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Why Mount Holyoke
Sustainability

Sustainability

Mount Holyoke College recognizes that climate change is threatening people and ecosystems around the globe and that without intervention centered around justice that impact will continue to escalate. We all, especially those of us privileged in the industrial world, share a responsibility to seek solutions to prevent future devastating consequences to our natural world and our lives.

As an educational institution, we are in a position to lead by educating students and the broader community on the science of climate change, as well as on the political, economic and social factors influencing it. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact on the planet and have set the goal of carbon neutrality by 2037, the College’s 200th anniversary.

We also have a responsibility to environmental sustainability, and to understanding its connection to multiple communities — locally and globally — both in terms of the people moving through the institution and the resources it consumes. With the support of the Miller Worley Center for the Environment, we are committed to advancing our core education and research to impact leadership in local and global sustainability and to foster a culture of responsibility on campus.

Living and working green

We are committed to reducing the environmental footprint of campus operations and student life on campus. While all community members play a role in this effort, students who call Mount Holyoke home for much of the year have a particularly significant opportunity to green it.

Solar panels on a campus building

Climate change is a defining issue of our day. The threat of global warming and its associated catastrophic impacts (including but not restricted to rising temperatures, extreme weather events, forest fires, rising sea levels, biodiversity loss and much more) demands both serious study and decisive action to protect our Earth and its inhabitants. We share a collective responsibility to work toward a greener and more equitable world.

In January 2018, the Board of Trustees set the goal of becoming a carbon-neutral campus by 2037, Mount Holyoke’s bicentennial. We are pursuing this goal through a strategy of investing in energy efficiency, promoting energy conservation, retrofitting historic buildings and transitioning to carbon-neutral heating and electricity sources.

Carbon neutrality is achieved by reducing the amount of carbon released to the atmosphere, primarily by reducing consumption, converting to renewable energy sources and increasing energy efficiency. It is also achieved by balancing the remaining carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered — that is, removed from the atmosphere.

We are pursuing our goal of reaching carbon neutrality by the College's bicentennial through a strategy of transitioning to renewable energy, electrification, investing in energy efficiency, promoting energy conservation and retrofitting our historic buildings.

Learn more about our climate commitment

Two students, each holding a blue recycle bin

Mount Holyoke is committed to recycling and waste reduction and recycling and has a long-standing recycling program. Central bins for recycling, trash, and composting are located on each residence hall floor, typically in kitchenettes. Each student room comes equipped with recycling bins.

Mount Holyoke College is committed to building, renovating, and maintaining its campus buildings to maximize energy efficiency and minimize other environmental impacts of the construction, renovation and ongoing use of campus buildings. To support this goal, specific objectives include:

designing all new construction to LEED™ silver or the equivalent with an emphasis on minimizing lifetime energy use
renovating buildings using Mount Holyoke’s Environmentally Responsible Building Principles and Guidelines
utilizing an integrated design approach will be used to identify green design options at the early stages of the design process
conducting energy modeling on all new construction
commissioning new construction and establishing a schedule for the re-commission of those buildings

Several buildings on campus have already been built or renovated to conform to LEED™ standards.

Creighton Hall

Creighton Hall. Built in 2008, Creighton Hall is the newest Residence Hall on campus and meets LEED Gold Requirements.

Students entering the community center

Community Center. Completed in fall 2018, the Community Center facility was designed and constructed to LEED Silver equivalent standards.

The exterior of Kendade Hall

Science Center. Completed in 2003, the Science Center is a LEED certified building.

Dining Commons

Mount Holyoke Dining Services is committed to protecting our global and local resources by continuously exploring options to increase environmentally sustainable purchasing and practices. We aim to provide healthy and nutritious food while reducing waste, increasing our local purchases, and minimizing our impacts on the environment.

Learn more about our efforts in sustainable dining

Happening at Mount Holyoke

Sustainability in the news

A student presents in front of a screen.

Students explore future environmental career possibilities

Taking part in a two-day workshop featuring alums, staff and current interns, Mount Holyoke College students had the opportunity to learn what a career in environmental work entails and how to get on the right track to start their own journeys.

Detail from The Life of Water, artwork by Grace Sanford ’24

Senior Grace Sanford wins the prestigious Tidal Shift Award

Mount Holyoke College student Grace Sanford ’24 won the prestigious Tidal Shift Award from the Portland Museum of Art. This award recognizes young artists who have created artwork contemplating the climate crisis.

Alexis Nelson, The Black Forager, with students in 2024

Exploring a foraging world on campus

In celebration of Earth Day, Mount Holyoke College welcomed Alexis Nikole Nelson to campus as she demonstrated to students, staff and faculty how foraging is not only good for the environment but also beneficial for one’s health.

More sustainability news

More in Sustainability

Contact us

The Miller Worley Center for the Environment

Creating a greener and more equitable world, the Miller Worley Center for the Environment prepares environmental leaders for today and the future by promoting a culture of environmental sustainability and justice on campus and beyond.

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