Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 71.43
Liaison Ken Foster
Submission Date March 4, 2022

STARS v2.2

Vassar College
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Cora Kenfield
Director of Sustainability
Office of Sustainability
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Campus Engagement

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement:
The Collaborative Arts Across Disciplines initiative has incentivized faculty and student work on campus that studies the role of arts and technology in space. This includes a new sound recording cube that can be setup around campus to record oral histories.

Summer student research through the CAAD program has looked at the intersection of art, technology, space, and equity on campus.

Public Engagement 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Public Engagement?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Public Engagement:
Students are given the opportunity to pursue public engagement-focused sustainability projects as part of their ENST124 coursework

Air & Climate 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Air & Climate?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Air & Climate:
The Sustainability Office makes the campus' annual GHG data available for professors, and has been used by sustainability interns and students doing independent study courses. An Environmental Economics course, created the methodology we use for calculating the GHG emissions associated with JYA travel.

Two physics students in 17-18 school year are looking at the college GHG data and comparing it with a liberal arts college they are visiting in Germany as part of their Environmental Studies/Physics course.

Buildings  

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Buildings?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Buildings:
Courses in Environmental Studies and Geography have had students use an infrared camera to study heat loss in dorms and academic buildings. The findings are reported and compiled in a public arcGIS online map. The database continues to grow as more images are added.

Energy 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Energy?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Energy:
The Sustainability Office makes monthly campus energy data available to professors and students for use in classes and independent studies. As of fall 2016, hourly building level data is now available for student projects in classes and independent studies. Students in Geography, Physics, and Math have used and expressed interest in using the data in their research projects.

In Spring 2018 a junior Physics student is using the College’s historic energy records back to 2005 as well as more recent building electricity interval data to track changes in the campus’ energy demand profile, with an eye towards when certain building renovations took place.

Over the course of the 2017-2018 school year a Physics/Comp Sci student has been working with an Arduino computer kit to experiment with building energy data and see if they can develop a red-yellow-green notification device that communicates current energy consumption to students in their dorms.

Food & Dining 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Food & Dining?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Food & Dining:
Student researchers have focused multiple research projects on dining, including a program this semester to look at waste management practices.

Grounds 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Grounds?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Grounds:
The Biology, Environmental Studies, and Earth Science departments regularly utilize the Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve for course work on ecology, soil science, and plant physiology. Such course work has led to theses and papers on deer management, the potential impacts of emerald ash borer, and ecological succession.

Over the past 3 years, multiple students have worked alongside Professor Meg Ronsheim in the Edith Roberts Preserve on campus. Their thesis research has focused on invasive species removal.

In 2017 a student did an independent study with Professor Mark Schlessman on the Campus Arboretum and the college tree inventory.

Purchasing 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Purchasing?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Purchasing:
The Sustainability makes monthly paper usage data available to professors and students for use. In the 17-18 school year, students have used this data to make recommendations on behavior change initiatives for reducing paper usage and incentivizing 100% recycled paper. An intro environmental studies class has used this paper data to calculate their personal carbon footprints and now a small group are continuing with the homework assignment for their term project.

In 2016-2017 a senior Environmental Studies major, conducted a survey of students and faculty about their paper printing habits on campus. The survey results in connection with an analysis of current paper usage data formed the basis for her senior thesis on behavioral economics and how to support sustainable behavior change on campus.

Transportation 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Transportation?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Transportation:
In Fall 2017 a student did an independent study on the opportunity for bike sharing on campus and in the Poughkeepsie community. Their research focused on the history of bike usage on campus, opportunities for improvement, and the cultural impacts of alternative transportation options in the local community.

Waste 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Waste?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Waste:
Numerous Professors have partnered with Vassar Sustainability to conduct waste audits in class with their students. An Anthropology professor used it to explain how anthropology is the study of the trash of ancient cultures, and to ask the question: what could we learn for 'Vassar's trash.' Each of these small scale waste audits add to our knowledge of how the campus waste stream does or doesn't work: what is/isn't getting recycled, where is the contamination, what is compostable, etc.

Water 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Water?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Water:
The Environmental Research Post-Grad Collins Fellow manages the Casperkill and Fonteynkill water quality research efforts of the College. The Fellow works with professors and students, particularly in Intro to Environmental Studies, to provide data and create labs that study water quality in the 2 streams that run through campus.

The 2017 Environmental Studies senior seminar submitted a proposal to the EPA Rainworks Challenge, developing a pilot project for reducing runoff and erosion into the Casper kill on campus.

Coordination & Planning 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning:
An Environmental Studies senior seminar submitted a proposal to the EPA Rainworks Challenge, developing a pilot project for reducing runoff and erosion into the Casper kill on campus. As part of their proposal they needed to coordinate and gain approval from Facility Operations and the Dean of Strategic Planning.

Their report coordinated with the current initiative to write a Campus Stormwater Management Plan that will be published in spring 2018.

Diversity & Affordability 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability?:
No

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability:
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Investment & Finance 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance?:
No

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance:
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Wellbeing & Work 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work?:
No

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work:
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Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s living laboratory program is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.