About Us
Through research, contemplation, and action, the Institute for the Environment strives to prepare students to think and act critically and creatively, evolve the culture of sustainability on campus and in our community, and foster connection between students and career experts. The Institute for the Environment is not one place; it exists everywhere. It is within our residences, our classrooms, our offices, our campus footprint, and extends outwardly to include our alumni and their lives, workplaces, and communities.
The Institute for the Environment is a hub: a place to engage, grow, experience, and make a difference. Because the “environment” spans both a depth and breadth of content, the Institute used Saint Michael’s College’s core curriculum and liberal arts approach as a lens to focus their teaching, learning, and institutional stewardship in five areas:
- Environmental Education
- Ecological Restoration
- Sustainability
- Farm & Food
- Environmental Analysis
Exploration of these content areas happen in the traditional classroom and the campus-wide laboratory. Students’ learning and experiences have impacts on six different “classrooms” on campus:
- The 360-acre Natural Area
- The 1.75 acre Farm
- Environmental Analysis labs
- The Teaching Gardens
- The campus (inclusive of the Pollinator, Raised Bed, and Tree Nursery gardens incorporated into the landscape of main campus)
- The Lake Champlain watershed
This work is done in collaboration with groups and programs across campus, led by the Institute for the Environment Steering Committee, and inclusive of the Sustainable Campus Team, Green Up, as well as the Environmental Studies and Science, Biology, Chemistry, Education Departments, and many other individuals and offices.
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Meet some of the students that make the Institute for the Environment possible:
Elizabeth Crotty, ’24 – Ecological Restoration: Education & Outreach Coordinator
Sarah Newton, ’24 – Ecological Restoration: Maintenance & Operations Coordinator
Julia Murdick, ’25 – Farm & Food: Maintenance & Operations Coordinator, Farm Crew Member
Tallis Diehn, ’24 – Green Up President, Ecological Restoration: Maintenance & Operations Coordinator
Anna McNulty, ’25 – Green Up Vice President
While elements of The Institute for the Environment can be found everywhere from the mailroom, to the dining hall, to the on-campus tree nursery, the Institute’s offices can be found on the first floor of St. Edmunds Hall. Please see the contact information below if you would like to learn more about the Institute for the Environment and how to get involved:
Kristyn Achilich, ’05, ’20, M.S., M.Ed. – Director, Institute for the Environment; Director, Farm & Food Program; Instructor, Education
Email: kachilich@smcvt.edu
Phone: 802-654-2730
Office: St. Edmund’s Hall 123
Christine Gall, M.S. – Manager, Farm & Food Program
Email: cgall@smcvt.edu
Phone: 802-654-2870
Office: St. Edmund’s Hall 119B
Portia Butrym, ’23 – Administrative, Event & Outreach Coordinator, Institute for the Environment
Email: pbutrym@smcvt.edu
Office: St. Edmund’s Hall 119A
The Institute for the Environment Steering Committee Members include the following faculty members:
James Nagle, M.A., Ph.D. – Department Chair, Education; Instructor, Education
Email: jnagle2@smcvt.edu
Phone: 802-654-2636
Office: St. Edmund’s Hall 302
Katy Farber, M.S., Ed.D. – Instructor, Education
Email: kfarber@smcvt.edu
Phone: 802-654-2802
Office: St. Edmund’s Hall 306
Declan McCabe, M.S., Ph.D. – Instructor, Biology
Email: dmccabe@smcvt.edu
Phone: 802-654-2626
Office: Cheray Hall 301
Trevien Stanger, M.S. – Instructor, Environmental Studies & Science
Email: tstanger@smcvt.edu
Phone: 802-654-2917
Office: St. Edmund’s Hall 325
David Heroux, Ph.D. – Department Chair, Chemistry; Instructor, Chemistry
Email: dheroux@smcvt.edu
Phone: 802-654-2326
Office: Cheray Hall 226