Engagement

Our community is engaged in cocurricular and curricular sustainability activities
The students, staff, and faculty of Bard College work together to engage in initiatives—both on and off campus—that reflect the College’s sustainability mission. From the hamlet of Annandale-on-Hudson, in the Town of Red Hook, we connect with the nearby villages of Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and Tivoli, the City of Kingston, and the greater Hudson Valley. Our view of sustainability looks not only toward green initiatives but also to a larger view of the health and wellness of our community. Visit the Wellness Calendar. 

Engagement Initiatives

  • Campus Engagement
    Campus Engagement
    Engaging in sustainability issues through cocurricular activities allows students to deepen and apply their understandings of sustainability principles. College-sponsored cocurricular sustainability offerings, often coordinated by the Dean of Student Affairs Office (and partners), help integrate sustainability into the campus culture.

    Faculty and staff members’ daily decisions impact an institution’s sustainability performance. Equipping faculty and staff with the tools, knowledge, and motivation to adopt behavior changes that promote sustainability is an essential activity of a sustainable campus.
  • Public Engagement
    Public Engagement
    Engagement in community problem-solving is fundamental to sustainability. By engaging with community members and organizations in the government, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors, institutions can help meet sustainability challenges. Community engagement can help students develop leadership skills while deepening their understanding of real-world problems and the process of crafting solutions.
A group of students in reflective gear at night studying amphibians.

Engagement Spotlight

Helping Amphibians Cross the Road
How did the amphibian cross the road? With help from local volunteers! Our roads run through salamander and frog habitats here in the Hudson Valley, so volunteers from Bard College, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and other neighboring towns help migrating amphibians cross safely. Volunteers receive training in how to identify and move these amphibians as they make their way to woodland pools to breed on rainy spring nights. Email [email protected] to join the team.
Learn More at NYSDEC →

Engagement Programs

  • Staff and Faculty Sustainable Policy Partners
    Tell us what not-for-profits and advocacy groups you follow (or would like to follow). We are counting on our faculty and staff to help crowd-source expertise and content updates that will build campus connections to organizations working on climate and sustainability. This new national effort will help build capacity, raise awareness, and make an impact.

    Bardians can share the latest information on meaningful and important ways the rest of the community can get involved on relevant issues in real time. Want to be a Sustainability Policy Partner? Fill out this form to provide updates on an organization or an issue you are passionate about. Don’t have an organization but want to get involved? Find one on our list of organizations that need a follower—just email [email protected].
  • BardE3s
    BardE3s work on improving campus sustainability. They accomplish this by getting training in systems thinking, the circular economy, and the complex interplay of issues related to equity, the economy, and the environment. Led by a student team of BardE3s, the program welcomes students, faculty, and staff participation. We are all BardE3s. 
    Learn more about the program
  • Citizens’ Climate Lobby
    Bard College supports a federal policy solution known as the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, which uses the model known as carbon fee and dividend. As individuals, students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to periodically call, text, and write letters to their congressional representatives about this legislation as we build the political will to solve the climate crisis in a bipartisan manner. A local chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) meets in the Olin Language Center and Kingston Library on the second Saturday of each month, from 12:45 to 2:30 pm.
    Learn More about CCL
  • Sustainability for Staff
    It is the incumbent upon our community to lead through sustainable behaviors that help end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. Employees are encouraged to participate in in-person sustainability training offered monthly during lunch, and to use the resources found here. To request a training appointment, please contact us at [email protected].

Engagement Resources

Guidelines and Policies
Actions and Materials
  • Tools including a Sustainability Starter Guide, Composting 101, and the Recycling Guide.
  • The Dean of Student Affairs Director is committed to fostering a student centered environment that promotes diversity, inclusion, leadership, and engagement.
    • DOSA enhances the undergraduate experience with partners in Bard Athletics, BRAVE, Center for Civic Engagement, Counseling Service, Difference and Media Project, Health Services, International Student Services, Residence Life, Safety and Security, Spiritual Life at Bard, Student Activities, and the Trustee Leader Scholar Program.
    • The Bard Center for Civic Engagement provides a critical roll in facilitating sustainability off campus.