Sustainability Bicentennial Timeline

The College had a garden and farm that students could spend time working at to reduce their tuition or board fees. There was an “agricultural department” that employed 50-60 students in farming 3-4 hours a day. The college was situated on “The Medler Farm,” a 60-acre farm in South Easton.

The college plants a row of mulberry trees (Morus Multicaulis) to provide food for silkworms following a cultural craze around the financial possibilities of silk culture. 

The incoming Class of 1845 planted a Class Tree in November. This is cited as the first attempt at landscaping on campus and the tradition of planting a class tree is continued for another 30 or so years ‘intermittently.’

Professor of Chemistry, Botany and Geology Thomas Conrad Porter keeps an extensive herbarium in Pardee Hall. His research focuses on plants native to specific regions, compiled in posthumously published books including Flora of Pennsylvania (1903) and the Catalogue of the Bryophyta and Pteridophyta (1904). Unfortunately, most of his plant and mineral collection is lost in the first Pardee fire in 1879.

The college prides itself on offering an “illustrated study” of the sciences. Natural Philosophy Professor James H. Coffin begins the practice in 1853 by taking students on a two-day field trip to the Delaware Water Gap – a trip that had to be taken on foot, with a wagon for supplies. Following this, hands-on study of nature is an expected part of many programs.

The student-led Natural History Society, under the guidance of botany Professor Thomas Porter and geology professor Charles Hitchcock, explored the regions within 20 miles of Easton to collect plants, insects, rocks and minerals for what would become the college’s cabinets and museums.

Arbor Day is first celebrated by the college “very solemnly, formally.” A sugar maple sapling is planted by the class of 1888 near the east end of Pardee Hall, and botany professor Thomas C. Porter gives a lecture on the importance of trees to society. Other groups, students, and faculty give performances or speeches. Students awaken the next day to the tree being painted green, with spruce twigs tied to the branches with green fabric. A new inscription reads “88’s evergreen.”

Freshmen plant a maple by Pardee in honor of Arbor Day. The event is marked by a speaker who talks on the value of trees in the local environment. Arbor Day then becomes an annual campus-wide tradition (save for a bit of drama the following year when the freshman class was so focused on hosting something ‘grand’ that they never got around to actually planting the tree) where classes are cancelled, events are held, and the freshman class plants a tree on campus. 

In 1889, events continue but students are not given the holiday because “The faculty thought that the arbor days of last year would do for this year also.”

Celebrations continue. In 1894 students are given a half holiday, but after 1895 it is not mentioned in the student paper for 14 years.

In the late 19th century, a section of campus – now the site of the Van Wickle Library – served as a nursery/arboretum where thousands of small trees, shrubs, and plants were nurtured for transplanting across the grounds.

The Green Move Out program is established, saving usable student items from the landfill during move-out at the end of the spring semester.

The food waste composting program begins, spearheaded by Mickey Adelman ‘10 and Prof Art Kney in engineering, and Earth Tubs are purchased using a grant from PADEP

Orientation for incoming students is “Live Green, Lafayette,” according to an article in The Lafayette from that September.

President Dan Weiss signs the President’s Climate Commitment. The commitment is a country-wide effort to address global climate disruption by making institutional commitments to promote sustainable research, education, and engagement efforts. 

Mellon Foundation grant is received for development of environmental degree programs, spearheaded by Prof Dru Germanoski

Using a grant from the Clinton Foundation, the organic garden that later became LaFarm is created by Jenn Bell ‘11 and Prof David Brandes in engineering

In 2005, Coal ash slurry spill from PPL Martin’s Creek in Northampton County, PA damages segments of Delaware River leads to Natural Resource Damage Assessment, leading to a Lafayette College interdisciplinary team of faculty and students begin pre-restoration monitoring in Bushkill Creek, a tributary of Delaware River that will likely receive funds for restoration from the settlement in 2009. This begins the start of a long term project to remove dams and restore biodiversity to the Bushkill Creek. In 2015 the Natural Resource Damage Settlement reached for $1.3 million dollars to fund dam removal and freshwater mussel reintroduction (i.e., keystone species) in the Bushkill Creek and between 2015-2021, the Wildlands Conservancy conducted restoration planning. Dams were removed in 2021, 2023 and 2024. About 3,000 freshwater mussels were reintroduced in 2024 and another 3,000 in 2025. There will be ongoing monitoring of the site.

Lafayette College Society of Environmental Engineers & Scientists install a student-designed green roof system for Acopian Engineering Center. The system is designed to help with energy efficiency and creating a health ecosystem.

The College adopts its first Climate Action Plan, which led to the College setting a goal of a 60% reduction in emissions relative to 2007 levels by 2039.

Our first full-time Farm Manager, Sarah Edmunds, is hired.

Environmental science and studies majors are established.

Grossman House for Global Perspectives becomes the first building on campus to receive a LEED certification after a renovation includes many energy and water saving features including heat-reflecting windows and a storm water retention tank. 

Lafayette students, in collaboration with LaFarm, West Ward Neighborhood  Partnership, The Easton Urban Farm, the Southside Easton Area Neighborhood Center, and Crayola, begin the “Vegetables in Community” program. Students run a farm stand every Thursday in Easton’s West Ward, a historic food desert. The project was initially a Technology Clinic effort that morphed into the VIC weekly program. It was initially supervised by Professor Malinconico who was joined a couple years later by Professor Cohen. The program continued as a West Ward Farm Stand through the summer of  until 2021. It continues still (2026) with students working at the Urban Farm in Easton and distributing produce at the West Ward Easton Area Community Center, the Harlan House in downtown Easton and the pantry at the Neighborhood Center. Photos courtesy of Vegetables in Community (2014)

BirdSavers are installed against windows at Skillman Library, Acopian, Hugel, and Kirby Sports Center to prevent bird strikes. This effort was led by Professor Mike Butler of biology and Professor David Brandis of engineering, continuing on to include several other buildings and now be officially built into glass of new buildings on campus (Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center, Acopian Engineering 5th floor, Simon Center for Business and Economics).

Jen Ingrao ‘16 and Peter Todaro ‘16 founded the Lafayette Food and Farm Cooperative (LaFFCo), with Professor Ben Cohen of engineering as their advisor. The clubs aim was to educate about food and farm systems and support volunteering efforts at LaFarm. LaFFCo continues to this day (2016).

The Office of Sustainability is established. The office, originally located in Pardee and operating originally under director Marie Fechik-Kirk, serves as the new hub for sustainability programs on campus.

The faculty approves ‘Environment & Sustainability’ as an academic area of focus as part of the plan for growth.