| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.50 |
| Liaison | Cora Kenfield |
| Submission Date | July 22, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Vassar College
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Alistair
Hall Sustainability Assistant Dean of Strategic Planning |
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee, office, and/or officer that focuses on sustainability broadly and covers the entire institution?:
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the committee(s), office(s), and/or officer(s) during the previous three years:
The College Sustainability Assistant works with other administrators, professors, and a team of paid student interns on campus wide initiatives, which have included the establishment of a Green Revolving Fund, well attended events for National Food Day and Earth Day, and the implementation of zero-waste practices at all-campus events like music concerts, Commencement, Convocation, and student organization activities.
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
The College Committee on Sustainability acts as a forum for the discussion of administrative and educational policies that foster a sustainable interaction between human beings and the natural environment. It shall present for approval to the faculty policies that are related to educational policy and be advisory to the president on administrative policies. Any policy changes approved by the faculty shall be submitted to the trustees for final approval.
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role (e.g. staff, student, or faculty):
Mary Ann Cunningham, College Sustainability Coordinator and Professor of Geography (Co-Chair)
Thomas Porcello, Associate Dean of Strategic Planning (Co-Chair)
Alistair Hall, Sustainability Assistant
Meg Ronsheim, Biology Department
James Merrell, History Department
Kevin Mercer, Buildings & Grounds
David Bishop, Buildings & Grounds
John Collier, Computing Information and Services
Karen Gallagher, Purchasing Office
Ken Oldehoff, Campus Dining
Janet Allison, Communications Office
AnnaBelle Gadsden-Jones, Residential Operations Center
Bryan Swarthout, Budget & Finance
Pam Bunce, Budget & Finance
Angel Marvin, Office of Alumnae/i Affairs & Development
Aaron Jones '15, Student Representative of the VSA
The website URL where information about the sustainability committee(s) is available:
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) employee?:
A brief description of each sustainability office:
Full-time equivalent (FTE) of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
The website URL where information about the sustainability office(s) is available:
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
A brief description of each sustainability officer position:
The Sustainability Assistant, works with a team of 7 paid student sustainability interns, and is organized under the Dean of Strategic Planning and Academic Resources. They work closely with the Faculty Sustainability Coordinator, a volunteer faculty role and the Associate Dean of Strategic Planning on operational initiatives, community engagement, and opportunities to involve sustainability in the curriculum.
The Sustainability Assistant is responsible for managing the sustainability interns, annually updating the College's GHG inventory, coordinating between departments and offices on initiatives, organizing the College's approach to Climate Change action, and strategically publicizing recent success stories on and off campus.
The website URL where information about the sustainability officer(s) 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.