As an Environmental Studies major, you'll be in good company with like-minded people who care about their world and approach solutions to environmental and sustainability challenges through creative problem solving, critical thinking, and responsible citizenship.
Several student clubs and organizations have environmental involvement at their core:
- Energy Conservation Organization, educating the campus about energy efficiency and conservation
- Forest Justice, advocates for forest conservation and against deforestation
- Oceana, advocates for ocean health and responsible use of marine resources
- Spokespeople, the bicycle collective
- Sprout! the organic gardening initiative
Environmental studies majors often serve as student representatives on the College's Environmental Model Committee (EMC).
Meet some environmental studies major graduates:
Tyler Dunham '09
Tyler was a driving force behind Connecticut College's efforts to go green, working diligently to improve student awareness on issues of conservation and renewable energy. That's why he was an easy choice for the 2006-07 Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment Student Environmental Leadership Award.
Katherine Serafin '08
An environmental studies major, astronomy minor and scholar with the Goodwin-Niering Center, Katy did an internship with the U.S.Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, FL, and began working for them in Fall 2008. She is now in graduate study in Oregon.
Katy's Senior Integrated Project (SIP) through the Goodwin-Niering Center was "A Comparison of Beach Profiles on Constrained and Unconstrained Beaches," concerning two nearby beaches: Groton Long Point and Bluff Point. Her study examined how a seawall influences differences in beach profiles in order to evaluate how anthropogenic activities affect beaches. Katy, a scholar-athlete, was captain of the women's basketball team and earned the 2008 award for excellence in the Goodwin-Niering Center's certificate program in environmental studies.
Craig McCarrick '07
Craig came to Connecticut College thinking of majoring in chemistry, but after he took a course in environmental studies, he knew it was the right fit, especially because he loves being outdoors. "The College's Arboretum is an amazing laboratory. Any type of terrain you could be looking to study is there," said Craig. "In one of my classes, we did an inventory of animals and organisms in the pond. In my geomorphology class, 10 of the 11 labs were outside: on campus and off campus along the coastline. New London is an urban setting, but our campus is not at all."
Craig, who now works for an environmental consulting firm, says "I want people to know how rooted Connecticut College is in the study of the environment. We practice what we preach here. The whole school, in essence, does environmental studies. Student initiatives have led to the College's annual purchase of renewable energy credits and a system for composting food wastes. Whenever the College builds, it takes the environmental aspects into account."