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About the Year of the Environment

Year of the Environment

This year, the William & Mary community unites with purpose: celebrating and deepening our shared commitment to safeguarding the environment and the communities that depend on it. In the face of profound challenges, we are driving transformative research and solutions while training the next generation of leaders in conservation and sustainability to ensure the well-being of our planet.

From students and faculty to alumni, staff, families, and friends, we invite everyone to join us in a series of meaningful initiatives and events that will shape our world today and honor our responsibility to future generations.

Stewards of the Earth

William & Mary is redefining resource stewardship through expertise in sustainability, coastal resilience, marine science, and integrative conservation. With these strengths, we are tackling issues like global change and biodiversity loss. Through cross-disciplinary collaborations, we are protecting vulnerable communities while strengthening economies and ecosystems worldwide.

Cultivating a Sustainable Future

Safeguarding our planet’s future requires careful and coordinated efforts. At William & Mary, we are forging global partnerships and championing sustainability and conservation within the university and beyond. Together, we can sustain William & Mary, empower our community to take action, and make an impact in Williamsburg and around the world.

Read more from William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe in our Alumni Magazine.

Knowledge

The 2025 Charter Day ceremony helped kick off the Year of the Environment. The opening video included a reading of Eleanor Farjeon's "Knowledge."

Standard File

Campus Data Points

  • William & Mary has installed 531 geothermal wells to date, under Barksdale Field. William & Mary already claims the second-highest number of wells at any higher education institution in the country, with energy savings predicted to be 60%.

  • William & Mary has more than 35 buildings and one million square feet of LEED certified space on campus.

  • The Batten School & VIMS seagrass restoration efforts, the most successful in the world, have restored 9,000 acres to Virginia’s coastal bays.

  • As part of the Housing and Dining Comprehensive Facilities Plan, the first building-scale solar array will be installed. A total of 786 solar panels will be installed as part of the West Woods development; of those, 647 will be placed on the rooftop of the new dining hall. This array is projected to have a total yearly production of 455,919 kWh.

Global Data Points

  • 30,000
    People reached by Batten School & VIMS programs each year
  • 100
    IIC research partners around the world
  • 7
    Continents impacted by research from W&M and VIMS
Year of the Environment

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Download and use Year of the Environment digital assets, including virtual backgrounds.

Events

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See all Year of the Environment events