Implementation

The Vassar of 2025, as outlined in this Climate Action Plan, will be a leader in the field of sustainability in higher education. The College will be emitting less than 5,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas annually – less than a sixth of its 2005 baseline. Almost a decade of regression in its waste reduction and diversion rates will be reversed, with some campus operations even approaching zero waste. The Vassar Farm & Ecological Preserve will remain a key point of pride for the College – while also now receiving credit for its contribution to reaching carbon neutrality by 2030. And ties to the community are strengthened through joint climate action.

This section focuses on the Climate Action Plan's implementation process, ensuring the College can bring to life the vision described above.

Implementing the Plan

Full implementation of the 2020 Climate Action Plan is a multi-year process and will require prioritization and careful resource allocation to be successful.

The Climate Action & Sustainability Committee provides top-level oversight of the Climate Action Plan. CASC will help decide which Action Steps are to be prioritized in a given semester or year, informed at least in part by the Multi-Criterion Analysis tool developed by the 2020 EDF Fellow to aid in decision-making.

The Office of Sustainability will provide the CAP's day-to-day administration and can begin the implementation process for many Action Steps during the Spring 2021 semester. The same Climate Action Teams that helped draft the 2020 Climate Action Plan may now be asked to assist, where able, in the implementation process.

The Action Steps, as proposed, may not be sufficient to fully reach the 5-year targets in the Goals associated with the 2020 CAP. CASC and the Climate Action Teams may propose additional Action Steps as existing ones are completed to ensure continued relevance and momentum for campus sustainability.

Funding the Plan

Throughout the drafting process for the 2020 Climate Action Plan, a guiding principle was ensuring that all the Goals and Action Steps included could be implemented. During the review period of the Climate Action Plan over Summer 2020, the Office of Sustainability and the EDF Fellow identified costs and funding sources for the entire CAP.

Existing Operating Budgets

Many of the Action Steps as proposed carry little direct cost or carry costs that can be absorbed without undue burden on impacted departments. The 2020 Climate Action Plan, as much as possible, avoids the inclusion of any unfunded mandates.

EV Charging Stations located in South Lot

Vassar's electric vehicle charging stations are funded in part by a grant from NYRSERDA

External Grants

Many of the 2020 Climate Action Plan efforts are eligible for full or partial grant funding from state agencies, federal agencies, and NGOs. The New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), for example, has provided sizeable grants to Vassar for electric vehicle charging stations, large-scale facility retrofits, and the drafting and implementation of the Energy Master Plan. More information on NYSERDA's support can be found here.

As Vassar continues to embrace innovative and cutting-edge approaches to making the College more sustainable, many other grant opportunities may become available.

The Office of Sustainability has already applied for more than $1.2 million in grant funding during FY20 alone. Given the importance of external financial resources to sweeping climate action at Vassar, the Office of Sustainability should prioritize securing external funding as part of its core mission.

Donor Support

Vassar is fortunate to receive consistent support from an engaged and generous community of alumnae/i, parents, and friends of the College. Support from donors has been invaluable in establishing new sustainability initiatives at Vassar, including the Green Reinvestment Fund. Continuing to show gratitude for contributions made to date while offering new opportunities to support Vassar's sustainability should also be considered part of the Office of Sustainability’s core mission.

2020: $2.5 million initial seed funding; 2030: $6.1 million facility retrofits funded; 650 metric tons lower annual CO2 emissions.

The Green Reinvestment Fund

Seeded entirely by contributions from generous donors, the Green Reinvestment Fund (GRF) is an internal revolving loan fund for Vassar’s energy efficiency projects. Cost savings from projects funded through the GRF are repaid to the GRF until the total project cost and a 10% surcharge are recouped. All further savings support campus operations at large.

The GRF is the primary anticipated funding source for capital-intensive projects like implementing the Energy Master Plan.

The Green Innovation Fund

While the Green Reinvestment Fund can provide substantial support for campus sustainability, many of the projects under consideration in this Climate Action Plan do not have the short payback periods needed to qualify for funding through the GRF. The Green Innovation Fund, seeded initially by external grant funding, will offer a dedicated funding source for smaller CAP projects that might otherwise struggle to find financing.

Tracking the Plan

A final piece of the implementation process is providing clear public dashboards for the Climate Action Plan to track progress toward Goals while ensuring public accountability.

By early 2021, the Office of Sustainability will oversee developing a dashboard for the 2020 Climate Action Plan that includes all relevant baseline data for the Goals and the near-term and long-term targets. At launch, the following indicators specifically will be tracked:

Total Greenhouse Gas Emissions, By Scope
Total On-Campus Combustion, by MMBtu
Total Landfill Tonnage
Composting and Recycling Tonnage
Total Project Impacts from Green Reinvestment Fund

Additional indicators will be added as data becomes available.

The CAP Dashboard will be updated no less than annually, with a target of quarterly updates where possible.

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