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In celebration of Earth Day, Hamilton College food service provider Bon Appétit is declaring April 22 Low Carbon Diet Day for lunch. Commons and McEwen, the college's dining halls, will serve lunch foods that help illustrate key principles of how food production and consumption can help reduce climate change.  Bon Appétit general manager Pat Raynard explained, "it's more about removing foods from the menu and making substitutions than using certain foods. Our challenge is to make students understand what we're doing for one meal on this day and how our food choices can have a great impact on the environment."

Work on Hamilton's community farm garden got underway on April 18, as volunteers turned out to remove rocks from the ground. The Hamilton Farm Garden, located east of the Ferguson House parking lot, hopes to offer a place for all community members to garden. For more information, details on donations, or to get involved please contact: garden@hamilton.edu

Hamilton’s Environmental Action Group (HEAG) and Recycling Task Force distributed free mugs to members of the community who signed a pledge to sort and minimize waste. The reusable mugs, distributed as part of Hamilton’s Recyclemania campaign, will be used instead of disposable paper cups in Commons. Hamilton is one of 400 colleges across the country participating in Recyclemania. This contest, sponsored by the EPA, encourages waste reduction and waste minimization with a friendly challenge to improve campus recycling.

Hamilton College was named in a new report released by the Campus Ecology program of the National Wildlife Federation earlier this month. The report, "Higher Education in a Warming World: The Business Case for Climate Leadership on Campus," illustrates the ways in which more than 100 colleges and universities are making significant cuts in CO2 emissions while reaping financial, educational and other benefits.

The Green Democracy Roundtable, hosted by the Hamilton Environmental Action Group and the Hamilton College chapter of Democracy Matters on Jan. 31, brought together a distinguished panel of students, staff, alumni and politicians to discuss potential solutions to the problems of climate change. The event, concluding Hamilton's participation in the Focus the Nation global warming teach-in that took place at more than 1,000 schools that day, was notable for the depth of the speakers' knowledge and for their universal commitment to address climate change.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Camille Jones will present "The Hydrogen Economy" as part of the Faculty Lecture Series on Friday, Feb. 1, at 4:10 p.m. in Dwight Lounge in the Bristol Center. Jones' presentation will include a discussion on the recent major research efforts to develop hydrogen as an alternative source of energy for the transportation industry.

A Green Democracy Roundtable will take place at Hamilton on Thursday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m. in the Chapel. Hosted by the Hamilton Environmental Action Group (HEAG) and Democracy Matters, the roundtable intends to address such issues as awareness, activism and solutions to global warming. The discussion is part of Focus the Nation, a nationwide teach-in to raise awareness of global warming, and is open to the public. Kevin Rowe, president of Democracy Matters, noted "We're trying to emphasize that the event is not a panel, but rather an interactive discussion among policymakers, students, faculty, local citizens and activists and the college administration."

Hamilton is continuing its efforts to go green with the purchase of a Ford Escape Hybrid SUV for the Campus Safety department. It is believed to be the first such vehicle used for full-time patrol by a college's campus safety or police department in Central New York. Hybrids typically offer better fuel economy and a lower impact on the environment. Concern for the environment as well as the rising cost of gasoline led Hamilton to purchase the vehicle.

Students in Government 285: Introduction to Environmental Politics, led by Visiting Assistant Professor of Government Peter Cannavo, will hold a mock Senate hearing on climate change legislation on Wednesday, Dec. 5, from 4 – 7:30 p.m. in the Red Pit in the Kirner-Johnson Building. Cannavo says that attendees to this event should "expect informative expert testimony, spirited debate, self-serving political grandstanding and fascinating presentations covering everything climate-related, from distributive justice to alternative fuels to White House policy to oil reserves to international relations." This event is free and open to the public.

The Cleveland Chapter of the American Institute of Architects has recognized the renovation of Skenandoa House with a merit award. EwingCole, the architectural firm responsible for the work, received the award for excellence in architectural design on Nov. 16.