Photo courtesy of Zoey Pickett ‘26
Students gather and eat at the 2024 Environmental Round-up, hosted by the Miller Worley Center.
By Emily Berg ’28
Science & Environment Editor
On Dec. 2, the Miller Worley Center for the Environment invited curious Mount Holyoke College community members to explore how students are working to make the world a more just and sustainable place at the Fall 2024 Environmental Roundup.
Attendees gathered in Dwight Hall to hear presentations from various on-campus student groups, and individual student researchers. Presentations covered topics on sustainability and social justice, ranging from information about food sovereignty co-op initiatives and food waste management, to professional networking and field-work opportunities in STEM fields, and research on accessibility to natural resources that broaden to a global level. What many of these talks had in common was a dedication to empowering people from historically underrepresented groups, making a positive impact on the College’s campus through hands-on projects and finding solutions to accessibility challenges for students and populations in the local area.
Facilitated by the Miller Worley Center for the Environment, the Environmental Roundup was part of a passion project created by Community Sustainability Coordinator Zoey Pickett ’26. Pickett began this project last year after noticing similarities between other students’ project ideas during Miller Worley office hours. While the first Environmental Roundup was successful, Pickett mentioned it felt limited to those already well-connected in environmental initiatives on campus.
“I still felt like that was a big problem that we were experiencing ... people were really enthusiastic about things, but they just didn't really know how to get started, how to get involved.” Pickett said. To combat the problem this year, she expanded invitations to present towards student groups centered around justice and activism.
During their presentation for the MHC Geology Club, Ava Sharpe ’25 and Piper Hattenbach ’25 referenced how there was a resurgence of student clubs and organizations following the COVID-19 pandemic. “Academic orgs kind of went under during the pandemic because they obviously didn't have as much to work with. And I think that it's been hard to get people committed to starting those again, because there's just a lot of academic stress in general,” Sharpe said.
Founded in 2023, the MHC Geo Club is an organization that offers support to underrepresented groups in geosciences, upholds the STEM community structure at Mount Holyoke and helps students connect with geoscience opportunities on and off-campus.
“I think we've definitely gone into [the club] with [the mindset of] keeping it more fun, and giving students a way to do professional networking, but [also] just giving people an opportunity to do the things that they're going to have to do anyways, in a setting that isn't super formal [and that] hopefully builds community,” Sharpe said. The club was recently awarded a Paleontological Society DEI Grant to fund fieldwork training for students, which will be an exciting opportunity for upcoming club programming.
Pickett also hoped that this event would allow student organizations to recognize connections between other groups’ missions and goals, and foster a generative space that allows opportunities for collaboration on future projects.
“I honestly think that a standout event for me was ... seeing the connections between orgs already [forming],” Pickett said.
Sharpe agreed that a highlight of this event was not only being able to present, but to learn more about the work that similar groups were doing on campus. “I feel like everyone being here is showing [that]we're excited to work together [and] actually do something. I think it's been nice to get to know new names and new boards that [have been] coming out recently, and seeing what their upcoming projects are and how we could work together,” Sharpe said.
As the global political climate causes uncertainty for the future of environmental policy, Pickett emphasized the importance of community support and involvement in combating climate anxiety. Joining student organizations focused on sustainability and justice is a great place to start, and participating in their events is a small, but powerful step.
“It can be a positive feedback loop where you’re doing something good and that’s encouraging, and that keeps you motivated to do something else good. And I think that there's a lot of power in that. Also, finding community in other people that are experiencing the same thing that you are, and trying not to feel very isolated in your climate anxiety is something else that's really important,” Pickett said.
Abigail McKeon ’26 contributed fact-checking.