Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.35
Liaison Laurie Husted
Submission Date June 9, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Bard College
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Laurie Husted
Sustainability Manager
Bard Office of Sustainability (BoS)
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Does the institution have one or more active student groups focused on sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:

The Bard EcoReps focus on sustainability in and around a student's sphere of living. Regular outreach campaigns assist in ensuring students are aware and capable of the sustainable initiatives they might be able to take part in. Various other sustainability clubs exist, and though they ebb and flow over time there is always something sustainable happening.


The website URL where information about the student groups is available (optional):
Does the institution have gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:

The Bard Farm is a 1.25 acre sustainable urban farm that organically grows fruits and vegetables to sell to Chartwells, the campus dining service. Located on Bard’s campus and worked by students, the farm, with its visibility and its accessibility, demonstrates the realities of small-scale farming and the potential for community to develop around food. The Bard community also has an organic garden. It is not divided into plots, but rather grown in full by anyone who wants to participate. Food is harvested by anyone who needs it (usually the custodial staff in recent years). There is some work-study available, but it is mostly run by volunteers. It is a garden and not a farm, and because it's terraced, requires a lot of hand-work.


The website URL where information about the gardens, farms or agriculture projects is available (optional):
Does the institution have student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes (e.g. cafés through which students gain sustainable business skills)?:
Yes

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:

The Saw Kill Coffee House is a student run coffee house on campus. Customers are encouraged to BYO mug. The coffee house has also accepted Caught Green Handed 'bucks' ($1 awards students have gotten for doing something sustainable on campus). The cafe reduces, re-uses, recycles and composts.
The Biodiesel Cooperative is a student-operated enterprise that connects dining hall waste grease with consumers of Biodiesel. The student operators manage the sourcing, chemical conversion and find customers for the product, though no money is exchanged.


The website URL where information about the student-run enterprises is available (optional):
Does the institution have sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:

The students on the Socially Responsible Investment Council (SRIC) manage a small fund that is invested to reflect the values of the student body. They conduct research to make informed decisions, divesting from companies with conflicting social and environmental policies in favor of those with favorable policies. They then use these investment decisions to persuade the college to make larger-scale investment decisions.


The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
Does the institution have conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:

Bard regularly hosts an event known as the Princeton Climate Stabilization Wedge workshop. Biweekly Campus to Congress (C2C) calls are offered during the academic year through the Center for Environmental Policy (BardCEP). Weekly colloquia hosted by the Environmental and Urban Studies department are open and advertised to the student body as well as the public.


The website URL where information about the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability is available (optional):
Does the institution have cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability:

The performance "Good Dirt" was hosted at the Fisher Center for Performing Arts. Multiple senior projects in the performing arts integrate sustainability concepts, often finding the campus grounds as the location for their art.


The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):
Does the institution have wilderness or outdoors programs (e.g. that organize hiking, backpacking, kayaking, or other outings for students) that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
Yes

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:

The Bard Outdoors Club runs outings such as hiking, backpacking/camping in the Catskills and Adirondacks, rock climbing in the Gunks (best climbing in NE), skiing/riding, and canoeing. The club follows Leave No Trace Principles.


The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors programs is available (optional):
Does the institution have sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences (e.g. choosing a sustainability-related book for common reading)?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:

Sustainability is included in curriculum of the annual Citizen Science program, required for all first-years during January. Over the last five years, the directors of Bard's first year Language and Thinking program have been very receptive to incorporating readings related to sustainability, including adding the Pope's 2015 encyclical on the environment to the reading list.


The website URL where information about the sustainability-related themes is available (optional):
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Does the institution have programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:

EcoReps host events that delve into human habits and how they impact sustainability. Students involved in the Bard Farm have seasonal opportunities to participate in the "Students Feeding Students" program, where they cook a dish in the dining hall kitchen using farm-fresh ingredients.


The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills programs is available (optional):
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Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:

The Office of Sustainability (BoS) hires students to perform over 90 weekly hours of labor on campus that incorporates sustainability principles.


The website URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available:
Does the institution have graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledges:
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The website URL where information about the graduation pledges is available (optional):
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Does the institution have other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives?:
Yes

A brief description of the other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:

Bard students participate in the Amphibian Migration and Eel Monitoring projects, as sponsored by the NYSDEC and supported locally by the Town of Red Hook, Saw Kill Watershed Community, and EUS.


The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available (optional):
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Estimated percentage of students (full-time and part-time) that participate annually in sustainability-focused co-curricular education and outreach programs (0-100):
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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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