Stories about "Environment and Sustainability"
When the Bates student EcoReps encounter a sustainability problem that needs solving, they don’t just sit around and debate solutions — they envision and then execute them. In two of their most recent successes, the students helped to secure funding to solve an unexpected problem with the existing electric vehicle chargers on campus and helped purchase a slew of new EVs for campus use. “It's really cool that as students, I feel like we have a voice,” says Martin Carriere ’25, an EcoRep from Davis, Calif. “I always feel like our ideas are heard. We're positioned to have bolder ideas and be able to bring those to the table.” Bates is known for its impressive achievements in sustainability, but the existential threat of climate change gives expanding the work great urgency. Carriere, a double major in politics and environmental studies, and fellow EcoRep Cassidy Meyer ’25, an environmental studies major from Carbondale, Co., are both set to graduate this month — and both are working on sustainability solutions right until the end. They even had a meeting on local renewable energy scheduled with college leaders during their last week of classes, amid the haze of studying for finals and saying goodbyes. The two pose for a portrait with the F-150 EV truck outside of Cutten Maintenance Center. And in one photograph, they pose with Paint Shop supervisor Tom Tom Espeaignnette.
Wear garnet, go green: Students and Facility Services team up to expand Bates’ EV presence

Friday, December 13, 2024 11:46 am

“It's really cool that as students, I feel like we have a voice,” says Martin Carriere ’25, a student EcoRep from Davis, Calif. “I always feel like our ideas are heard.

Bates people on stage in costumes made from recycled materials
Traditional garments, elegant gowns, and out-of-this-world outfits: Bates has a passion for Trashion

Friday, November 22, 2024 12:36 pm

At the Bates Trashion Show, one person’s trash is not just another’s treasure, but perhaps even another’s trend.

Associate Professor of Biology Larissa Williams teaches students in Bio s39f a lesson on “uses of Genetic analysis to understand the population of dynamics of crabs in Maine.” They met in Bonney 370 laboratory and received instruction on how to use a pipette, including closing their eyes in preparing to click the instrument. The course’s instructor is Jesse Minor ’00, a lecturer in biology.
Bates biology professor and three young graduates publish ‘worrisome’ research findings of a common industrial chemical’s harmful effects

Tuesday, August 13, 2024 8:22 am

New research from Bates reveals that daily exposure to triphenyl phosphate, a chemical used in many fire retardants as well as nail polish, harms developing zebrafish and, perhaps, humans.

Brian Mason of Spicer Bees (purple shirt) removes a big honeybee hive from the college's oldest building, Hathorn Hall, on July 25, 2024. Discovered by a work crew painting the Hathorn trim, the hive was in a section of the soffit of the Hathorn portico, where the roof joins the main part of the building. Lifted to the second-story location by a Genie boom lift, Mason and Bates carpenter Matt Capone, with beard, worked together, the latter using a multitool and pry tools to remove trim to get at the hive, and the former using a homemade vacuum and hive tools to remove the bees and comb, relocating as much of the hive as possible to his apiary in Whitefield. Mason, who estimated the hive at upwards of 50,000 bees, gives credit to Bates for calling in a beekeeper for the project. "100 percent credit," he says, noting that the Bates hive was not only healthy but had apparently survived for at least one winter, if not more. Most wild honeybee hives die each winter, and commercially maintained hives typically rely on treatments to control mites. "Less human intervention is always valuable. The fact that this hive wintered without intervention means the bees might just have something going for them to survive. So now I can introduce the Bates bees into my apiary. That’s a win."
Beegone! From discovery to relocation, Hathorn Hall’s honeybee hive had Bates buzzing

Wednesday, July 31, 2024 1:46 pm

Historic Hathorn Hall is home to faculty offices in English, neuroscience, and mathematics, plus several administrative offices and classrooms. And until last week, it was also the residence of around 50,000 honeybees.

Basking turtles, annoyed birds, 16 animals you might meet at Lake Andrews

Thursday, June 6, 2024 12:57 pm

Whether you’re an alum here for Reunion weekend, or a daily Puddle walker, here are 15 animals we’ve seen at Lake Andrews recently and over the years — and that you might see when you swing by the popular Bates pond.

APPROVED, Alan Wang ’24 on College Street in front to Parker Hall where covered bus stop will be built on lawn behind him. 11/13/2023 16:25:54 Transportation for Bates awang3@bates.edu 5075817683 Student Better Bus Stop for Bates The MaineDOT is planning on implementing a commuter bus line between Lewiston and Portland. The bus line is set to terminate at Bates near Underhill Arena. However, the bus stop might not be pleasant and intuitive to use. Study from University of Minnesota show that bus stop amenities have a direct relationship with rider's perceived waiting time; having a bench can reduce the perceived waiting time by half compared to a stop without a bench. A well-equipped bus stop can entice more people to use it, thus reducing Bates' carbon footprint. "A bus shelter costs around $5,500. I want to apply for the full $2,000 grant to ultimately put this money back in the school's pocket, in the form of a well-designed bus shelter. This green fund can be a part of a larger funding package, I'm assuming that MaineDOT and the operator of this bus line will both pitch in to fund this shelter. The bus shelter should protect riders from weather elements, display proper signage and maps, equip with lighting and seating. MaineDOT also recommends installing bike racks and trash cans. The green grant can be used to achieve aspect(s) of the above objectives. " Increase comfort level when using public transportation. Reduce perceived waiting time. Encourage faculties and staff to commute using public transportation, thus reducing GHG emissions and free up parking spots.
A welcoming bus stop and bird-safe windows are among 2024 Green Grant initiatives

Friday, May 31, 2024 1:18 pm

This spring, three of four $2,000 Green Innovation Grants — totalling $8,000 — helped fund or start three new sustainability initiatives at Bates: a bus stop, bird-safe window treatment and recycling signs for residence-hall rooms.

Bates professor Sonja Pieck authors award-winning book about German conservation, memory, and wounded land

Friday, April 19, 2024 4:30 pm

Sonja Pieck’s book "Mnemonic Ecologies," about the once-militarized inner German border becoming a Green Belt, tells a story of how "something healing could come out of the pain."

Picture Story: Bates MLK Day is rich with song, poetry, discussion, and, most of all, food

Friday, January 19, 2024 2:54 pm

Enjoy this immersive photo and video presentation of the 2024 Bates MLK Day celebration, full of presentations, discussions, and workshops, all on the topic of food justice in America.

Monday, Jan. 15 9–10:30am | The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Keynote Keynote speaker and presenter Bryant Terry is an award-winning chef, food justice activist, and critically acclaimed author. Welcoming Remarks Tyler Harper, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies President’s Welcome Garry W. Jenkins, President of Bates College Introduction of Keynote Speaker Phoebe Stern ‘24 (shown in several photos with her mother) Keynote Address Bryant Terry Closing James Reese, Associate Dean for International Student Programs Location: Gomes Chapel
13 cooking tips from James Beard Award–winning chef and author Bryant Terry

Friday, January 19, 2024 12:33 pm

During this year's MLK Day keynote, Terry prepared a dish of tofu curry with mustard greens, along the way offering a baker's dozen of cooking tips and insights.

Bates MLK Day keynote: Food justice is ‘one of the most important movements of the 21st century’ 

Friday, January 19, 2024 8:37 am

MLK Day keynote Bryant Terry, an artist, author, chef, and activist, says Martin Luther King Jr's fight against food apartheid is still relevant today.

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