By driving sustainability initiatives at Whitman College, Sarah Williams focuses on caring for the earth and its people. She joined Whitman as Sustainability Manager in December 2022, and after a busy first year and a half, we caught up with her to ask about her efforts to support environmental stewardship on campus and in the Walla Walla Valley.

1. When did your passion for the environment begin?

I started college with the goal of becoming an environmental engineer. A lecture on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch made me realize I wanted to dedicate my career to protecting our planet—and that same day I changed my major to sustainability.

2. What is meaningful about working on sustainability at Whitman?

A liberal arts education and sustainability go hand in hand, emphasizing critical thinking and problem solving. Passionate students can make an immediate impact on campus. Whitman’s close-knit community allows us to see the impact of our actions more clearly than at larger schools I’ve worked at before.

3. Where do you see a long-term impact of your work?

Our goal is to eliminate carbon emissions on campus by 2040. This will require both everyday activities like recycling and composting, as well as large-scale infrastructure changes like installing solar panels. And it gives me the opportunity to use my knowledge of math and engineering to calculate kilowatt production and evaluate solar panel placement!

4. What do you do outside of work?

I enjoy spending time with my wife and son at Bennington Lake, walking the trails and watching the wildlife. We also enjoy Walla Walla’s vibrant downtown with its music, wineries and community atmosphere. We have made many friends, so we spend a lot of time finding a place to sit outside and enjoy each other’s company!

5. What excites you about the future?

Whitman’s efforts are designed to benefit the entire Walla Walla Valley. The city government is developing a climate action plan, and we are sharing the knowledge we gained as we create our 2023-2024 Sustainability Plan. We are exploring opportunities to partner with them and local businesses to integrate our environmental activities for greater impact.