The Office of Sustainability, in collaboration with the Greener by Default Coalition at NYU and the Animal Rights Collective, is excited to host the 2024 Plant-Based Food Festival! This festival is a chance for the NYU community to dive into the wonders and deliciousness of plant-based eating. NYU is also a leading climate actor in the food sector with a pledge to reduce food-based emissions by 25% by 2030.

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Ambo

• Ambo is an everyday Indian food spot that has a ton of vegan options!
• Website + Instagram (@amboeats)
• Ambo is located close to campus at 55C E 8th St, New York. 

Jensen Plant-Based Division: Before the Butcher

• Before the Butcher offers plant-based burger patties, grounds, chunks, shreds, and more, to seamlessly replace traditional meats in your favorite recipes.
• Website + Instagram (@beforethebutcher)
• You can find Before the Butcher at Whole Foods. The nearest one is located by Union Square. 

Bored Cow

• Bored Cow is a dairy drink made with milk protein from fermentation, so no cows are involved! 
• Website + Instagram (@tryboredcow)
• You can find Bored Cow at select Target locations and grocery stores. Explore their map to find the closest one to you. 

Chakra

• Chakra is a Thai-Indian restaurant with Thai vegan dishes and other plant-based meals. 
• Website + Instagram (@chakra_nyc_resturant)
• Chakra is located near campus at 317 East 5th St, New York.

Fabalish 

• Fabalish is a woman-founded and led plant-based company on a mission to make comfort food dips and bites.
• Website + Instagram (@fabalishfoods)
• You can order Fabalish dips, falafel bites, and brownie bites on their website. 

Fable

• Fable features shiitake mushrooms whose dense, fleshy fibers and umami flavours are naturally meat-like.
• Website + Instagram (@fablefoodco)
• Fable can be found in Australia, Canada, the UK, and Singapore. Their ingredients are also found in restaurants close to campus (Spicy Moon, Beatnic, etc.). 

Imposter

• Imposter offers plant-based Mozz Sticks and Mozz Shreds, a perfect college student meal! 
• Website + Instagram (@imposterfood)
• Imposter is primarily found in restaurants around Albany, New York. 

Land Lovers

• This cow-free steak is made from simple, high-protein plant-based ingredients and utilizes only a fraction of the water, energy, and emissions it takes to produce animal meat.
• Website + Instagram (@landloversusa)
• You can find Land Lovers in different restaurants around the country. 

Le Botaniste

• Le Botaniste was the first organic, plant-based, and carbon-neutral restaurant in New York City. 
• Website + Instagram (@le_botaniste)
• Le Botaniste has various restaurant locations around the city, find the closest one near you!

Local Roots

• Local Roots NYC is an independent, minority woman-owned business and grassroots movement building a community-driven, regenerative food system in New York City.
• Website + Instagram
• Order your food on their website!

Mezcla

• Mezcla is a plant-based puff-crispy bar with 10 grams of protein. 
• Website + Instagram (@eatmezcla)
• You can find Mezcla bars at a number of grocery stores and markets in New York. Explore their map to find the closest one! 

Nature’s Fynd

• Nature’s Fynd offers fungi-based protein products that are meatless and dairy-free. 
• Website + Instagram (@naturesfynd)
• You can find Nature’s Fynd in grocery stores across New York, with the closest location being Union Square Whole Foods. 

Never Better Foods

• Never Better Foods offers a range of plant-based cheese products.
• Website + Instagram (@neverbetterfoods) 
• You can order Never Better products on Amazon. 

NUMU Cheese

• This plant-based mozzarella is a great addition to pizza, lasagnas, and all other mozz dishes.
• Website + Instagram (@numuvegan)
• NUMU Cheese can be found at restaurants throughout New York, with Ben’s Pizzeria being one of the closer ones on Macdougal St, and nationwide at Whole Foods pizza bars. 

Oatly

• Oatly produces alternatives to dairy products from oats, including oat milk and oat-based soft serve. 
• Website + Instagram (@oatly) 
• Oatly is available in most grocery stores. You can also find Oatly products in NYU dining halls!

Stockeld Dreamery

• This plant-based vegan cheese company is made with cultured legumes and has various cream cheese spreads and slices that are perfect to melt on sandwiches. 
• Website + Instagram (@stockeld_dreamery) 
• You can find Stockeld Cream Cheese in grocery stores and bagel spots, with the closest one being Westside Market, and Stockeld Melt at various restaurant spots like Plantega and more.

Strong Roots

• At Strong Roots, you can find frozen plant-based meal kits as well as different types of fries, hash browns, and bites. 
• Website + Instagram (@strongroots)
• You can find Strong Roots are different grocery stores around the country and the closet to campus is Whole Foods by Union Square. 

 

NYU has joined the Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge, pledging to reduce food-based emissions by 25% by 2030!

The NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy launched the Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge to engage private sector institutions in the effort to fight climate change through more sustainable food systems. Food systems are the third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses globally and account for 20% of New York City’s overall footprint, making diet a crucial component to creating a more sustainable world. Foods have different carbon footprints, with animal-based protein like red meat and dairy emitting more carbon than plant-based protein alternatives. Therefore, an effective (and delicious) way to reduce an environmental footprint is to add or improve options for low-carbon, plant-based food! 

What will this mean for food at NYU?

The action plan at NYU will focus on developing more plant-based options in dining halls, collaborating with events and catering to create plant-forward menus, and working with vendors to source more sustainable foods. For example, dairy milk is oftentimes a default but can be substituted by oat milk to be more carbon-friendly. Redesigning menus to list plant-based meals first is also a simple change that can push consumers to reframe their dietary patterns. Changing diets to be more sustainable doesn’t happen overnight, so encouraging behavioral changes and showing the NYU community that plant-based eating can be delicious is a step in the right direction. 

How does this fit in with other sustainability efforts at NYU?

NYU is a leading climate actor with a goal to achieve climate neutrality by 2040. Not only does this commitment align with our Coolfood Pledge, which similarly focuses on reducing food-based greenhouse gas emissions across all of NYU’s campuses by 25% by 2030, but it also fits alongside other initiatives like the Passive House retrofit of Rubin Hall, our annual Green Apple Move Out initiative, and our transportation related programs and policies. 

The Office of Sustainability is excited to be participating in Welcome Week 2024! Swing by one of the many events that we’ll be at to meet our office and other students interested in environmental issues, and to learn about NYU’s climate goals and how you can get involved in sustainability on campus. You can learn more about us and what we do at nyu.edu/sustainability. We can’t wait to meet you soon! 

University-Wide Tabling

• Transfer Students Pre-Orientation Program: Fri, 8/26 from 1:30pm-2:30pm
• NYU Welcome Weekend Info Fair: Sat, 8/24 from 10am-5pm & Sun, 8/26 from 10am-4pm

School-Specific Tabling & Presentations

• Liberal Studies Pre-Orientation Sustainability Presentation: Tues, 8/20 from 2pm-2:30pm
• Graduate School of Arts & Science Resource Fair: Wed, 8/21 from 12pm-3pm
• Center for Data Science Orientation Sustainability Presentation: Tues, 8/27 from 2:15pm-2:45pm
• Tandon New Student Orientation Fair: Wed, 8/28 from 10:30am-4:15pm
• Global Public Health Resource Expo: Thurs, 8/29 from 11am-1pm
• Year 2 Launch Party: Thurs, 9/5 from 2pm-3pm

Office of Sustainability Events

• Green Campus Tour: Join us for a walking tour of NYU’s green spaces including green roofs, urban farms, and themed gardens. On the tour, you’ll also learn how NYU is building a more environmentally sustainable campus.
  • Wed, 8/28 from 11am-12pm
  • Thurs, 9/5 from 2pm-3pm
• Climate Action Mixer with Plant Meditation and Plant Giveaway: Participate in a 30-minute meditation offering gratitude to the natural world. Afterwards, enjoy plant-based snacks while getting to know your peers.
  • Thurs, 8/29 from 12:30pm-1:30pm
  • Wed, 9/4 from 12:30pm-1:30pm

NYU has been ranked within the top 20 in the USA across multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by Times Higher Education’s University Impact Rankings for 2024! These rankings show how universities across the world are progressing towards prosperity for people and the planet through their respective goals.  

 

Take a look at how NYU ranked:

SDG 2 – Zero Hunger

• #11-15 in the USA 
• This goal aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. 

SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy

• #11-16 in the USA 
• This goal ensures access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. 

SDG 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities

• #10-18 in the USA 
• This goal aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. 

SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production

• #7-11 in the USA 
• This goal ensures sustainable consumption and production patterns are maintained. 

SDG 13 – Climate Action

• #5-13 in the USA 
• The goal is about taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impact. 

NYU continues to demonstrate its dedication to tackling global issues such as environmental sustainability, social inclusion, economic growth, and partnerships by achieving excellence across a range of SDGs. 

 

Greetings, fellow urban dwellers! It’s your favorite city-dwelling pigeon here, flapping in with some exciting news about New York City’s recent trash bin revolution. Hold onto your feathers because the Big Apple is taking a significant step toward a cleaner, greener urban jungle.

What’s All the Coop About?

So, the humans at the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) have rolled out a groundbreaking trash bin policy for commercial businesses. Starting March 1st, 2024, every business tossing out waste must use these fancy new containers with secure lids. No more unruly black bags cluttering the streets—just sleek, secure bins ready to tackle the city’s waste in style.

Feathers Up for the New Rule! 

This isn’t just a style upgrade, my feathered friends. These secure lids are here to tackle the unsightly mess of loose trash, reduce the rat parade, and create a healthier and safer living space for our human counterparts. It’s a win-win for everyone—less mess for us pigeons to navigate, and a cleaner, greener urban landscape for the humans. 

NYU Takes Flight

Guess what? NYU’s getting in on the action too! Our commercial facilities are already complying with this feather-friendly rule, ensuring that our waste pickups are as tidy as a freshly preened set of pigeon feathers.

Before implementation of the rule	After implementation of the rule!

What’s on the Horizon?

Hold onto your tail feathers because there’s more to come! DSNY plans to swoop in and containerize trash from small residential buildings starting in Fall 2024. They’re even testing out this revolutionary approach in larger residential buildings. Together, we can flap our wings and actively contribute to transforming the city into a more environmentally conscious and resilient paradise.

So, my feathery friends, let’s celebrate this trash bin makeover and soar together towards a greener, cleaner New York City! Flap on, eco-warriors!