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Hamilton hosted a panel discussion titled "Global Problems, Regional Actions: Sustainability in the Mohawk Valley" on Nov. 13. Panelists included Utica Mayor Tim Julian; Utica attorney Peter Rayhill; John Furman, president of Utica/Central New York Citizens in Action; Hamilton Director of Environmental Protection, Safety and Sustainability Brian Hansen; Patrick Raynard, general manager of Bon Appétit; Elaine Hills, a Ph.D. candidate at SUNY Albany; and Hamilton senior Jenney Stringer. Visiting Assistant Professor of Government Peter Cannavo was moderator. Each panelist suggested ways in which citizens can become involved in local sustainability efforts and highlighted methods of addressing large-scale environmental problems.

Hamilton College will host a panel discussion on local sustainability efforts titled "Global Problems, Regional Actions: Sustainability in the Mohawk Valley" on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the KJ Red-Pit (Room 109). The event is free and open to the public.

Hamilton students spend a large part of their year on Hamilton's campus, but some feel they have no real connection to the land on which the College sits. Students live in rented rooms, eat prepared food from dining halls and learn largely through discussions and activities inside classrooms and labs. In an attempt to bring members of the Hamilton community closer to the land they occupy, students and faculty have teamed up to create a community farm garden on campus.

Jenn Holderied-Webb '98 has been appointed to the board of advisors of EcoRooms & EcoSuites, an online directory of environmentally responsible hotels, motels, inns and B&Bs. An article in Hotel & Motel Management (10/05/07) noted Holderied-Webb's appointment, referenced her "outstanding qualifications" and praised her role in managing the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, located in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The Class of 2008 Senior Gift Committee, meeting on Thursday, Sept. 27, revealed the winning idea for the senior gift campaign. The gift option that won by an impressive number of votes was the Class of 2008 environmental endowment fund. Presented by senior co-chairs Ned Gilliss and Blythe Winchester, the gift will be a yearly grant awarded to a Hamilton student or campus organization in order to fund a green project on campus or environmental research. The fund also will be accompanied by a planted tree and plaque to commemorate the ‘08 gift. Gilliss expressed confidence in the campaign’s successful start, citing the high number of class participants in the gift survey and the strong support for the winning idea.

Food service provider Bon Appétit and local farmers are hosting the "Eat Local Challenge" on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at Hamilton, where all the food served at a campus-wide picnic will come from local producers. The picnic will take place on Dunham Quad from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reuben Haag, head chef at Hamilton, says he spends time finding farmers within a 150-mile radius of campus, and deals regularly with about a dozen farmers from upstate New York.

Hamilton's Environmental Action Group (HEAG) is sponsoring a number of activities to celebrate Green Week, Sept. 24-30.

In an opinion piece that appeared on Saturday, Sept. 22, in Utica's Observer-Dispatch titled "Warmer world could mean shorter winters for region," Professor of Biology Ernest Williams explained what the economic effects of global warming might mean for central New York.

The food isn't all that's environmentally friendly at The Green Café in Hamilton's McEwen Dining Hall. During the summer McEwen's furniture was replaced with new tables, chairs and carpet that are made from recyclable materials.

Molly Kane '09 is a member of the Sophomore Seminar class "Global Warming: Is the Day After Tomorrow Sooner Than We Think?" with Professor of Geosciences Gene Domack and Associate Professor of Chemistry Ian Rosenstein. That class, as well as Domack's Antarctica and Global Change class, had the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with former Vice President Al Gore, who came to Hamilton on April 26 to present his multimedia "An Inconvenient Truth" lecture. Kane here offers her impressions of the classroom session with Mr. Gore.