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At Bruner/Cott, we know Hampshire College best for being home to the R.W. Kern Center, a project we completed in 2016 that was designed to meet the rigorous requirements of the Living Building Challenge. The building aims to make a lasting impression on all who enter by demonstrating Hampshire’s commitment to a sustainable future, while inspiring the next generation of leaders in environmentally conscious practices. The Kern Center is completely self-sustaining, generating its own energy, capturing its own water, and processing its own waste. Just last year, the building generated 28% more solar electricity than it used.

However, Hampshire’s commitment to going green does not stop at the Kern Center. The entire college is now running completely on solar power generated on its campus as part of its Climate Action Plan and Sustainability initiative. This initiative includes rooftop solar arrays, like the ones on the roof of the R.W. Kern Center, on structures such as the CSA Barn, the president’s house, and the canopy on top of the Chuck and Polly Longsworth Arts Center.

“There’s a major shift in the way the world makes energy,” said Hampshire College President, Jonathan Lash. “Who’s going to design new energy systems and manage that transition? It will be students like ours who were on a campus that went 100-percent solar and who studied these systems and their impacts. This makes a difference to our educational mission. This is the economy of the future.”

Congratulations to all at Hampshire College for this achievement in sustainability!

To learn more, visit the Hampshire College website.