loss.

North Adams (0-2) comes home Tuesday to host the Mystic Schooners at 6:30 p.m. at Joe Wolfe Field.