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HEAG and Campus Sustainability

Overview

Note: This era-specific stub has been superseded by Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action at Hamilton, the canonical page covering the full 1972–2022 arc including all HEAG history and institutional sustainability. The Key Points below remain for reference.

The Hamilton Environmental Action Group (HEAG) was the primary student environmental organization at Hamilton College throughout the 2004–2012 period, running an annual Green Week, engaging in recycling advocacy, and pressing the college administration on composting, energy efficiency, and sustainability planning. HEAG worked alongside the college’s Physical Plant department and Bon Appétit dining service to promote recycling, local sourcing, and waste reduction. By the late 2000s Hamilton was receiving external assessments of its sustainability practices, including LEED certification for at least one campus building.

Key Points

HEAG’s Structure and Activities

HEAG operated with a co-presidency model — typically three presidents sharing leadership — and had approximately fifty members as of fall 2004. Its flagship event was Green Week, an annual five-day program in October focused on food awareness, energy efficiency, and recycling. Green Week activities documented in the Spectator include: film screenings (e.g., Super Size Me screened in the Red Pit in 2004 with discussion on the environmental impact of the American diet); a Campaign for Clean Energy; lectures by regional environmental experts; and a campout on Minor Field. (Spectator, October 22, 2004)

HEAG’s 2006 Green Week included a “Trash Mountain” installation on campus — a visible pile of one day’s worth of campus waste — intended to dramatize actual waste production. Jen Kleindienst ‘09, one of HEAG’s presidents that year, also chaired the Recycling Task Force, a student group operating under Physical Plant supervision that monitored Hamilton’s recycling performance against peer institutions via the national Recyclemania competition. (Spectator, October 27, 2006)

Recycling and Composting Advocacy

HEAG’s relationship with the Physical Plant was central to its practical work. Terry Hawkridge, assistant director of grounds, horticulture and arboretum at Physical Plant, confirmed to the Spectator in 2006 that Hamilton had piloted a post-consumer organic composting program in 1998 and 1999; HEAG was pushing for its reinstatement. Space constraints related to the KJ construction project delayed a new composting facility. Hamilton was one of approximately twenty-five schools participating in Recyclemania by 2006, which assessed and ranked colleges by recycling rate. (Spectator, October 27, 2006)

In fall 2004 HEAG partnered with the Physical Plant on recycling education, including recycling travel-mug distribution in dining halls and coordination with Bon Appétit to promote reusable cups and plates. Bon Appétit also highlighted local farm produce during Green Week. (Spectator, October 22, 2004; Spectator, November 19, 2004)

Campus Sustainability Ratings and LEED Certification

By 2007, HEAG was receiving and presenting annual sustainability assessments of Hamilton’s environmental performance covering categories such as Climate Change and Energy, Green Building, and Food and Recycling. Bon Appétit earned Hamilton an “A” in food and recycling. The renovation of Skenandoa Hall (also spelled Skenandoah in some sources) received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, helping Hamilton earn a “B” in Climate Change and Energy categories. HEAG advocated for publication of these assessments campus-wide, not just internally. (Spectator, March 9, 2007)

Funding and Institutional Position

In November 2006, Student Assembly approved zero dollars for HEAG’s budget, directing the organization to seek funding from the Environmental Studies Department or the President’s Office instead — a significant setback that reflected ongoing tensions between HEAG’s ambitions and SA’s funding priorities. (Spectator, November 3, 2006)

Open Questions

• When did Hamilton establish a formal Office of Sustainability or hire a dedicated Sustainability Coordinator/Director (if at all within this period)?
• What was the outcome of the composting facility proposal?
• Did Hamilton sign the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) during this period?
• Full scope of HEAG activity after 2008 and into the 2010-2012 years

Sources

Related Topics

• Environmental Activism and HEAG (1996–2003)
• Campus Life and Culture
• Student Government and Campus Organizations
• Campus Buildings and Physical Plant
• Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement