MCC Earth Day Celebration Enhances Campus Sustainability Efforts

On Wednesday, April 22, Middlesex Community College was excited to celebrate Earth Day by welcoming Ken Coulson. An author, musician, sustainability strategist and former managing director for electronic volatility trading, he talked to students about life and sustainability from a creative and economic lens.

“Events like this are especially beneficial for students because they connect classroom learning to real-world impact,” said Maria McDuffie Clark, MCC’s Director of Student Engagement. “They give students hands-on opportunities to engage with environmental issues, learn from community experts, and reflect on how sustainability intersects with equity, access, and social responsibility. These experiences also foster student leadership, belonging and civic engagement. The goal is to make the event both educational and engaging, while encouraging students to think about how small actions can create meaningful change.”

Through an interactive discussion, Coulson offered his talk on “Life, Climate Volatility, and What Comes After the Final No.” The event took place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on MCC’s Bedford Campus.

“My talk is about empowering collective effort, the unending pressure of water against stone,” Coulson said. “We are at a critical juncture, but there is profound reason for hope. We have the solutions. Our job is to make the possible probable. It’s about helping students find the resilience to act in a volatile, yet still beautiful, world. We have the solutions. Our job is to make the possible probable.”

Before switching to sustainability and art, Coulson worked with Goldman Sachs and UBS. With his consultancy Future Bright LLC, he has worked with UBS Asset Management’s $60B Alternative Fund Allocator on their sustainable investment mandate and with a group of start-ups and private investors.

A multi-instrumentalist songwriter, Coulson has released over 100 songs – many in support of climate action. He published his first novel “The Arsonist,” which is a semi-autobiographical thriller. Middlesex invited Coulson to the campus because of his focus on sustainability, according to Susan Hutchinson, MCC’s Academic Coordinator.

“The event is important to students because their future quality of life is part and parcel of the actions we take now to address the climate crisis facing us all,” Hutchinson said. “I was of the conviction that Earth Day was an especially important day to launch this event, with the hopes of starting a yearly speaker series.”

Middlesex is committed to sustainability efforts collegewide. After completing a decarbonization study, MCC began the removal of buildings that could not have heating and cooling upgrades for efficiency. MCC is also in the process of installing charging stations on the Bedford Campus and will add electric fleet vehicles to their shuttle line-up.

Led by Lisa Lobel, MCC Professor of Science, students in the Sustainability Club also have opportunities to work on campus projects. Past activities include tapping trees for maple syrup and growing produce in the community garden and donating the fruits and vegetables to local food pantries.

“Students are quite passionate about sustainability and like to see that their campus is active in working toward becoming carbon neutral,” Lobel said. “They develop valuable skills by identifying problems, determining solutions, and then proposing the solutions to college leadership.”