The Vassar Board of Trustees has endorsed a plan to move the Poughkeepsie college toward carbon neutrality by 2030.
The Board agreed in principle to a $13 million package of renovations and upgrades to the college’s heating system and other energy-saving projects. The improvements will be funded through bond financing, which is expected to be approved in February. The projects are estimated to reduce the college’s annual carbon emissions from its current level of 17,050 metric tons to less than 7,000 by 2022. Vassar Sustainability Director Micah Kenfield say the suite of projects would not only greatly shrink Vassar’s carbon footprint, but also save the college roughly $900,000 per year through energy conservation and asset renewal.