Browse Items (26 total)

In a world increasingly plagued by anthropogenic heat due to airborne emissions, the mitigation of such emissions is all the more effective when carried out by entities with more sway. Moreover, trees provide a critical sink of greenhouse gases…

The production of electricity is known to be a gargantuan contributor to global climate change. In 2018, it was responsible for approximately 41% of all global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, amounting to a total of 13.6 billion tons of CO2 emissions…

Vassar College lacks a comprehensive inventory of its trees or estimates of their carbon sequestration, making it difficult to assess the campus's net carbon emissions. Yet trees play acritical role in climate regulation by storing carbon in their…

We studied two areas of stormwater institutes: a rain garden and a bioretention area, as well as two grass lawns. Through exploring these two environmental types, we attempted to explore if the green stormwater infrastructure is achieving its goal of…

Balance in ecosystems is both crucial and fragile. When one species experiences population flux, others change in response. Often, dramatic population change can lead to permanent alteration of ecosystems. Human activity is a major driving force in…

Invasive vines such as Oriental Bittersweet have proliferated across the Northeastern United States (Kurtz 2018). These vines wrap around and strangle trees, block sunlight from reaching the undercanopy, and hinder animal (including human) activity…

This report has been compiled in coordination with the Sustainability Director and Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (URSI) and Ford Fellows. The report attempts to synthesize findings from independent research and numerous conversations with…

Though many capital projects have integrated energy efficiency in a more wholistic manner, there are a myriad of stand-alone energy efficiency projects with attractive financial and environmental benefits worth considering. These energy efficiency…

Vassar has spent over $100,000 and seven years trying to sub meter the College’s energy use, but has not been able to complete the project. As a result of subcontractor error, redundant systems, and expired IP addresses the College energy building…

The Vassar community is not solely interested in the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential of the climate action steps, but also other impacts such as added benefits which provided benefits beyond those that arise from a more stable climate.…