A pioneer in environmental studies, Williams is poised to set a new sustainability standard for educational facilities.
In 1967, Williams established America’s first Center for Environmental Studies (CES), enabling professors and students to explore every facet of the intricate relationship between humans and their environments. Environmental issues moved again to the top of Williams’ priorities in 2007, when the trustees unanimously endorsed reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent below 1991 levels by 2020. Since then…
- A gift from Selim Zilkha ’46 has established The Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives to incorporate principles of sustainability into the fabric of Williams’ curriculum as well as campus life and operations.
- The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded Williams’ new academic buildings, Hollander and Schapiro Halls, LEED Gold status, the second highest of LEED’s four levels of certification.
- The Williams faculty has established two new majors in environmental policy and environmental science, while preserving the original concentration in environmental studies.
To take full advantage of all these initiatives, Williams plans to make Kellogg House a joint workplace for the CES and The Zilkha Center.
The oldest wood frame structure on campus, Kellogg House was built in 1794 and housed Williams’ first four presidents, including Mark Hopkins. The college plans to preserve this pivotally historical building in ways that best support environmental education programs and sustainable operating practices. In doing so, the college hopes to create a model of environmental design by meeting the Living Building Challenge (LBC)––a new and extraordinarily high standard of sustainability that encompasses water, energy, and even food production.
To our knowledge, no other building to date has matched this degree of historic preservation with LBC standards. Combining Kellogg House’s venerable architecture with leading-edge sustainability standards will bring national attention to Williams’ renewed commitment to environmental education and sustainable institutional practices.
To learn how you can help reach Williams’ dream of meeting the Living Building Challenge for a renewed Kellogg House, contact Director of Development Lew Fisher ’89.
