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In his April 22 lecture, author and University of Western Ontario professor Tony Weis traced the beginning of the global food crisis to advancements in agribusiness, farm subsidies and global food aid that then forced many small scale farmers in developing countries out of business.

Students came back from spring break to some good news concerning sustainability on the Hill. Hamilton was the winner of the three-week NY Negawatt/CCN Competition Challenge among New York Six Liberal Arts Consortium peer schools.  The student body, led by Hamilton Environmental Action Group (HEAG) reduced electricity consumption across all Hamilton residence halls by 5.8%, which equates to 27,909 kilowatt hours or approximately $2,500.

Richard Donovan, vice president of forestry for Rainforest Alliance, will give a talk, “Rainforest Alliance, Conservation and Sustainable Forestry in Latin America,” on Monday, April 1, at noon, in the Kennedy Science Auditorium, Taylor Science Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Silas D. Childs Professor of Biology David Gapp and Associate Professor of German and Russian Languages and Literatures Frank Sciacca will appear on the Green Local 175 LIVE Radio & Internet Show, tonight (Tuesday, March 26) from approximately 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., on WPNR 90.7 FM and streaming live audio on the Internet.

Lauren Howe ’13 has been awarded a prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for 2013-14. Her project is titled “The Future of Food: Modern Technology and Traditional Agriculture Systems.” Howe was among 40 national winners of the Fellowships. This year 148 finalists competed on the national level, after their institutions nominated them in the autumn. Each fellow receives $25,000 for a year of travel and exploration outside the U.S.

Clothing constructed of everything from banana peels and straws to garbage bags and recyclable bottles hit the runway as the Recycling Task Force hosted Hamilton’s first “Trashion Show” on March 3. The show was part of Recyclemania, an eight-week program that encourages student to reevaluate their waste and improve recycling.

In a new study, Hamilton College Biology Professor Ernest Williams and Boston University researchers have found that butterflies show signs of being affected by climate change in a way similar to plants and bees, but not birds, in the Northeast United States. Their findings indicate that butterflies are flying earlier in warmer years.

Breena Holland, associate professor of political science and the environmental initiative at Lehigh University, takes a different approach to academic research than many of her colleagues. Holland is less interested in massive data driven studies and more concerned with the real world impact of her work. That’s why much of her time has been spent conducting research intended to directly benefit underprivileged members of Lehigh’s local community of Bethlehem, Pa.  Holland was a guest speaker in the Levitt Center Sustainability series on Feb. 7.

Lauren Howe ’13 and Eunice Choi ’14 travelled to the 2012 International Slow Food Congress in Turin, Italy, Oct. 25-29.

Associate Professor of Government Peter Cannavò published an op-ed, “The Real Frankenstorm,” on The Huffington Post (Oct. 26, 2012). In the piece Cannavò questions why the subject of climate change has not been addressed in this year’s presidential race.