As 2020 draws nearer, so does the carbon neutrality deadline for Williams College. Part of achieving carbon neutrality includes purchasing carbon offsets. Yet they are complicated and fraught. To understand why reporter David Pearcy '21 interviews Environmental Studies professor Nick Howe and Nancy Nylen former Associate Director at and current consultant for the Center for EcoTechnology.

Reporter Oliver Yang '20 relives the intensity of "Qual Lab" - Qualitative Analysis Lab and ponders the excess waste of chemistry labs. His story takes him to Williams Chemistry Professor Anthony Carrasquillo, Dr. Anne Skinner the former and first chemical hygiene officer at Williams, and Allison Paradise founder and CEO of My Green Lab as he considers the chemical lifecycle of the labs he works in and how chemistry labs could become more sustainable.

Reporter Emma Neil '22 was frustrated that her hallway lights were always on - even in the middle of the night. How can it be, she asked, that a college like Williams that prides itself on sustainability would leave lights on all the time? Emma talks with a number of folks to try to figure out why. (Thanks to Doug Schlaefer, Sustainability Project Manager in the Planning Design & Construction Office, Lisa Olson and Dave Chapman members of the Sage and Paresky custodial team, and Tim Sears Williamstown building inspector, and Emma's friends)

David Dethier Professor of Geosciences Emeritus and Dave Fitzgerald Grounds Manager at Williams help reporter Oliver Yang '20 to understand the empty moats and ponds - rain gardens - that he has noticed all around campus.

Energy is confusing. Reporter Pete Cahill '21 talks to Eco-Advisor Caroline Weinberg '19 to get some clarity.

Photo by Fré Sonneveld on Unsplash

The construction process is seemingly never-ending at Williams, but according to reporter Maya Spalding-Fecher '21, students don't seem to understand what is taking into consideration to get a project up and going. How are decisions made about which buildings to build and how to integrate sustainability into the process? Reporter Maya Spalding-Fecher '21 talks with Rita Coppola Wallace the Executive Director for the Planning, Design, and Construction Office, Tiku Majumder the Director of the Science Center and former Interim President of Williams, and Amy Johns Director of the Zilkha Center about the decision-making and design processes and how sustainability fits into it.

Who understands carbon offsets anyways? Reporter Emma Neil '22 asks her peers and when they're no help, digs into it with Zilkha Center director Amy Johns and Professor Nick Howe.

How often do we drive somewhere that we could just as easily walk to? Or take too much food in the dining hall and end up wasting it? Reporter Maya Spalding-Fecher '21speaks with psychology Professor Ken Savitsky and Amy Johns Director of the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives to explore the psychology behind pro-environmental actions.

Local produce in the wintertime? Greenhouse growing seems to be the option. But what are the trade-offs that we need to consider? Reporter David Pearcy '21 talks with Williams Executive Chef Mark Thompson and Laila Derstein, the latter of whom lives near what she describes as "an other worldly magenta glow." David explores another thing to consider as we negotiate our 21st century food system.

Congrats, you are the newest bachelorette on "Flirty or Fetishy." The game is simple. Pick the guy who respects you as a person and you get the deed to a quaint New England home with a white picket fence, two kids, and a dog.

What are you afraid of?