Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.00
Liaison Cora Kenfield
Submission Date March 15, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Vassar College
IN-25: Innovation B

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Alistair Hall
Sustainability Assistant
Dean of Strategic Planning
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
Carbon Pricing research for Higher Education

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:

In Summer 2015 a team of professors and students conducted research on carbon pricing across higher education, government, and the private sector. This resulted in a white paper titled "Internal Carbon Accounting at a Small Liberal Arts College." This white paper has helped to kickstart a coalition of colleges advocating for a national price on carbon as well as hands-on discussion on how colleges can incorporate a price on carbon into their operations. These discussions started with 3 schools - Vassar, Swarthmore, and Yale, but now includes more than 15.

Since then the Office of Sustainability has launched a Life Cycle Cost calculator that incorporates a social price of carbon into decision making processes for capital projects.

The goal of each is to incentivize smart decision making on campus that leads us closer to the 2030 carbon neutrality goal.


Which of the following impact areas does the innovation most closely relate to? (select up to three):
Research
Public Engagement
Coordination & Planning

A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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