I f there’s one place where it’s socially acceptable to believe that compost is beautiful, then that place is the Green Mountain College. And this belief helped Amber Garrard, the college’s new sustainability coordinator, to get hired for the position that was formerly held by the ever-popular Jesse Pyles.
Garrard grew up in Oregon and received a B.A. in English from the University of Portland. “I guess I’m not your typical sustainability coordinator,” she remarked, knowing that there is an unlikely connection between English and sustainability. After graduation, Garrard moved to Japan where she taught English. As she traveled across Southeast Asia, she gained an interest in international development. She returned to the States and enrolled in the School for International Training (SIT) Graduate School in Brattleboro, Vermont, where she studied development and social issues, but was disappointed by the institute’s lack of a sustainability program.
However, instead of changing the school, she created the sustainability program at SIT and served as the institute’s sustainability coordinator, implementing community relationships and interest in the President’s Climate Commitment. She also worked extensively on greening the study abroad programs at SIT, which included projects such as developing training sessions and compiling online networking databases. She graduated from SIT with a Master’s degree in sustainable development. Having established a Vermont connection, Garrard was excited when Green Mountain College opened this position up. “I love how sustainability permeates the campus,” she noted. “I find it really attractive in terms of being able to move forward.”
Garrard already has several ambitious projects lined up for GMC, including a plan to reach carbon neutrality, introduction of Earth Tubs (tubs that compost more quickly than the conventional ones), and plans to pick the composting and recycling programs back up to the Jesse days. She is determined to involve as many people as possible in her projects. On February 25, from 3 PM to 5 PM in the Gorge, there an open community conversation in which Dr. Alan Betts, an atmospheric researcher, will present how the campus can move forward to carbon neutrality. Garrard would like to encourage as many people as possible to go. Additionally, she welcomes anybody who is interested in campus sustainability to visit her office in the Williams House, located on Main Street next to the Two Editors’ Inn.
