Luce Faculty/Staff Seminar, Spring 2007

During the spring semester of 2007, a group of approximately 20 faculty and staff met weekly to discuss what "sustainability" means, how different disciplines measure, think and teach about sustainability, and potential institutional applications of the concept of sustainability at Williams.

Readings and Presentations

2/1/2007   Introduction

• "Our Common Journey", Executive Summary.  Board on Sustainable Developement, Policy Division, National Research Council. 1999
• "What is Sustainability, Anyway?"  Thomas Prugh and Erik Assadourian, World Watch Institute. 2003

2/8/2007   Williams College Climate Initiative - Stephanie Boyd, Director of Special Projects for the Vice President for Operations

• Letter to President Schapiro from the Climate Action Committee
• Report from the Williams College Climate Action Committee

2/15/2007   Global Sustainability and Environmental Justice - Charlie Benjamin, Environmental Studies

• "Behind Roses' Beauty, Poor and Ill Workers"  Ginger Thompson. New York Times, February 13, 2003
• "Eskimos Fret as Climate Shifts and Wildlife Changes"  Clifford Krauss. New York Times, September 6, 2004
• Assorted excerpts

2/22/2007   Fossil Fuels, Peak Production and Sustainability - David Dethier, Geosciences

• Hubbert Peak
• Peak Oil - U.K. Energy Security in the 21st Century
• Peak Oil Debunked
• David's Powerpoint

3/1/2007   Sustainability and Collapse of Ancient Civilizations: Lessons From Archaeology - Antonia Foias, Anthropology

• "Vulnerable Societies: The Ends of Worlds as We Know Them"  Jared Diamond. The New York Times, January 1, 2005
• "The Maya Collapse Revisited: Internal and External Perspectives"  Robert Sharer, 1977

3/8/2007   Planning for Builings and Sustainable Features at Williams - Steve Klass, Vice President for Operations and Irene Addison, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Auxiliary Services

3/15/2007   Biology Sustainability: Ecosystems and Forestry - Henry Art, Biology

• "Pattern and Process in a Forested Ecosystem"  F. Herbert Bormann & Gene E. Likens.
• "Forests as Human-Dominated Ecosystems"  Ian R. Noble & Rodolfo Dirzo. Science, July 25, 1997.
• "Comparison of Forest Certification Systems" - Forest Certification Resource Center
• "Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard"
• Henry's Powerpoint

4/5/2007   Prospects for Green Building on Pine Cobble - James Pethica, English

• Information about Green Buildings - Northeast Sustainable Energy Association