Next week (August 28 – September 3) is NYU Welcome Week 2016! During this time, the Office of Sustainability will be running many sessions to introduce new (and current!) students to the work NYU is doing to advance sustainability and promote a culture of environmentalism throughout the NYU community.
Interested in getting to know and spend time with us during Welcome Week? Here’s a schedule of the events we will be running and participating in: Read more
by Paige Medley
The New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) is currently running NY Prize, a $40 million competition to incentivize communities throughout New York State to develop microgrids. Working with Smarter Grid Solutions, I had the opportunity to be a co-author of the Stage 1 Feasibility Study of the Red Hook Community Microgrid (RH-CMG). The Feasibility Study examined the costs and practicality of installing a community microgrid in Red Hook that would use PV Solar, Anaerobic Digestion, Battery Backup and Gas Generators to deliver emergency power backup in times of grid outage, and deliver clean reliable and locally-produced electricity to the grid in times of non-outage.
What is a Microgrid? First imagine a traditional electric grid as a long line of dominoes. Each domino represents the lines and wires that provide homes and businesses with electricity. The flick of one domino results in the total collapse of the entire line. However, if there are smaller separate clusters of dominos, (think of these as microgrids), which could either connect or disconnect from the long line of dominoes, one would, using the same metaphor, prevent fewer homes or businesses from losing electricity when there is grid failure at one point on the domino line. Microgrids enable more renewable energy or distributed generation (DG) resources to connect to the overall grid.
I’ve been the head mechanic of NYU Bike Share for the past two years and in that time, I have worked with Recycle-A-Bicycle. They are an awesome nonprofit bike shop and youth empowerment program. Recently, we’ve partnered to conduct a research project on abandoned bikes in New York City. There is so much potential for an abandoned bike to be repurposed and put to good use. This project is significant in ensuring that abandoned bikes are given new life.by Ammar Monawar
If you haven’t seen it already, check out NYU’s Summer 16 reading list. We would like to offer some additional books to check out this summer that focus on both the personal and societal aspects of green advocacy. Learn more about the ways sustainability impacts our lives!
1. The Post Carbon Reader: Managing the 21st Century’s Sustainability CrisesEdited by Richard Heinberg and Daniel Lerch
With all the literature out on sustainability issues, it’s gotten difficult to know where exactly to begin. Thankfully, Richard Heinberg and Daniel Lerch gathered a group of experts to help break down these issues and provide their recommendations on how to deal with them. This collection of essays covers a range of topics dealing with everything from climate, energy, and food to culture and education. The Post Carbon Reader is a fantastic primer for acquainting yourself with the scope and range of issues sustainability advocates face today.
by Krissian Martinez
Today officially marks the second week of summer. At NYU that means temperatures in the high 80s, children jumping in the fountain in Washington Square Park, a sunset after 8pm, and stuffy subways. Outside of NYU, that means relaxing at the beach, tanning poolside, riding Jet Skis, snorkeling, and…not riding stuffy subways.
For those who are spending their summer near a body of water, the NYU Office of Sustainability has you covered with our eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable summer essentials! If you’re spending the summer on campus, don’t worry, there are plenty of beaches just a train ride away!
These are from Warby Parker. They have so many different styles to choose from and for every pair of glasses sold, they distribute a pair to someone in need. Saving eyesight one pair of glasses at a time. Read more
