Environmental Clubs on Campus
Welcome to Middlebury! Energy 2028 First Year Study Breaks has put together a list of a few of Middlebury’s clubs that have to do with environmental justice, sustainable eating and getting outdoors. We hope you are able to meet some new people and get outside!
Environmental Clubs
Student Government Association (SGA) Environmental Affairs Committee
The SGA Environmental Affairs Committee works on environmental issues relevant to students, faculty, and staff on campus. The group works with the administration and Office of Sustainability Integration to achieve a more environmentally friendly campus. Contact: sga@middlebury.edu
Sunday Night Environmental Group
The Sunday Night Environmental Group focuses on environmental problems and awareness on campus, particularly climate activism. Group meetings, held Sunday nights at 9 pm, are open forums for people to share project ideas and enlist help. Everyone is welcome. Contact: sng@middlebury.edu
Socially Responsible Investment Club*
The Socially Responsible Investment Club promotes social and environmental justice through Middlebury’s endowment, ensuring that these companies align with Middlebury’s environmental and social priorities. We have created a large separate endowment that only invests in environmentally and socially conscious companies, and we seek to promote transparency in the administration. These investments are one of the most direct ways that Middlebury affects the real world. Contact: sric@middlebury.edu
Research in Sustainable Equities group (RISE)
RISE is a Middlebury College student investment group that seeks to invest in publicly traded companies with superior financial and environmental, social, and governance characteristics. RISE has weekly meetings at 7 pm on Mondays in Axinn. Contact: rise@middlebury.edu or reach out to Skyler at our next event!
Wild Midd
Wild Midd is a student organization for students who are passionate about environmental education, research, and conservation. In partnerships with conservation organizations, like the Middlebury Area Land Trust and the Audubon Society, and youth-serving organizations and schools, like the Bridge School and the Hannaford Career Center, Wild Midd helps students connect across generations to learn about and protect our local environment. Contact: wildmidd@middlebury.edu
Billion Dollar Green Challenge*
The Billion Dollar Green Challenge encourages colleges, universities, and nonprofit institutions to invest a combined total of one billion dollars in self-managed revolving funds that finance energy efficiency improvements. Middlebury, one of the founding institutions, has a fund of $300,000 with a goal of raising an additional $700,000 to make it a $1,000,000 loan fund. Students, faculty, and staff can propose a project.
Food and Sustainable Eating Clubs
Weybridge House
Weybridge House is the Sustainable Food Studies House located on the corner of Weybridge and College Streets. Weybridge serves as a space to cook, preserve, gather, and eat local food, both for students and the campus community. Contact: weybridge@middlebury.edu
Middlebury College Organic Farm
The Middlebury College Organic Farm cultivates fruits, vegetables, and flowers on a knoll just west of the College on Route 125. Initiated and maintained by student energy and direction, the garden offers volunteer hours and internships. Contact: mcof@middlebury.edu
Eat Real
Eat Real is a group of students committed to conscientious eating and the cultivation of a more sustainable food system at Middlebury. In 2012, Eat Real organized Veguary, an initiative in which 435 students pledged to eat less meat, no meat, or only fish for a week as a means of showing support for the idea that what we eat matters—not only for our own health and well-being, but for animals, farmers, and the planet. Contact: eatreal@middlebury.edu
Nutrition Outreach and Mentoring (NOM)
Nutrition Outreach and Mentoring organizes volunteer events and classes with the purpose of introducing people to the idea of using local, in-season foods in healthy cooking. NOM aims to teach people how to cook healthy food for themselves on a budget and to acquire the independence and knowledge that comes with this life skill. Contact: nom@middlebury.edu
Midd Munchies
Midd Munchies discusses how food choices affect our health and taste buds, as well as the environmental, social, and ethical implications of our choices. The goal of Midd Munchies is to provide greater transparency about the food choices we make on campus through cooking whole-food based meals that are amenable to a variety of dietary lifestyles (i.e. gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo, hall, etc.) We believe that cooking can heal the mind and body, and bringing people together through food is the best way to encourage critical conversation on the complex relationship between people, food, and the environment. We want to show that sustainable diets that nourish the body can be delicious! Contact: middmunchies@middlebury.edu
Midd Vegan
Midd Vegan is a place for vegans, non-vegans, vegetarians, and anyone else to come together, eat homemade food, and discuss veganism. Contact: middvegan@middlebury.edu
Outdoor Clubs
Outdoor Interest House
The Outdoor Interest House is a special interest house for students to share in outdoor adventuring and appreciation! Contact: outdoorinterest@middlebury.edu
Middlebury Mountain Club (MMC)
Middlebury Mountain Club introduces students to the mountains and rivers of Vermont and upstate New York through backpacking, climbing, canoeing, and hiking trips every weekend of the year. Contact: mmc@middlebury.edu
Tinder/Outdoor Skills Club
Tinder is a club dedicated to practicing traditional outdoor skills, including crafting, homesteading, and foraging. The club is intended to increase comfort in the outdoors by teaching useful skills in a comfortable, accepting, relaxed environment. Contact: tinder@middlebury.edu
Middlebury Sailing Club
The Sailing Club encourages sailors with all leveIs of experience to get out on the water. Join the racing team or try out the more casual, recreational sailing events. Contact: sailing@middlebury.edu
Midd Runs
MiddRuns is a running group on campus, founded to offer students a fun and low-pressure athletic environment. We want to build a running community here at Middlebury where everyone feels comfortable! We are a club sport but welcome everyone to join regardless of previous running experience (or lack thereof). We lead 4 group runs of varying distances per week, and members can show up to as many as they like. These runs are a great way to de-stress and meet new people as well as explore the gorgeous trails surrounding Middlebury. We also fund members to race in local events, and have group meals. At the beginning of each semester we will decide as a group what times and distances work best on the days we plan on running. Lastly, we are always open to feedback and suggestions to make our group runs more fun and accessible! Contact: middruns@middlebury.edu
Yoga Club
Yoga Club offers free classes open to all students of all levels. Classes are student-taught, and, in the case that the student instructor is certified as a yoga instructor, students can receive P.E. credit if they attend 8 classes taught by one teacher over the course of one semester. Contact: yoga@middlebury.edu
Middlebury Climbing Club
The Climbing Club is a community of people who love climbing things, especially rocks! Their goal is to create a thriving climbing community by hosting climbing movie nights, helping facilitate transport and cover costs of off-campus climbing events and hosting clinics and other events in association with the Middlebury climbing wall. Contact: climbing@middlebury.edu
Free Heelers
The Free Heelers are stoked to increase access to the mountains and valleys of Vermont and the surrounding states by making an often prohibitively expensive sport- skiing (of the free heeled variety)- free for members of the Middlebury College community. We maintain a fleet of telemark skis and boots, as well as climbing skins, poles, and tuning equipment to loan out to college community members for free. Throughout the winter, we have open gear hours twice a week to chat about freeing our heels and our minds, loan out equipment, tune equipment, and answer questions. We organize periodic group lessons or skiing nights and coordinate adventures. Contact: heelers@middlebury.edu
Middlebury Fly Fishing
The Fly Fishing Club is dedicated to getting people out fly fishing regardless of their level of experience. They are a Trout Unlimited Costa 5 Rivers Club, which means they have a special connection with Costa Sunglasses and Trout Unlimited. This club focuses on teaching all aspects of fly fishing from casting, to tying flies to relaying the importance of stewardship in our environment as well. Contact: middfly@middlebury.edu
The Bike Shop
The Bike Shop provides free help fixing and building bicycles of all kinds for students and other campus community members, as well as offering a bicycle rental program to promote green transportation. Contact: bikeshop@middlebury.edu
*indicates that the club may not be active as of 2020. please contact club for more information