Signature Programs

EcoVisions: Finding Your Place in Environmentalism

November 14–16, 2024
 

Convened by: Keri Van Camp, Director of the Preserve at Vassar; Jennifer Rubbo, Director of the Vassar Environmental Cooperative; Kenneth Foster, Director of Sustainability; Arpitha Kodiveri, Assistant Professor of Political Science; and Ethan Skuches, Vassar-Kenauk Conservation Fellow.

A joint program that aimed to provide participants with opportunities to see how environmental action could take shape in all aspects of life and highlighted how legal innovations might have been underused tools to aid and contribute to climate justice. As a Signature Program, EcoVisions showcased Vassar’s leadership in and commitment to environmentalism.

The Topics

EcoVisions was a three-day series of events that aimed to provide participants with opportunities to see how environmental action could take shape in all aspects of life. Each day was distinct in its topic, with day one focusing on green infrastructure and technology; day two on land management and conservation; and day three on environmental advocacy, policy, and engagement. Through keynotes, panel discussions, presentations, tours, and showcases, participants were able to see firsthand how environmental action could be incorporated into their lives. Upon the conclusion of EcoVisions, participants gained a better understanding of how to engage meaningfully with the environment, from their careers to their home heating to their yards and beyond.

Building Decarbonization for a Just Energy Transition

The day began with a keynote speech focused on equity and justice considerations when pursuing building decarbonization and community-wide energy transitions. Following the keynote, a panel of experts discussed how we could make progress in achieving building decarbonization. The conversation covered both building-level and community-wide strategies, including new construction and retrofits/renovations. The audience included nonprofit, business, and government professionals from the Mid-Hudson region, as well as Vassar students, alums, and faculty/staff.

Approaches to Conservation and Land Management

The day began with presentations from conservation and land management professionals discussing their own organizations’ approaches to conserving natural areas. Following the individual presentations, professionals convened in a panel discussion centered on approaches to conservation and land management at various scales. Later in the day, participants were invited to join tours of the Preserve at Vassar, Vassar’s own ecological preserve, and get a glimpse into the work being done there. In the afternoon, a legal hackathon involving local high school students and college freshmen from Poughkeepsie demonstrated that legal thinking was accessible and could serve as a viable tool for hope amidst climate anxiety.

Environmental Engagement

The day began with a panel discussion of environmental lawyers and ecologists discussing legal and policy-based pathways to climate justice. The panel touched on legal proceedings related to climate and focused on environmental justice issues in the Global South. Following the panel, a student showcase featured local college students presenting on various environmental topics. After lunch, there was a keynote presentation from Kristy Drutman, Founder of Brown Girl Green and an Environmental Media Host and Activist. Kristy discussed how to be meaningfully engaged with the environment regardless of one’s profession or hobbies, and how this engagement could be seen as intentional activism.

Keynote Speaker

Photo portrait of Krisy Drutman.

Kristy Drutman

Founder, Brown Girl Green; Environmental Media Host & Activist

As an entrepreneur and climate communications expert, Kristy has educated hundreds of thousands of people across the globe about modern-day environmental issues through speeches and media content as well as facilitates workshops centered around environmental media and storytelling in cities across the United States.

She has been invited to the White House multiple times as an on-ground reporter, was featured in Teen Vogue, NY Times, Refinery 29 among many other publications, is a Grist 50 under 50 recipient and a Create and Cultivate Top 100 creator. Kristy is 1 of 16 members of the U.S. EPA National Environmental Youth Advisory Council, and she is also the Co-Founder of the Green Jobs Board, a climate tech start-up bridging the equity and inclusion gap within the green economy through conversations, resources, and pathways to bring more diverse talent into the environmental field.

Presenters

Camila Bustos

Climate Lawyer and Assistant Professor at Pace Law

Helen Forgione

Senior Manager Conservation Science at Natural Areas Conservancy

Laura Heady

Conservation and Land Use Program Coordinator, Hudson River Estuary Program and Cornell University

Arpitha Kodiveri

Professor of Political Science

Ashley Nemeth

Climate Lawyer at the Earth Rights Advocacy Clinic at NYU Law

Margaret Ronsheim

Professor of Biology

Pia Ruisi-Besares

Director of Science, Climate, and Stewardship at Scenic Hudson

Keri VanCamp

Director, Preserve at Vassar

Troy Weldy

President, Columbia Land Conservancy

Marianne Begemann

Dean of Strategic Planning and Academic Resources

Camila Bustos

Climate Lawyer and Assistant Professor at Pace Law

Arpitha Kodiveri

Professor of Political Science

Ashley Nemeth

Climate Lawyer at the Earth Rights Advocacy Clinic at NYU Law

YiYi Prue

Indigenous Lawyer and Climate Activist from Bangladesh

Jennifer Rubbo

Director of the Environmental Cooperative

The Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts
165 College Avenue, Poughkeepsie, New York 12604