Deputy Director of Co-curricular Programs and Community Engagement, and Lecturer in Environmental Studies
Education
M.P.A. Columbia University
Ph.D. City University of New York
Areas of Expertise
Focus areas include environmental planning, city & town planning, rural development, community development, state and local environmental politics and policy, renewable energy, climate policy, farm and food systems planning, conservation and land protection, agricultural practice and policy. With a focus on state and local issues, she has many connections to governmental, non-profit and advocacy organizations in the region. She manages several programs including Log Lunch, Career Conversations, the Summer Grants Program, as well as community outreach and alumni engagement. In addition, Sarah serves as the faculty sponsor of several student organizations, including the Purple Bike Coalition (PBC), the Garden Club, and the Williams Environmental Council (WEC). She serves on the Environmental Studies Advisory Committee and the Hopkins Forest Users Committee. In the past decade, her work has focused primarily on the regional farm & food system, farm support & agricultural advocacy and documentary film production.
Current documentary project: “My Town” – an ethnographic exploration of the transformation of rural America.
Sarah Gardner has been at Williams teaching environmental studies and administering environmental programs since January 2002.
Teaching
Academic Year Courses
Environmental Planning Workshop (ENVI 402): Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025
Environmental Planning Workshop (ENVI 302): Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021
Environmental Planning Workshop (ENVI 411): Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018
Perspectives in Environmental Studies: ENVI Senior Seminar (ENVI 402) Spring 2016
Environmental Planning Workshop (ENVI 302): Spring 2002, Fall 2002, Fall 2003, Fall 2004, Spring 2005, Spring 2006, Fall 2006, Fall 2007, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015
Winter Study Courses (2002-present)
2004: Tropical Permaculture (travel class)
2005: Tropical Permaculture (travel class)
2007: Sustainable Agriculture (travel class)
2008: Sustainable Island (travel class)
2009: Sustainable Tourism (travel class)
2011: Sustainable Island: Climate Change & Energy Systems (travel class)
2012: Sustainable Island Agriculture (travel class)
2013: Sustainable Island (travel class)
2015: Sustainable Agriculture (travel class)
2017: Climate Change Planning in Eleuthera (travel class)
2019: California Agriculture (travel class)
2020: Tropical Marine Conservation (travel class)
2023: Tropical Marine Conservation (travel class)
2024: Farming New England: A Deep Dive into the Regional Food System
2025: Farming New England: A Deep Dive into the Regional Food System
2026: Cheesemaking on the Farm: The Art and Science of Cheese
Senior Thesis Advising (2002-present)
2026: “Local Action: The Future of Environmental Justice Amidst Diminishing Federal Support” Nicholas Bollman
2026: “A Comparative Study of Environmental Policy and Marine Degradation on the Caribbean Island of Saint Martin” Molly McWeeny
2025: “A Legal Investigation into the Construction of the Oakland Coal Terminal” Marta Symkowick
2025: “Defining Alternative Food: The Case of Raw Milk” Ella Ball
2024: “Take Place, Make Space: Placemaking First Year Housing at Williams College” Jahnavi Kirtane
2021: “Good Healthy Fun: The Relationships Between Playgrounds and Children’s Health In New York City” Elizabeth Bigham
2017: “Pick Two: Understanding Sustainability in Small Scale Vegetable Growing” Rebecca McClements (reader)
2014: “Edible Forest Gardening at the Clark Art Institute” Sonja Thalheimer
2011: “Keeping it Local: Farm Viability in Berkshire and Bennington Counties” Rooney Charest
2009: “Exploring the Interrelationships Between Farmers and Their Watersheds: A Case Study on Human Ecology from Rio La Paz, Costa Rica” Avalon Lee Gulley
2008: “The Lion and the Lamb: The Struggle Between Conservation and Pastoralism in Tanzania” Nora Morse
2007: “Elites, Regimes, and Growth Machines: The Politics of Parks Development in Chicago and London” Andy Stevenson
2006: “Biogas Development in the U.S.: Current Trents and Future Opportunities” Amelia Grace Bishop
2005: “Green New York: Examining the Vanguard of Green Development in New York City” Jason Todd Davis
2005: “Think Globally, Eat Locally: An Analysis of Williams College’s Food Consumption” Jocelyn Bauer Gardner
2005: “Relocation, Renovation and Redesign of Kellogg House: A Case Study of the Center for Environmental Studies” Laura Cavin
2005: “The Dairy Farming Paradox” Katherine Eleanor Stevens (reader)
Scholarship/Creative Work
Films
“Hear Me” (2022) The stories of youth living with gun violence in Western Massachusetts. (Co-Produced by Sarah Gardner, Directed by Dave Simonds)
“Farms for the Future” (2021) Development threats and opportunities for farmland preservation in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Vimeo. (Produced by Sarah Gardner, Directed by Dave Simonds)
“Finding Hope in Farmland” (2020) The story of Somali Bantu refugees in Utica, New York, who seek to revive their farming heritage by finding land and establishing a farm. (Produced by Sarah Gardner, Directed by Dave Simonds). Film hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension.
“Confronting Climate Change” (2017) How colleges should lead our society in addressing climate change. With Elizabeth Kolbert, Van Jones, James Hansen, Bill McKibben, Rob Nixon, Maxine Burkett, Stephen Gardiner and Mark Tercek. (Produced by Sarah Gardner, Directed by Dave Simonds) https://ces.williams.edu/features/8439/
“Forgotten Farms” (2016) The story of the Northeast dairy industry and the cultural and class conflicts within contemporary agriculture. (Produced by Sarah Gardner, Directed by Dave Simonds) https://forgottenfarms.org/
“Farming in Eleuthera” (2011) A profile of farming in Eleuthera through the words of farmers who strive to keep farming to feed their communities despite the multiple hardships presented by everything from tropical storms to global economic trends and the loss of local markets. Filmed with Williams College “Sustainable Island” Winter Study students. (Produced by Sarah Gardner, Directed by Dave Simonds)
Professional Affiliations
Grant Reviewer, Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center, 2022-present
Alternate Delegate, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, 2025-present
Member, Dairy Sustainability Task Force, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, 2021-present
Mass. Farm Futures Project, 2022-present
Board President, Berkshire Grown, 2025-present
Trustee, Berkshire Grown, 2012-present
Conservation Law Foundation, Massachusetts Advisory Board Member, 2024-present
Chair, Williamstown Agricultural Commission, 2018-current
Researcher, Dairy Processing Study, Federal State Marketing Improvement Plan, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, 2020-2021
Renewable Energy Advisory Committee, Environment Massachusetts, 2018-2022
Williamstown Comprehensive Plan Committee, 2021-2023
Williamstown Democratic Committee, 2012-current
Board Member, Hoosic River Watershed Association, 2010-current
Williamstown COOL Committee (Carbon Lowering Committee), 2011-current
Outdoor Certifications
Wilderness First Aid certified (2020-current)
CPR (2000-current)
AMC Certified Hike Leader (2020-current)
Press & Articles (selection)
“Hey, that’s not ‘just’ a Hayfield” Berkshire Eagle, June 25, 2024
Sarah Gardner Opinion Hay June 2024
“Making Public Space: Pownal VT Shows How It’s Done” Berkshire Eagle, July 7, 2024
(Environmental Planning Workshop)
Envi Planning in Pownal July 7 2024
“What has happened to New England’s Dairy Farms?” (Press coverage)
“Food Security Starts Here”
“New England Dairies: Using Business as a Force For Good”
“We Can’t Afford to Take Our Farmers for Granted Anymore”
https://www.gazettenet.com/Gardner-column-34596855
“In Praise of Farmers”
https://www.concordmonitor.com/My-Turn-Gardner-Dairy-Month-NH-3117429
“Buying Local at the Mini-Mart”
“GOP Still Places Environment Last” Sarah Gardner, New York Times, March 18, 1999