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Sustainability at Bard

Bard EUS students advocating for the health of Tivoli Bays during the March (Marsh) for Science.
Bard engages in sustainability efforts on multiple fronts.
The College offers undergraduate, graduate, and dual-degree programs in environmental studies, science and policy. Bard students, faculty, and staff work locally and nationally toward a future where we can thrive. Initiatives coordinated by the Bard Office of Sustainability (BOS) are taking the Annandale campus closer to its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035.


What Is Your Why? Laurie Husted Talks about Sustainability Work on Campus and Off

Why do civic engagement leaders get involved in the work they do? What keeps them going in the face of challenges? In this series, What Is Your Why?, the Bard College Center for Civic Engagement highlights campus and local changemakers. In this episode, Chief Sustainability Officer Laurie Husted talks with Vice President of Civic Engagement Erin Cannan about her roles at Bard and in the Town of Red Hook. She discusses the transformative, newly passed federal climate legislation, and how ocean and climate scientist Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson inspires her to find purpose and joy.


Bard Sustainability by the Numbers
Bard students prepare a meal at the Montgomery Place Campus for Food Days, one of a series of food sustainability events held at Bard every autumn. Photo by Sarah Wallock ’19.

Bard Sustainability by the Numbers

  • 3rd
    in the nation for
    sustainably sourced
    campus food
  • 20K lbs
    food grown annually
    on Bard Farm
     
  • 500+
    sustainability kits
    distributed annually
  • 7K lbs
    food donated
    each semester

On-Campus, Local + Regional Sustainability Initiatives

  • Institutional
  • Local + Regional
    • Bard College Farm: This student-run organic farm sells produce to the College dining service, works to educate students about food systems, and connects Bard to the local agricultural community.
    • BardEATS: This partnership among Bard students, dining service, faculty, and staff aims to increase food purchasing transparency, reduce waste, promote food access, and support local farms.
    • 10% Challenge Red Hook, New York: The 10% Challenge is a call to reduce energy use in Red Hook by 10 percent.

C2C Fellows Network

The C2C Fellows Network at the Bard Center for Environmental Policy involves students across the nation in conversations about climate solutions with elected officials.

More about the C2C Network

Academic Programs in Sustainability

Academic Programs in Sustainability

Environmental stewardship is a core element of Bard’s emphasis on civic engagement and social responsibility. The College offers rigorous, interdisciplinary training in environmental studies and ensures that all undergraduate students receive science education. Undergraduate and graduate dual-degree programs are available with the Bard Center for Environmental Policy, as are grad programs in environmental policy and environmental education, climate science and policy, and the Bard MBA in Sustainability.

More about our programs