The college's efforts to create a more sustainable campus have been built on the past actions of students, staff, and faculty. It is important to recognize this history in order to connect the “green dots” at Paul Smith's College.

In most cases, the significant actions and related decisions were started by a small group of committed students. For example, the idea behind the college's 2007 decision to purchase wind-generated electricity was first conceived in 2003 by a group of students who circulated a petition requesting such a purchase.

At the time it started purchasing wind power, Paul Smith's became one of only 13 colleges to rely entirely on green electricity, and also joined EPA’s elite Green Power Leadership Club.

Another significant student contribution to the greening of Paul Smith's has been the many Capstone Projects related to the utilization of renewable energy at the college. Over the past few years, these senior-year projects have included proposals related to building green residence halls, and developing local wind, solar, hydroelectric and biomass resources for electric generation and heating campus buildings

In 1999, a college-wide program was formally established to encourage recycling of plastics, glass, metal, paper, and cardboard. By 2003, when Students for Environmental Action made paper recycling one of its environmental priorities, more than 56 tons of paper were removed from the waste stream. This all set the stage for the RecycleMania competitions in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

One other note: the college’s self-study process for reaccreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education played an important role in transitioning the campus to more sustainable practices. This review process resulted in a series of recommendations based on the college’s environmental actions over the past several years, which included its recycling program.