Embedded Files
Other sections in this plan focus on ways that Vassar can reduce the amount of greenhouse gas the College emits through its operations. This section has a different focus, shifting from minimizing ongoing harm to the environment to maximizing environmental benefits instead.
The hundreds of acres of natural space on Vassar’s campus are a carbon sink, naturally and continually sequestering atmospheric greenhouse gas. The practices proposed in this chapter will help grow the sequestration potential for the College’s outdoor space while also increasing the ecological benefits it provides to the surrounding ecosystem.
LS-A: Restorative Land Management Guidelines
LS-A: Restorative Land Management Guidelines
Develop Restorative Land Management Guidelines and ensure that at least 80% of outdoor spaces are compliant with these practices
5-Year Goal:
Develop Restorative Land Management Guidelines and ensure that at least 80% of outdoor spaces are compliant with these practices
UN SDGs Supported:
3 – Good Health and Well-Being
6 – Clean Water and Sanitation
12 – Responsible Consumption and Production
13 – Climate Action
14 – Life Below Water
15 – Life on Land
Background:
The Restorative Land Management Guidelines will provide an overarching framework for how campus grounds and the Vassar Farm & Ecological Preserve are managed, with the following objectives:
Classifying campus spaces by use type and aesthetic, allowing for high levels of active, curated management in locations like the flowerbed in Main Circle but more naturalized approaches in lower-traffic areas
Restoring as much of the campus footprint as possible to its historic ecological purposes, including serving as an urban wildlife corridor and supporting local pollinators
Selecting native plants and plants with resilience to climate change impacts as often as possible, where suitable for a location’s aesthetic needs
Utilizing the carbon sequestration from trees and shrubs maintained on campus as a documented and verified carbon sink, reducing Vassar’s total carbon footprint
Prioritizing preservation and management of the Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve as an integral part of our decarbonization strategy
Analysis:
Development of these guidelines will require input and assistance from a wide range of stakeholders, including Facilities Operations, the Vassar Farm & Ecological Preserve, the Arboretum Committee, the Campus Master Planning Committee, among others. Balancing the feedback and expectations of stakeholders to create actionable guidelines will require care.
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