Recommendations from EDF Fellow

For the last several years, Vassar has partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund to host a Summer Fellow to support the work of campus sustainability. For 2020, Vassar and the Environmental Defense Fund recruited Camila Bobroff. Her first task was assessing the 2020 Climate Action Plan as an external reviewer to identify feasibility, value, and impact of the Goals and Action Steps as proposed. Her contributions from the review process are reflected throughout this document.

Her second task was developing an implementation plan to reduce Vassar’s air travel emissions. This appendix reproduces the high-level summary of her three-part plan to reduce Vassar’s total emissions, informed by benchmarking current practices at other institutions. Full factsheets for all these recommendations are available in a separate document embedded at the end of this page.

Part 1: Tracking and Analyzing Emissions

Current Conditions

• There is no formal procedure at Vassar to audit air travel

Near-Term

• Calculate Vassar-sponsored air travel emissions through reimbursement forms and receipts. For increased reproducibility, consider writing a script to calculate emissions.

Mid-Term

• Administer travel survey to students to estimate their air travel emissions.

• Expand reporting of travel in Workday

Long-Term

• Expand travel booking in Workday.

• Investigate the potential to book all air travel through Workday to allow for better air travel monitoring and management.

Part 2: Setting Air Travel Priorities

Current Conditions

• Vassar’s 2020-2025 Climate Action Plan includes 2 actions to explore alternatives to air travel:

  • • conduct an assessment of sponsored travel with a focus on flights to destinations located along northeastern rail corridors, and

    • develop a program to support alternatives to travel for professional development opportunities, presentations from outside speakers, etc.

Near-Term

• Develop an education campaign to inform departments and individuals of their air travel emissions and resulting environmental impact.

Mid-Term

• Promote travel alternatives (e.g., train travel or bus/van rentals) for reasonable destinations.

• Partner with 511NY Rideshare.

Long-Term

• Develop a preferred airline carrier list based on sustainability metrics (e.g., options to purchase carbon offsets, use of biofuels in aircrafts, etc.)

Part 3: Offsetting Necessary Travel

Current Conditions

• Vassar does not currently offset air travel at an institutional level.

Near-Term

• Assemble a carbon offset team of students, faculty, and staff, to provide input regarding carbon offset purchases and projects

Mid-Term

• Develop offset purchasing guidelines to ensure quality carbon reduction investments.

• Become a Second Nature signatory for resources and guidance.

Long-Term

• Develop an internal carbon offset program.

• Prioritize locally focused projects in purchasing decisions to benefit the local community.