This spring I had the pleasure of speaking with Jason West, the Director of Sustainability for the City of Albany, New York, about his fascinating career trajectory and his thoughts on sustainability, particularly at the local level. Biography Jason served as the Mayor of New Paltz, New York for two …
In addition to its beautiful scenery, beaches, and historical sites, Central Vietnam is known for extreme flooding events that are both deadly and destructive. In 2020 alone, over 240 people were either killed or went missing due to a series of floods from October through November. Property losses were valued …
A peculiar term… The first time I heard the term fiduciary responsibility was when I was duking it out with the Board of Trustees at Vassar College, attempting to convince them to divest the institution’s sizable 1 billion dollar endowment from fossil fuels. Their jargony, finance-focused counter arguments always centered …
This January, Bard CEP students visited the state of Oaxaca, Mexico to study watershed management and sustainable development. While traveling to the Pacific coast, we met with Omar Gabriel Gordillo Solís, a Director at the National Commission on Protected Natural Areas (CONANP). Omar told us about the history and …
The recent election of Donald Trump to the US presidency, along with his divisive agenda, has ignited a wave of new entries into the political process by those who might not previously considered running for public office. Three alumni from Bard’s Graduate Programs in Sustainability have recently announced plans to …
NYC Government The governmental apparatus of New York City is probably more complicated than you think, unless you happen to have worked in it before. There are various city agencies, boards and judiciaries – and that’s all before we get to elected officials. The elected positions of New York City …
Given the unusual political climate we find ourselves in, I wanted to learn from an expert who has many years of experience overcoming political barriers. Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sharon Buccino from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Sharon is the Director of the Land …
It feels like a challenging time to be working on environmental issues here in the United States as a wave of populism and climate change denial seems to be sweeping the country. To gain some perspective on working toward sustainability goals, I spoke with Professor Sue Hartley. Professor Hartley is the Director of …
Every time I drive down to New York City, the village of New Paltz and the Wallkill River show up on my GPS. Along highway I-87, you can see marvelous mountain views and amazing apple trees. I always think that I should tour and try the hiking trails in this …
I have always dreamt about lobbying meetings and thought that politics are similar to the TV series, House of Cards. Not really, to be honest! Actually, lobbying on Capitol Hill isn’t as hard as I thought. After completing my internship at Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL), I have a much better understanding …
