The Sustainability Working Group was appointed in January 2023 to explore how Carleton could deepen its sustainability efforts in the wake of a 2021 recommendation by the Carleton Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) that the College update and revise its 2011 Climate Action Plan.
Enormous progress had been made in reducing carbon emissions at Carleton in the decade since the Climate Action Plan was established, with the College’s pioneering geothermal wells project having reduced energy consumption by 46%. With all of the significant steps the College had already taken on a variety of fronts, it was time to embrace a holistic vision for climate action and sustainability that would encompass institutional, educational and individual efforts—creating greater synergy and focus in the future.
The Sustainable Futures framework reflects the dedication and expertise of the members of the Sustainability Working Group, who concluded their work on the project in June 2024.
Co-chairs
- Sarah Fortner, director of sustainability
- Aaron Swoboda ’01, director of environmental studies and associate professor of environmental studies and economics
Faculty
- Dan Maxbauer, assistant professor of geology
- Kate Meyer ’09, assistant professor of mathematics Arjendu Pattanayak, professor of physics
Staff
- Nancy Braker ’81, Puzak Family Director of the Cowling Arboretum and senior lecturer in biology
- Rob Hanson, manager of campus energy
- Erica Helgerud ’20, news and social media manager
- Kenta Hikino ’23, educational associate in sustainability
- Erica Zweifel, assistant director for community impact
Students and alumni
Julianna Baldo ’25, Grace Bassekle ’25, Sadie DiCarlo ’25, Jeremy Fleishhacker ’23, Elliot Hanson ’23, Simran Kadam ’23, Gabriel Kaplan ’25, Eva Leikikh ’26, Katie O’Leary ’25, Peter Sallinger ’24, Eli Watt ’25, and Beck Woollen ’23
In developing the new Sustainable Futures Framework, the Sustainability Working Group hosted four education-focused feedback sessions; open tabling and targeted input sessions; special meetings with the Perlman Center for Teaching and Learning and the academic technologists; and student focus groups with International Student Life, Environmental Carls Organized (ECO), Sunshine, Environmental Studies majors, sustainability interns, and First Generation @ Carleton.
Members also met directly with faculty and staff leading major networking, sustainability, and equity projects, as well as staff in Campus Services, fleet, food service, and custodial. Beyond campus, the group engaged in conversation with the city of Northfield, and with sustainability directors from five peer colleges.
Carleton is fortunate to have faculty and staff already demonstrating why connecting their work to authentic sustainability challenges matters. It points to strengths we can build on and where we might collaborate more into the future. As the Sustainability Working Group developed this framework, many examples came to light. These are just a few that show the breadth and depth of the Carleton community’s commitment to sustainability.
Nancy Braker ’81, Puzak Family Director of the Cowling Arboretum and senior lecturer in biology, supports biodiversity and the reduction of invasive species in the Arboretum as well as our community and education connections with nature and climate solutions.
Kelly Connole, professor of art, has for 20 years led Empty Bowls at Carleton, a fundraiser that addresses food insecurity through community art and activism.
Rob Hanson, manager of campus energy, supports model sharing and knowledge exchange within the field of higher education and our local community.
Dan Hernández, professor of biology, leads a climate-smart agriculture grant empowering BIPOC farmers and strengthening regenerative approaches to carbon sequestration.
Kenta Hikino ’23, educational associate in sustainability, developed opportunities for students to engage with Zero Waste alongside partners in facilities, food services, and more, in addition to contributing to our understanding of offset models and other topics.
Baird Jarman, David and Marian Adams Bryn-Jones Distinguished Teaching Professor of the Humanities and professor of art history, guides and empowers students to critically engage with history, envisioning a more sustainable future through projects like the reimagining of the local Cannon Riverfront development.
Dan Maxbauer, assistant professor of geology, supports students in sequestering carbon through basalt chemical weathering in agricultural fields.
Meredith McCoy, assistant professor of American studies and history; Michael McNally, John M. and Elizabeth W. Musser Professor of Religious Studies; Marcy Averill, Indigenous communities liaison; and the Carleton Grants Office secured a $1.5 million grant through the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities for All Times initiative to fund Carleton’s Indigenous Engagement in Place initiative.
Kate Meyer ’09, assistant professor of mathematics, uses mathematical modeling to illuminate ecosystem dynamics, providing crucial insights into environmental change.