Second Nature lauds climate justice work at Mount Holyoke
Second Nature reported on Mount Holyoke College’s Community Commitment to Climate Justice, a grassroots initiative that empowers students and staff to cocreate equitable sustainability solutions.
Second Nature has lauded Mount Holyoke College for redefining institutional sustainability from top-down administrative mandates into a grassroots, community-led model. It highlighted the College’s Community Commitment to Climate Justice (CC2CJ), an initiative designed to ensure that MHC uses equitable, inclusive principles to meet its 2037 carbon-neutrality goal.
Launched by the Miller Worley Center for the Environment, CC2CJ is a collaborative initiative that includes students, faculty and staff in cocreating climate solutions. The initiative was born from the realization that while the community supported environmental goals, they often felt disconnected from the technical aspects of implementing solutions. The program places climate justice at the center of reaching the College’s environmental goals and shifts the focus of sustainability onto the human and labor elements.
This collaborative approach has already led to the implementation of several meaningful projects:
- Waste reduction and equity: Facilities staff have traditionally been stretched dealing with waste left behind during student move-outs, so CC2CJ launched a Small Appliance Recirculation Program. As part of this initiative, abandoned electronics are collected and offered to first-generation and low-income students. This reduces landfill waste and eases financial barriers for incoming residents.
- Food justice: Working with dining staff, the Food Recovery Network student chapter developed an educational module for first-year students. This program focuses on mindful eating and waste reduction, ensuring that sustainability efforts are integrated into the student experience from day one.
- Infrastructure transparency: To demystify the College’s transition to geothermal energy, CC2CJ launched Thermal Thursdays, a series of educational events that make complex engineering projects accessible to the broader campus.
CC2CJ meets only a few times a year and focuses on relationship-building and shared ownership. Mount Holyoke is empowering those most affected by campus operations to lead the conversation, demonstrating that effective climate action must be built from the ground up. The result is a culture where sustainability is a shared community identity rooted in care and equity.
