This Earth Day (April 22), Barnard recognizes the sustainable work done by students, faculty, and staff culminating in their latest pro-planet achievement: earning a STARS gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.
“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” said AASHE executive director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “Barnard College has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS gold rating and is to be congratulated for [its] efforts.”
The College has an established history in boldly charting the path to environmental sustainability. When President Laura Rosenbury shared her vision for Barnard in her inaugural address in February, she highlighted the College’s commitment to tackle climate change by setting one goal: achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.
“Leading for the future also means fearlessly confronting issues that are absolutely consequential for this next generation, [such as] the climate crisis,” said President Rosenbury in her speech. “We aren’t just going to lean in on these issues — we’re going to set an example right here on campus and reach net-zero emissions on campus by 2040.”
Rooted in Earth
Barnard’s transition to being a carbon-neutral campus has been in motion through the efforts of the Office of Sustainability and Climate Action for nearly a decade. The College’s persistent progress that led to a STARS gold rating, after earning a silver rating in 2020, was made possible by resident sustainability leaders: Sandra Goldmark, associate professor of professional practice in theatre, director of campus sustainability and climate action, and senior assistant dean for interdisciplinary engagement at Columbia Climate School; and Leslie Raucher, the associate director of campus sustainability and climate action.
In the fall of 2023, Goldmark and Raucher — who also spearheaded Barnard’s 2019 Climate Action Vision, an effort to reduce waste and implement a campus-wide circularity strategy — led the College’s Climate Task Force, which contributed to President Rosenbury’s pledge to net-zero emissions. As co-chairs, Goldmark and Raucher collaborated with a committee of dedicated faculty and staff to create a road map for Barnard to cultivate robust climate responses while reinforcing the College’s exemplary sustainability roots in higher education.
“The Climate Task Force — which represented the departments of Environmental Science, Education, Development, BCIT, Anthropology, Architecture, Facilities, Finance and Operations, Environmental Health and Safety, Capital Planning, and Human Resources — identified the institutional structures and pathways to implement net zero by 2040,” said Raucher. “Since this goal covers so many aspects of College functioning, from the macro level of optimizing building systems to the micro level of daily travel and purchasing patterns, it can only be achieved through collaboration.”
Barnard’s Environmental Evolution
Building Next Steps
The transformation of Altschul Hall into the Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Center — a research and teaching facility for the sciences — marks an exciting chapter in Barnard College’s transition to carbon neutrality and its ongoing dedication to innovative sustainability.
The renovation will modernize the infrastructure of one of campus’s most iconic buildings by minimizing its carbon footprint, incorporating energy-efficient systems, upgrading its mechanical plant to be fully electric, and being constructed with sustainable materials. Beyond its physical upgrades, the new space will welcome local community members of Morningside Heights and Harlem.
“The R&D Science Center is setting a new standard for sustainable design at Barnard,” said June Ng, the executive director of the capital projects team. “By going fully electric, Barnard is reducing on-campus fuel combustion by 27%. By reusing 80% of Altschul Hall’s structure, an estimated 50% of embodied carbon emissions will be avoided. The design integrates biophilia and incorporates materials that will improve indoor air quality to promote health and wellness.”
