Vassar formally committed to carbon neutrality by 2030 in 2016. In September of 2020, Vassar College took the next step of joining the Second Nature Climate Leadership Network as a signatory of the Climate Leadership Commitment. As a signatory to the Commitment, Vassar pledges to share its annual progress towards carbon neutrality and develop efforts to increase the campus’s and community’s resilience to climate change impacts.
The full Climate Leadership Statement that Vassar supports as a signatory is below, as well as an overview of the actions that Vassar will undertake as a signatory institution. As these steps are implemented, this page will contain updates on our progress and links to all our public reports.
We, the undersigned presidents and chancellors of colleges and universities, believe firmly in the power, potential, and imperative of higher education’s key role in shaping a sustainable society. Not only are we deeply concerned about the increasing pace and intensity of global climate change and the potential for unprecedented detrimental impacts, but we also understand that technology, infrastructure, global interconnectedness, and our greatest asset – engaged, committed, smart students – allow us to explore bold and innovative solutions and to lead in climate action and sustainable solutions.
We have begun to experience the effects of climate change in our communities and we understand that these effects are projected to become more severe and damaging. We recognize that mitigation and adaptation are complementary strategies for reducing the likelihood of unmanageable change, managing the risks, and taking advantage of new opportunities created by our changing climate.
We believe colleges and universities must exercise leadership in their communities and throughout society by providing the knowledge, research, practice, and informed graduates to create a positive and sustainable future. Along with other aspects of sustainability, campuses that address the climate challenge by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and by integrating resilience into their curriculum, research, and campus operations will better serve their students and meet their social mandate to help create a vital, ethical, and prosperous civil society.
We further believe that exerting leadership in addressing climate change will reduce our long-term energy costs and the costs of climate disturbance, increase our quality of life, attract excellent students and faculty, and build the support of alumni and local communities.
We have resolved to take action in one of the following Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitments. We believe carbon neutrality and resilience are extremely high priority areas of action for all institutions and we aim to lead the nation in these efforts. We urge others to join us in transforming society towards a sustainable, healthy, and more prosperous future.
Develop a comprehensive Climate Action Plan
By December 2020, create internal institutional structures to guide the development and implementation of the Plan
By September 2021, actively support a joint campus-community task force (or equivalent) to ensure alignment of the Plan with community goals and to facilitate joint action, and complete a greenhouse gas emissions inventory, also identifying near term opportunities for greenhouse gas reduction. Report these in the first annual evaluation of progress
By September 2022, lead and complete an initial campus-community resilience assessment including initial indicators and current vulnerability
By September 2023, complete the Plan, (also reflecting joint community-campus components), which will include:
A target date for achieving carbon neutrality as soon as possible
A target date by which defined thresholds of resilience will be met
Interim target dates for meeting milestones that will lead to carbon neutrality and increasing resilience
Mechanisms and indicators for tracking progress (including those that cut across campus-community boundaries)
Actions to make carbon neutrality and resilience a part of the curriculum and other educational experiences for all students
Actions to expand research in carbon neutrality and resilience
Review, revise if necessary, and resubmit the climate action plan not less frequently than every five years
Submit an annual evaluation of progress
Within one year of the implementation start date, and every year thereafter, complete an annual evaluation of progress
Make the action plan, annual evaluation of progress (including greenhouse gas inventory, resilience assessment etc.), publicly available by submitting them to Second Nature’s reporting system for posting and dissemination