Sustainability

Sustainability is part of the fabric of our community. It’s embedded into everything we do.

In the classroom, you can explore issues related to the environment in one of our many multi-disciplinary sustainability-focused classes, like Global Ethics and Climate Change, Reading and Writing the Land, Environmental Applications of Advanced Chemistry, the Physics of Global Energy, and the Science of Farming. During our annual Food Systems Teach-In, every class studies the environmental, economic, and social effects of our food choices, with visits from local farmers, business owners, and representatives from nonprofit organizations.

After class, you might join an environmental club, like the Climate Justice Coalition, or become a student Ecoleader, working on fun and meaningful activities, from events on energizing voters and lobbying lawmakers on environmental issues to hands-on upcycling workshops to activities at the sustainably run NMH farm.

Our commitment to responsible stewardship of our natural resources can be seen across campus: The Gilder Center, NMH’s “greenest” building, meets the sustainability standards of the 2030 Challenge, a global initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our Rhodes Arts Center and Bolger House both have gold LEED certification.

Our buildings are heated with biofuel, and we’ve achieved net-zero electricity, thanks to a 2.7MW solar array on campus. Not even our waste goes to waste: Every drain on campus empties into waste-treatment lagoons, where biosolids are turned into nutrient-rich soil.

Dining

In our Alumni Dining Hall, the focus is on fresh, local food — some of it from our own farm. Food waste is composted, and events like Meatless Mondays offer opportunities to make sustainable decisions about what we eat.