Q&A: Fast 5 With Sustainability Manager Sarah Williams

By driving sustainability initiatives at Whitman College, Sarah Williams is focused on caring for the Earth and its people. She joined Whitman as its Sustainability Manager in December 2022, and after a busy first year and a half, we caught up with her to ask about her efforts to support environmentalism on campus and in the Walla Walla Valley.

1. When did your passion for the environment start?

I started college aiming to be an environmental engineer. A lecture on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch made me realize I wanted to dedicate my career to caring for our planet—and I changed my major to Sustainability that day.

2. What’s meaningful about working in sustainability at Whitman?

A liberal arts education and sustainability go hand in hand, emphasizing critical thinking and problem-solving. Passionate students can make an immediate impact on campus. Whitman’s close-knit community allows us to see the effects of our actions more clearly than at larger schools where I previously worked.

3. Where do you see your work having a long-term impact?

We aim to eliminate campus carbon emissions by 2040, which requires both daily activities like recycling and composting and major infrastructure changes, such as adding solar panels. And it gives me a chance to utilize my background in math and engineering to help calculate kilowatt production and evaluate solar panel placements!

4. What do you do outside of work? 

I love spending time at Bennington Lake with my wife and son, walking the trails and observing wildlife. We also enjoy Walla Walla’s vibrant downtown with its music, wineries and community atmosphere. We’ve made many friends, so much of our time is just spent picking a place to sit outside and enjoy each other’s company!

5. What excites you about the future?

Whitman’s efforts are designed to benefit the entire Walla Walla Valley. The city government is developing a climate action plan, and we’re sharing knowledge we gained from creating our sustainability plan in 2023–2024. We’re exploring ways to partner with them and local businesses to integrate our environmental activities for greater impact.