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Sustainable Sterling

Sterling College » Ecological Thinking and Action » Sustainable Sterling

"I change myself, I change the world."—Gloria Anzaldúa

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Taking Ecological Thinking and Action to Heart

At Sterling College in Craftsbury, Vermont, we eat, live, breathe, and study ecological thinking and action.

Whether it’s our environmentally focused curriculum, the mugs from which we drink our organic, shade-grown coffee, or the paper in our printers, it’s as green—ecologically sound—as we can get it.

We have no Director of Sustainability on campus. Why? Because we expect every person in our community to be pushing for more sustainable and ecologically sensitive choices.

Your entire education, from your core classes to your academic major, will focus on the one thing Sterling College does better than anyone else: We advance ecological thinking and action. And we do it exceptionally well.

Dig in to learn more!


Sterling’s Green Credentials

Sterling College’s remarkable commitment to sustainability has garnered national attention, positioning the college as a leader in campus sustainability efforts.

STARS Gold Rating—2019

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The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) offers a fully transparent, self-reporting system called STARS, allowing colleges and universities to track their sustainability performance. Sterling College has again been awarded a Gold rating with a total score of 78.28.

STARS Sustainable Campus Index—2019

AASHE cited Sterling College for best practices in its 2019 Sustainable Campus Index, including:

  • 2nd—Dining and Food
  • 3rd— among Baccalaureate Institutions Overall
  • 7th—Curriculum

Sierra Magazine Coolest Schools 2019

Sterling College is in the top 20 of the magazine’s annual “Greenest Schools in America” list, with a rank of #11 overall. We were also ranked:

  • #1 for Sustainable Food and Dining

Real Food

No vending machines. No soda. No mac-n-cheese from a box. Welcome to Sterling!

Real FoodSterling College was the top college in the United States serving food that is local, sustainable, humane, and fair-trade for three years in a row, according to the Real Food Challenge. While we have not participated in the Challenge in recent years, our commitment to sustainable food has not changed!

Not only that, our communal meals taste amazing. Here are some other things to know about food sustainability at Sterling:

Twenty percent of the food served on campus is grown by students in our own gardens, greenhouses, orchards, and forests. We use no chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

We don’t outsource what we put into our bodies. Rather, our chef and student workers in the Sterling Kitchen work to make the best use of our food resources to make healthy, tasty meals that accommodate the dietary needs of our community members.  The Sterling Kitchen is also a longtime member of the Vermont Fresh Network; we connect with local farms to put fresh food on the table.


Energy sustainability

  • Sterling College has been a leader in seeking alternative sources of energy and even investments to fuel our endeavors.
  • Sterling College was the third college in the nation, and the first college in Vermont, to divest its endowment from fossil fuel extractors.
  • Sterling will produce some of its energy through solar power after the installation of 11 new solar trackers on campus in 2016.
  • Sterling uses a mixed-power model of animal and machine on the farm and in the fields. Most of our field, garden, farm, and forest work is done with draft horses and people.
  • Sterling’s Green Bike Program provides us with a fleet of bicycles for use around campus and town.

Waste not

  • At Sterling College, we’re far from perfect, but we do our best to make do and mend and waste as little as possible.
  • Sterling College doesn’t have vending machines, nor do we use disposable dishes or utensils.
  • Sterling College stocks nontoxic, biodegradable cleaning products for use on campus.
  • Mixed source recycling is a Sterling way of life. Be sure to check out our “free box” for items to reuse.
  • We compost all food (pre- and post-consumer) and barn wastes then incorporate that compost into our soil.

 Green Building/Buying

  • Sterling College’s environmental commitment extends to our purchasing decision and campus expansion.
  • Sterling College publications are printed on recycled paper and use soy ink, and our printers are Forest Stewardship Council certified.
  • We purchase furniture through local manufacturers and craftsmen.
  • Instead of constructing new buildings, we renovate existing structures whenever possible, making use of natural light, solar hot water heaters, and radiant floor heating.
  • Sterling’s sawmill produces lumber from our managed woodlot. We use this lumber in many of our campus projects.

Green Spaces

  • At Sterling College, we have very few buildings and 130 acres upon which to explore and cast our imaginations. Located in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, we also look to other natural places nearby to teach us about the environment and ourselves.
  • We have a 100-plus-acre managed woodlot with nature trails and lean-tos.
  • Students pursue research projects in the 300-plus-acre Bear Swamp Wildlife Reserve 15 minutes from campus.
  • The Sterling Farm and Gardens not only put food on our tables but also serve as laboratories for best practices in sustainable agriculture.
  • The Virginia Russell Sugarbush, which produces the most delicious maple syrup ever, has been  recognized as being bird-friendly by Audubon Vermont.
  • Who needs to mow when you have cows, sheep, goats, and horses to do it for you?
Sterling College Rian Fried Center

Rian Fried Center

Rian Fried Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Our soils are eroding, our freshwater supply is dwindling, and our atmosphere is warming. Volatility is the new normal. According to…

Student Kali stands at the counter in the Sterling Kitchen, wearing a black apron, preparing colorful rainbow chard for a meal.

The Sterling Kitchen

The Sterling Kitchen Feeding Our Community   Food is central to life at Sterling College. Not only does it feed our community, it’s also part of our curriculum and our…

Real Food

Sterling College Claims #1 for Real Food on Campus for Second Year in a Row

February 11, 2016 • Craftsbury Common, VT • For the second consecutive year, Sterling College has been confirmed as the top college in the United States that serves food on…

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In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we not only pay homage to his momentous civil rights legacy, but we also recognize that his words may have sparked the modern day environmental justice movement.  Ecology teaches us that humans are not separate from nature.  Protecting people is part of protecting the planet. ⁣
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#martinlutherkingjr #blacklivesmatter #civilrights #mlkday #mlkquotes #mlkjrday #mlk #mlkday2021 #martinlutherking
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Sterling College has a Challenge Course with low elements that emphasize group collaboration and communication skills, and high elements that help cultivate trust, mutual support, and courage. The College has a 30-foot outdoor climbing wall, where students practice introductory rock climbing skills before getting out on local crags, and gather on warm fall evenings for recreational climbing. Sterling also has an indoor bouldering gym where students cultivate technique and strength. The College has a gear outfitter and rental center where students learn how to pack out for trips and can rent equipment for personal adventures: backpacking, climbing, snowshoeing, canoeing, and more.
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""When we engage in fiber arts, we are creating something, but we're also participating in historic traditions tens of thousands of years old.  You are not only not only making art for your soul and future generations, you are embodying the work of our ancestors." - The Woven Road ⁣
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#tapestry #textiles #makersmovement #fiberartistsofinstagram #fiberart #weavingart #loomweaving #textileartist #yarn #fibreartist #weaving #textileart #wovenart #handmade #fiberarts
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Snow in the forecast.  And since we've no place to go but outside...let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. ⁣
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#skiingday #xcski #skiislife #skiinglife #skiseason #skiday #ski #backcountryskiing #snow #snowphotography #snowflakes #snowglobe #snowlife #letitsnow #snowing #snowflake #snowfall #snowweather
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Sterling is privileged to have a close collaborative relationship with the @craftsburyoutdoorcenter located 3 miles from campus. All matriculated Sterling students and regular employees are granted free annual memberships.  If kick-and-glide is your jam, we have 105k  of groomed trails in our backyard. ⁣
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#simplyadventure #keepitwild #outdoored #adventure #outdooreducation #explore #getoutside #nordic #ski #xcski #nordicskiing #outdoors #crosscountryskiing #skiing #nordicski #nordicinspiration #xcskiing
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Whether you’re a high school student creating your college list, a student at another college who is thinking of transferring to Sterling, a parent of a prospective student, a sibling, or a friend, you are welcome at Open House, and we can’t wait to meet you.

Those who attend our virtual event will be eligible for a $500 Virtual Experience Scholarship upon depositing!

More info by visiting the link on our bio.
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In honor of Aldo Leopold's birthday. . .
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In 2021, the School of the New American Farmstead will offer four professional certificate programs built on the foundation of the continuing education courses offered since 2016: artisan cheesemaking, sustainable food craft, organic wine and spirits production, and educational farm and garden management. These hands-on certificates will require you to roll up your sleeves and dig in and engage all of your senses; you’ll take home insights into techniques perfected by some of the world’s most skilled ecological farmers and craft-food producers. #schoolofthenewamericanfarmstead
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Sterling first offered a semester-long Southwest Field Program in 1995 and in 2021 will explore providing related programs of study in partnership with the Natural History Institute in Arizona. The Natural History Institute is a mission-aligned collaborator in this work as a leader and resource for a revitalized practice of natural history that integrates art, science, and humanities to promote the health and well-being of humans, the natural world, and the relationship between the two.

The Sterling College Field Studies program offers students the chance to discover the diversity of the planet’s landscapes and cultures, and explore the complex, ever-changing co-evolutionary relationships among people and place. ⁣
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#optoutside #desertsouthwest #adventure #explore #americansouthwest #southwest #desertlife #expedition #travel #explore #nature #desert #desertliving #deserttrip #fieldstudy #southwest
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In collaboration with @collegeoftheatlantic and with generous funding from The Endeavor Foundation, Sterling in 2021 will advance diversity, equity, and inclusion on its campus by addressing academic and student life improvements that support students of color. These new resources are no small feat to secure during challenging times and will directly serve the needs of our community of color while also working towards equipping white allies with the tools and skills and self-awareness they need as we work towards a community where all members are thriving. ⁣
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#diversityequityinclusion #diversitymatters #equityandinclusion #inclusionmatters #blacklivesmatter #dei #equitymatters #inclusionanddiversity #diversityinclusion #diversityandinclusion #diversity #equity #inclusion
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Connect with Sterling Sterling College
PO Box 72
Craftsbury Common, VT 05827
(802) 586-7711

About Sterling

Sterling College uses education as a force to address critical ecological problems caused by unlimited growth and consumption that is destroying the planet as we have known it. Our mission is to advance ecological thinking and action through affordable experiential learning that prepares people to be knowledgeable, skilled, and responsible leaders in the communities in which they live.

Sterling acknowledges that the land on which we gather is the traditional and unceded territory of the Abenaki people on our Vermont campus, and the Shawnee, Osage, and the Eastern band of the Cherokee on our Kentucky campus.

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Copyright 2021 Sterling College

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  • Institutional COVID Updates
  • About Sterling
    • At a Glance
    • Mission Driven
      • Ecological Thinking and Action
      • Strategic Initiative
      • Sustainable Sterling
      • Back
    • Our President
      • Board of Trustees
      • Board of Advisors
      • Alumni Association Board
      • Our Leadership
      • Back
    • Accreditation
    • Sterling Timeline
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  • Admissions and Aid
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      • Admission Requirements
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      • Homeschooled Applicants
      • International Applicants
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    • Inquire
    • Experience Sterling College
      • Interactive Campus Map
      • Open House
      • Family Weekend
      • Accommodations
      • Back
    • Financial Aid & Scholarships
      • Scholarships
      • Net Price Calculator
      • Work College
      • Back
    • Tuition, Room & Board
    • Back
  • Academics
    • Find your program
      • Ecology
      • Environmental Humanities
      • Outdoor Education
      • Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems
      • Self-Designed Major
      • Climate Justice Minor
      • Draft Animal Power Systems
      • Education Studies
      • Natural History Minor
      • Natural Resources Conservation Minor
      • Back
    • Faculty
    • Field Studies
    • Rian Fried Center
    • The Foundation of Sterling’s Curriculum
    • Course Catalog
    • Academic Calendar
    • Graduation Requirements
      • Senior Capstone
      • Back
    • Advising
    • Brown Library
    • Back
  • Wendell Berry Farming Program
    • Wendell Berry Farming Program Open House
    • Back
  • Professional Studies
    • The New American Farmstead
    • Back
  • Life at Sterling
    • Work College
    • Community
    • Safety and Security
    • The Sterling Kitchen
    • The Farm
    • Student Activities
    • Athletics
    • Health & Wellness
    • Residence Halls
    • Back
  • Alumni & Supporters
    • Sterling Outcomes
    • Back
  • Parents & Families
  • Make A Gift
  • Online Store
  • More
    • Contact Sterling
      • Office Directory
      • Back
    • Directions
    • News & Events
    • The Blog
    • Corporate Foundation and Government Relations
    • Intranet
    • Back