NYU is proud to join the first ever Car Free NYC initiative in partnership with the City Council and countless other institutions and organizations throughout the city.

Car Free NYC is an effort to remove as many cars as possible from New York City streets to promote sustainability and environmental health. This Earth Day, participating organizations have pledged to encourage residents and commuters in NYC to acknowledge the impact of cars in the urban environment and choose an alternative way to get around the city.

On this day, the streets around Washington Square Park will be closed off to cars, as well as Broadway between Union Square and the Flatiron building. Additionally, Citi Bike will offer free 24 hour passes!

At the unveiling event last week, hosted at NYU, Council Member Margaret Chin spoke and pledged her commitment to going car free on this day. Chair of the Council Transportation committee and leading Council Member on the Car Free Initiative, Ydanis Rodriquez also spoke at the event and he invited Nilda Mesa of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability to say a few words as well. The speeches were followed up by a panel of various stakeholders who discussed what the initiative means to them and the organizations they represent.

We are excited to join this brand new initiative and hope the Car Free NYC initiative grow in the years to come. As part of our commitment to Car Free NYC, we have pledged to:

• Encourage NYU commuting employees to walk, bike, take public transportation or telecommute on this day
• Raise awareness about Car Free Day through education
• Promote Car Free Day on social media
• Talk to our community about going Car Free
• And participating in Earth Day activities (We will be tabling at EarthMatter’s annual Earth Day street fair!)
  

We encourage you to commute another way this Earth Day!