Driving forward change in the environmental field is a large and extremely important challenge. The issues that the field hopes to address—from climate change to food insecurity—are systemic, complex and long term. Creating meaningful change requires many things, perhaps the most important of which is leadership. Otis Rolley is one …
The state of Oaxaca, Mexico might not be the first place I think of when I am considering innovative sustainability strategies, but, as the Bard CEP class of 2019 found out, it’s full of surprises. One such surprise was the Rancho Alternativo, a small business run by an indigenous family in …
By Keston Mario Finch (CEP16) This might very well be the busiest year ever of the Atlantic hurricane season. With two months left, the Americas shudder at the thought of who’s next, and when. Three major hurricanes—Harvey, Irma, and most recently Maria—made landfall within a one-month timespan, seriously damaging several …
In the US, we use more than double the amount of water per person than any other country in the world. An estimated 57% of our public water supply is used for residential use. The most recent 2010 USGS report estimates per capita US residential water use to be 88 gallons per day (gpd), which translates …
Climate change is often thought of purely a problem, and a scary one; but what if we reimagine climate change as a challenge, an opportunity to improve our built environment? There is much work to be done to prepare and protect ourselves from climate-related hazards. Let’s use this chance not only to protect ourselves …
Attention all those “safe” from flooding . . . In the wake of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, New York City has proactively initiated several projects to enhance the city’s resilience and protect its citizens from coastal flooding in the event of another Sandy-like storm. However, recent research suggests that the City’s coastal …
Last fall, I attended the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21), where I met Joyce Coffee, a self-described “Midwest-based adaptation maven” and an advocate for corporate sustainability solutions. I recently reconnected with Joyce to discuss the role of adaptation in global climate leadership and how governments, nonprofits and businesses are innovating …
Wicked problems call for new institutions! The problems that the world and society are facing today are of the very complex and intractable sort, wicked problems that span value systems, disciplines, and knowledge bases. Climate change is one of these. It is an economic, scientific, and social issue of spectacular …
Pre-Internship Studies (J-term turned A-term) I began the journey towards my internship in the stark landscape of Iceland, hiking among volcanoes, geothermally heated pools, and glaciers. I then travelled to Finland for a course on Urban Green Management at the University of Helsinki. There, I had the chance to learn …
One major component of Bard College’s Center for Environmental Policy curriculum is an intensive four- to six-month internship designed not only to give students work experience in an area of interest, but also provide time to work on in-depth projects, network, and maybe find that aha moment leading to the …
