Vassar in the Age of Green

The Vassar Sustainability Committee is a group on campus that aims to reduce the amount of natural resources that the college uses. This past year members from the committee have been taking their efforts on the road to talk to regional alumnae/i clubs about the environmental efforts taking place at Vassar. In March, Lucy Johnson, professor of anthropology and chair of the Sustainability Committee, traveled to Portland, Oregon, to address local alumnae/i. In May, the Vassar Club of New York held their 86th annual meeting at the Skadden Arps building in Times Square and invited three key players of the committee to talk to alumnae/i about “Vassar in the Age of Green.” The guest speakers included Senior Director of Campus Dining Maureen King, Director of Marketing & Sustainability for Campus Dining Ken Oldehoff, and Associate Professor of Earth Science Jeff Walker.

The speakers highlighted some of the college’s recent sustainability efforts: food sources include 30% locally grown products (dairy, green wave, sauces, and produce); composting efforts in ACDC including biodegradable paper products; and feedback from the local foods challenge week where the report card for Vassar as a whole was a B-, but ACDC received an A. They discussed the distribution problems in Poughkeepsie and the college’s efforts to join with the Economic Development Corporation to come up with new ideas, and the new layout plans for ACDC, which will bring diners closer to the people who prepare and serve food.

To find out more about the Vassar College Sustainability Committee or to have a member of the Committee come to your area contact Cathy Lunn.

Sustainable living tips:

1. Close shades after sunset or on cloudy days when it is cold to keep room warm.
2. Open shades to let in the sun.
3. Keep a full refrigerator or unplug it if you have little or no food.
4. Clean the condenser coils in the back or bottom of the fridge to maximize efficiency.
5. Keep the refrigerator away from heating appliances such as windows and heating ducts.
6. Run the washer only when you have a full load.
7. Clean the lint filter before each load, to increase airflow.
8. Turn lights off in every room when no one is using it.
9. Exchange or purchase compact fluorescent light bulbs.
10. Use less water by cutting shower time in half, and turning it off while brushing teeth.
11. Turn off and unplug equipment when not in use.
12. Enable energy saving features on all your available electronics.
13. Use stairs rather than elevator.
14. Use a smart power strip to automatically turn off equipment.
15. When purchasing equipment look for the Energy Star.
16. Always set your monitor to sleep mode rather than using a screen saver.