| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.38 |
| Liaison | Laurie Husted |
| Submission Date | June 12, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Bard College
PA-2: Sustainability Planning
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Taun
Toay Associate Vice President Vice President |
Does the institution have current and formal plans to advance sustainability in the following areas? Do the plans include measurable objectives?:
| Current and Formal Plans (Yes or No) | Measurable Objectives (Yes or No) | |
| Curriculum | Yes | Yes |
| Research (or other scholarship) | --- | --- |
| Campus Engagement | Yes | Yes |
| Public Engagement | Yes | No |
| Air and Climate | Yes | Yes |
| Buildings | Yes | Yes |
| Dining Services/Food | Yes | Yes |
| Energy | Yes | Yes |
| Grounds |
Yes
Date Revised: April 7, 2015
|
--- |
| Purchasing | Yes | Yes |
| Transportation | Yes |
Yes
Date Revised: April 7, 2015
|
| Waste | Yes | Yes |
| Water | Yes | Yes |
| Diversity and Affordability | Yes | Yes |
| Health, Wellbeing and Work | Yes | No |
| Investment | Yes | Yes |
| Other | --- | --- |
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Curriculum:
Bard's Climate Action Plan Section 3.3
Date Revised: April 7, 2015
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Curriculum plan(s):
Our aim is to raise annually the number of courses offered with a sustainability component.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Curriculum plan(s):
Faculty Senate and Dean's Office.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Research (or other scholarship):
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Research plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Research plan(s):
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance Campus Engagement around sustainability:
Bard's Climate Action Plan Section 3.4
Date Revised: April 7, 2015
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Campus Engagement plan:
Percentage of students participating in civic/eco engagement and hours devoted annually are both targeted to increase year-on-year.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Campus Engagement plan(s):
Center for Civic Engagement
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance Public Engagement around sustainability:
Bard Climate Action Plan Section 3.4.1
Date Revised: April 7, 2015
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Public Engagement plan(s):
Participation in mandatory and voluntary load reduction and percentage and hours of volunteers.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Public Engagement plan(s):
Center for Civic Engagement; Bard Office of Sustainability.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Air and Climate:
Bard Climate Action Plan Section 4.0
Date Revised: April 7, 2015
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Air and Climate plan(s):
Reducing emission over previous year; offset options on air travel; and REC purchase greater than 10 percent of our overall load.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Air and Climate plan(s):
Bard Office of Sustainability
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Buildings:
Bard Climate Action Plan Section 3.2
Date Revised: April 7, 2015
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Buildings plan(s):
Envelope improvements on 20% of buildings annually. Load reduction normalized for weather.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Buildings plan(s):
Buildings and Grounds; BoS.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Dining Services/Food:
We have committed to the Real Food Challenge and set internal Bard goals for increased local sourcing of dining products.
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Dining Services/Food plan(s):
60% of all food coming locally by 2017. Annual targets to meet the 2017 date.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Dining Services/Food plan(s):
Chartwells
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Energy:
Bard's Climate Action Plan Section 4.3
Date Revised: April 7, 2015
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Energy plan(s):
Electric production and reduction.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Energy plan(s):
B&G; BoS
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Grounds:
Bard's Landscape & Arboretum Guidelines and Bard College Tree Care Plan
Date Revised: April 7, 2015
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Grounds plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Grounds plan(s):
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Purchasing:
The college has a plan (Green Purchasing Policy & Guide) which includes sustainable goals:
Policy Goals
• Maintain High Social Justice and Sustainability Standards: Procure products and services that meet the highest and most credible ethical, social and environmental standards without compromising quality, effectiveness, cost or convenience.
• Conserving Resources and Energy: Procure products and services that meet the highest and most credible standards for conservation of energy, water, and natural resources without compromising quality, effectiveness, cost or convenience
• Waste & Greenhouse Gas Reduction: Develop and maintain a supply chain and purchasing process through which waste and greenhouse gas emissions are first avoided or eliminated and where remaining waste can serve as feedstock/inputs for new product development.
• Strengthen the Local Economy: Support the local and regional economy by purchasing products and services from local vendors.
Date Revised: Jan. 28, 2015
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Purchasing plan(s):
For the reporting period, we are already at 100% on Energy Star purchasing
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Purchasing plan(s):
Purchasing.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Transportation:
Climate Action Plan Section 5.0
Date Revised: April 7, 2015
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Transportation plan(s):
Fuel consumption as a percentage of mileage, but there are not further stated reductions planned from status quo.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Transportation plan(s):
Transportation
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Waste:
Bard Climate Action Plan Section 4.5
Date Revised: April 7, 2015
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Waste plan(s):
Pounds of compost annually.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Waste plan(s):
BoS
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Water:
We have an advanced water treatment plan that harvests water from a local creek. We have also converted the entire campus to waterless urinals and use inline filtration.
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Water plan(s):
Gallons purchased from the Town of Red Hook (the local municipal supply) and gallons processed. Backwashing the filters is also tracked, all with aims of reduction.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Water plan(s):
B&G: Water Treatment Plant.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance Diversity and Affordability:
We have a number of Diversity and Affordability programs: BEOP; HEOP; SPARK; and Posse.
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Diversity and Affordability plan(s):
Number of students served; retention; packaging; GPAs.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Diversity and Affordability plan(s):
BEOP and HEOP are under David Shein; SPARK and Posse are under the Admissions Office.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Health, Wellbeing and Work:
As part of a new Wellness Initiative, we have launched healthy living seminars for students, faculty and staff. There are a range of programing from stress reduction, to healthy eating habit to body image.
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Health, Wellbeing and Work plan(s):
Percentage of staff and faculty who partake in wellness programs.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Health, Wellbeing and Work plan(s):
Deanna Cochran - Office of the VP for Aministration
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Investment:
Bard has an active Socially Responsible Investment Committee that votes proxies and engages companies. This committee also established an alternative endowment fund that is screened for negative investments.
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Investment plan(s):
Percentage of investments in socially responsible companies; proxy actions; shareholder engagement.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Investment plan(s):
SRIC: Taun Toay.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in other areas:
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the other plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the other plan(s):
The institution’s definition of sustainability:
The study of sustainability is inherently interdisciplinary, involving underlying scientific processes, ethical and aesthetic questions, and social relationships. At the same time, for the college to become a model of sustainability students, faculty, and staff must engage with both the campus and community as laboratories, seeking ways to reduce our ecological footprint while enhancing our economic stability and social well-being.
Does the institution’s strategic plan or equivalent guiding document include sustainability at a high level?:
A brief description of how the institution’s strategic plan or equivalent guiding document addresses sustainability:
As one of the main pillars in Bard College's Strategic Plan, the documents includes the following points in addition to curricular and infrastructure aims:
Sustainability
Bard College seeks to serve as a model of sustainability in higher education, in our curriculum, in our operations, and in planning for our future. The first step was taken when the campus in Annandale was protected as an Arboretum.
Bard’s sustainability initiatives over the next five years include the following:
i. The re-envisioning and re-launching of the undergraduate Environmental and Urban Studies Program, with its innovative focus on both the built and natural environments.
ii. The development of the new MS degree in Climate Science and Policy, in partnership with the Cary Institute of Ecosystems in Millbrook, New York, the first initiative of its kind in the country.
iii. The partnership of the Bard Center for Environment Policy (BCEP) and the Levy Economics Institute in the creation of a new MBA degree with a focus in sustainability, planned to begin in fall 2012.
iv. The continuation of BardCEP’s national public programs on climate policy: The National Climate Seminar and the C2C program.
v. The creation of a campus-wide Sustainability Council.
vi. Participation as a charter member in STARS, the national Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System.
The website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability planning is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.