Environmental Studies Program

The Program in Environmental Studies, leading to either a BA or a minor, teaches students to develop an interdisciplinary understanding of the relationship between humans and the environment.  It requires an understanding of the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The major has 6 elective tracks from which to choose:

  1. Climate Change
  2. Conservation Biology
  3. Environmental Economics
  4. Environmental Humanities
  5. Sustainable Commerce
  6. Water Resources.

A major could also propose a self-designed track.

The Program curriculum allows students to develop interdisciplinary expertise and an understanding of how insights from different disciplines complement each other.  Students develop a comprehensive understanding of the causes, consequences, and solutions to environmental problems. At the same time, the elective tracks also provide for a more focused look at a particular field within environmental studies. This is not only a unique academic experience, but also one that expands the students’ ability as citizens to be aware of the scientific, ethical, and policy issues they will face in their local communities, their professions and in their broader world community.

Program Info

  • Environmental Studies Program
    Tucker Hall 015
    Washington and Lee University
    Lexington, Virginia 24450

Bill Hamilton

Interim Program Head

Debra Frein

Program Coordinator

Meet Riley Mitchelson ’27

Mitchelson embraces extracurriculars such as volunteering with the Nabors Service League and teaching salsa through Around the Globe.

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Lisa Greer to Deliver Lecture in Honor of Her Appointment to the Harry E. and Mary Jayne W. Redenbaugh Term Professorship

Greer’s talk, “Coral Reefs Past, Present and Future and Our Human Footprint,” will be held Jan. 15 in Science Addition 214.

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W&L’s Staniar Gallery Presents Erica Lord’s ‘The Codes We Carry: Beads as DNA Data’

The solo exhibition will open Jan. 9 with an artist’s talk slated for Jan. 14.

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Twelve W&L Students Awarded Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad

The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards of up to $5,000 to U.S. undergraduate students who are Pell Grant recipients.

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Mauricio Betancourt Publishes Article in the Peer-Reviewed Journal Socius

The assistant professor of environmental studies authored a paper titled “Guano and the Rise of the American Empire.”

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W&L’s Robert Humston Receives Grant to Study the Trout Population in the Jackson River

The director of environmental studies and professor of biology received the funding from the Virginia Departments of Wildlife Resources and Environmental Quality.

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Students work in the Campus Garden during the Sustainability Leading Edge trip.

Washington and Lee University Recognized for its Sustainability Efforts

The university earned high marks in the Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges and is highlighted in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s 2024 Sustainable Campus Index.

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Ryan McCoy Awarded Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Environmental studies professor to supervise student assessments of the USDA Midwest Climate Hub.

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Campus Kitchen Announces 2024-25 Just Food Series

The annual event series examines the ways in which food systems interact with issues of social justice.

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Catarina Passidomo ’04 Authors Paper in the Peer-Reviewed Journal Food, Culture & Society

Passidomo explores how food and food narratives can build and reinforce regional and social identities.

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Margaret Hinkle

Margaret Anne Hinkle Awarded a Collaborative Grant from the National Science Foundation

Hinkle and fellow scientists from the University of Pittsburgh will share the $550,000 award to examine the potential of adapting acid mine drainage remediation systems to produce critical minerals in economically viable concentrations.

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Associate Professor Catarina Passidomo ‘04 to Present DeLaney Center Dialogue Discussion

Passidomo will use her essay “Rooted in Sand: A Reflection on Teaching and Tomatoes” to explore “Tomatoes and Southern Racial Realities.”

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