Sustainability

News

School age children with teacher in the field looking at thermometers.

Jennifer Rubbo and the Environmental Cooperative Receive New Funding through the City of Poughkeepsie’s 2026 Youth Activities and Opportunities

Vassar’s Environmental Cooperative recently received a new grant from the City of Poughkeepsie to fund transportation for both the Outing Club and this summer’s Exploring Science program. Both programs collaborate with already-established, Poughkeepsie-based youth programs, and transportation funding is vital to ensuring access for participants from across the area.

A canopy of tall, leafy trees with the sun shining through.

Vassar Forest Joins National Network Protecting Old-Growth Woodlands

Vassar’s 222-acre forest corridor has been inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network, recognizing the College’s long-term commitment to conservation, ecological education, and preserving natural spaces that serve both the campus and the wider community.

Vassar Forest to Be Inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network

Posted 5/6/2026

On May 7 at noon, The Vassar Forest in Poughkeepsie will be formally inducted into the national Old-Growth Forest Network.

Large group of people seated at a "V" shaped table on a lawn.

From a Communal Table to an Arboretum Celebration—Vassar Honors Its Past by Gathering in the Present

Gathering around a communal table and later among the trees, Vassar celebrated Community Care Days with shared food, campus traditions, and gratitude for the 100-year-old Arboretum’s beauty and enduring place at the heart of campus life.

Chart of kilowatt hours consumed by two different buildings over a period of a month.

New Electricity Data Platform Sparks Research and Improves Energy Management

Vassar’s Students, faculty, and administrators interested in exploring building-level electricity consumption now have access to a powerful online platform called ICO Vision.

A large group of people standing under a large tree with a Main Building in the background.

On the Occasion of Arbor Day, Vassar Celebrates the 100th Year of Its Arboretum

Celebrating the official kickoff of the 100th Anniversary of Vassar’s cherished Arboretum on Arbor Day, students, faculty, staff, and alums came together to enjoy a day of activities that included a gratitude walk, a ceremony honoring the campus grounds crew, the Class of 2027 tree planting and more.

Three people with shovels digging around a newly planted tree.

Vassar’s Preserve Receives Grant for “Sowing Seeds of Engagement: Meadow Restoration Demonstration Area”

Keri VanCamp, Director of the Preserve at Vassar–in collaboration with Jen Rubbo, Director of the Environmental Cooperative; Dean Jaeger, Grounds Manager; Evan Lasher, Grounds Foreman; and Ethan Skuches, Vassar-Kenauk Conservation Fellow–was selected by the Partners for Climate Action (PCA) for an Ecological Restoration Grant supporting creative and engaging ways to support pollinators through native meadow restoration in the Hudson Valley bioregion.

Illustration of a ground hog wearing sunglasses with text that reads: Sustainability @ Vassar @ECO_VC.

Office of Sustainability Receives Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Climate Corps Summer Fellow Support

Kenneth Foster, Director of Sustainability, received a grant from the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps fellowship program to host a summer fellow. EDF’s Climate Corps is a “hands-on summer program” where graduate students are matched with top companies and nonprofit organizations to advance climate and energy goals. Vassar has hosted multiple EDF summer fellows since 2014.

A person in a light blue button-up collared shirt lecturing to an audience while standing in a well lit mechanical room with pipes and systems in the background.

Vassar Points the Way Forward on Sustainability with Tour for Local Officials

Vassar Sustainability Director Kenneth Foster recently led a group of town and county officials on a tour of The Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts to show them the building’s state-of-the-art energy conservation systems.