From purchasing policies to student leadership, major building achievements to orientation; students, faculty, staff, and administrators from across the university have been instrumental in making a greener NYU in 2019. This year we partnered with multiple sites across our global network, had 1,750 individuals attend one of our public speaking events, and provided $90,000 to fund various green projects. Here are few shining moments from 2019:
Working Group Initiatives Announced
In February, the Sustainability Working Group, comprised of 50 students, faculty, and administrators from across NYU’s global network came together to develop meaningful sustainability initiatives that NYU could achieve in the short-term. The group came up with 35 initiatives including a commitment to no longer purchase single-use water bottles, to assess commuting patterns, to showcase sustainability during Welcome Week, and to centralize sustainability course listings online. Over 85% of those initiatives are complete or in progress.
NYUnplugged and Earth Hour
In March, NYUnplugged kicked off a week-long program to promote responsible energy use and encourage efficiency and conservation. Grouped into four teams and led by the EcoReps, NYU residence halls battled it out in an intense energy-saving competition. In total, through engagement events and student participation, 23,312kWh of energy were saved. That’s enough energy to power two homes for a year! This year we added something different. On March 30, the EcoReps recognized Earth Hour; an annual event that takes place all around the world. This year, NYUnplugged culminated with our first ever Earth Hour Party. Open to all students, this event was a fun night of dancing in the dark, delicious vegan food, and a live DJ.
Legislative Progress
The Office of Sustainability is not just an advocate for sustainability at NYU but in New York City and beyond. Chief Sustainability Officer, Cecil Scheib, had the opportunity to testify before city and state officials three times this year, to share NYU successes during hearings on climate change, communities and workforce training, and sustainability efforts in higher education.Conversations about sustainable infrastructure continued in June when NYU hosted Urban Green Council’s conference on Retrofitting to Scale. Earlier this year, New York City enacted Local Law 97 of 2019, the most ambitious climate legislation for buildings passed by any city in the world. This law sets tough carbon emissions regulations on NYC’s buildings starting in 2024 and will impact 50,000 buildings. The Urban Green Conference sparked conversation and ideas about how NYC can feasibly and affordably retrofit thousands of buildings each year.
“We have pledged to achieve a 50% reduction from the baseline by 2025 and carbon neutrality by 2040. This reduction in emissions is something the University has voluntarily undertaken not only because we believe it is part of NYU’s role as an anchor institution in New York but also because it positively impacts our community.”
– Chief Sustainability Officer Cecil Scheib
Earth Month Highlights
April 2019 commemorated the 49th anniversary of Earth Day, a global celebration of the environment. This year, NYU participated in the festivities by partnering with the Department of Environmental Students, the Environmental Humanities Initiative, and the Office of Global Inclusion to welcome Cynthia Malone, scholar, activist, and organizer, to address the NYU community about decolonizing science, environmental stewardship, and liberation from oppressive ideologies and systems. CAS Alumni hosted a Politics and Climate Change panel that brought together faculty, lawmakers including NYU alumni and shepherd of New York State climate legislation, Senator Todd Kaminsky, and students. The panel was moderated by our very own Chief Sustainability Officer Cecil Scheib. We closed out the month with Earth Matters’ annual Earth Day Street Fair, a day of food, giveaways, music, and more.
Green Welcome Week
Sustainability was a key feature in this years Welcome programs thanks to the collaboration and support of the Center for Student Life. Due to the efforts of University Events and Campus Services, on Welcome Day, we saved 25,000 single-use plastic bottles from our waste stream. When stacked, that would equal the height of 62 Kimmel Centers! Through the week, we offered two green campus tours, giving students the opportunity to see how NYU is becoming greener every year through NYU Grounds’ initiatives like urban gardens and green roofs, plant-based dining with NYU Eats, LEED certified buildings, and more. We partnered with Health Promotion in inviting students to “refill & chill” by picking up a free metal water bottle and filling up with fruit infused water. We closed out the week with our first ever Eco Fair. Students were able to speak with environmental student clubs, learn how to build their own terrarium, and attend a free vegan cooking class. This year, we weren’t the only ones pushing sustainability. As outlined by the sustainability working group, going green became a driving force of the week’s festivities, from res-hall check in to reality show skits. This theme will be continuing into the spring with our second Eco-Fair!
Student Leadership Abounds
In August, the Office of Sustainability welcomed five amazing student employees to the team, including four Sustainability Assistants and our first graduate Sustainability Fellow. These students are dedicated to sustainability both in and out of the office. Our EcoReps program launched the ECommittee, a group of former EcoReps that serve as peer-mentors and ambassadors for the program and they kicked off the year by attending the Office of Residential Life and Housing Services’ Big Apple Leadership Retreat. Additionally, this semester the Student Senators Council convened their first Sustainability Committee. The group was formed to represent student interests and work with the University administration on reaching sustainability goals. Lastly, the Office of Sustainability met with the leaders of student clubs and organizations during the first Dinner and Dialogue on Sustainability to learn about and mutually support initiatives and actions.
Coastal Resiliency Days
We know the members of our community are always looking for opportunities to give back. In October, we hosted two service days centered around coastal resiliency. Thank you to the Billion Oyster Project and Newtown Creek Alliance for providing an enriching experience for participating students, administrators, and alumni!
“A lot can be learned from the Newtown Creek Alliance outside of Newtown Creek, particularly what it takes to solve large, daunting tasks. It’s easy to think that the actions of one person doesn’t matter in the greater scheme of things, but Lisa Bloodgood, their Director of Advocacy and Education, is an example of small actions leading to huge change. It is thanks to people like Lisa that are led by their love of a place to start a ripple effect in their community that ultimately leads to a lasting change. New York City is a better city with the Newtown Creek Alliance.”
– Carson Bandy, Environmental Studies Major
| Faculty Housing Goes Green
The residents of Silver Towers and Washington Square Village have been increasing sustainability in their buildings and communal spaces. From community events through NYU Faculty Housing Happenings, to the expansion of compost collection; from the first EV charging station to new LED lighting, NYU Faculty Housing is leading sustainability action on campus. |
Commuting Survey
This October, NYU launched the How Is Your Commute? survey to better understand our community’s travel patterns to, from, and around NYU. The results will help the Office of Sustainability calculate greenhouse gas emissions and meet our transportation needs in a more eco-friendly way. We received over 16,000 responses from students, faculty, and administrators! Thank you, NYU! |
IT Sustainability Initiative
IT equipment at NYU is a major source of energy consumption. To address this, the NYU IT Sustainability Initiative convened a number of work streams focused on reducing energy consumption, cost, and carbon related to technology. These work streams are considering policies and strategies towards purchasing more energy efficient equipment, optimizing energy use and reducing costs in data center and cloud computing, and managing desktop computers and devices. In the coming year, many of these ideas will be implemented across the university and result in significant energy savings.
Green Grants Recap
In 2019, we awarded over $90,000 in funding to 10 projects across all three of NYU’s global campuses! Green Grants funded projects for students, staff, and faculty across 10 unique departments. This year, our grantees led workshops on recycling electronics components, created a podcast series on climate change, and ran a summit on sustainable business. They also designed educational campaigns for students centered on personal waste mitigation, sustainable menstruation hygiene products, and eliminating single-use water bottles. Next year, keep your eyes out for some opportunities to get involved made possible by Green Grants funding, such as the inaugural Climate Connections conference! If you’re looking to start a project of your own, we are also now offering a 1-1 consultation service to workshop your ideas. Dates and a link to sign up will be available in our newsletter.