Sophie Golomb is the Manager of Sustainability, overseeing the Office's outreach, engagement programs, and communications. She supervises the NYU EcoReps program, coordinates events and university-wide initiatives, and helps to spread awareness of sustainability throughout the NYU community. She has a B.A. in Anthropology and Studio Art from Brandeis University and an M.A. in Environmental Conservation Education from NYU Steinhardt.
Happy Halloween! After all the weekend fun is over and done, what will you do with your jack-o’-lantern and all those cute, decorative pumpkins? Well, before turning to drop your pumpkins in the trash, consider this spooky fact: Food scraps are the largest component of solid waste in our landfills, and when they rot, they emit methane gas, which is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide! Pretty scary, right?
Here are some tips to save your pumpkins from haunting a landfill. Read more
Summer vacation is here at last. Now is the time to go out and explore NYC before the Fall rolls around again and your readings and assignments pick up. If you can take some trips outside of New York City, that’s great, but if you’re hanging around during the summer, we have some suggestions on how to truly GO WILD. This summer, explore some of the wilderness NYC has to offer.
Get lost in Central Park’s lush 38 acres of woodland.
Be on the look out for: 230 species of birds; the Gill stream; native and exotic plants; such as the Black Cherry and Black Locust; American sycamore, oaks and Kentucky Coffee trees. Read more
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. Read more
When I was nine years old, the cafeteria at my elementary school replaced the reusable plastic food trays with paper plates. Incensed by this wasteful act, I frantically circled the cafeteria tables, insisting that my peers hand over their used paper plates for me to bring home and recycle. That day, I saved hundreds of plates from their fate in a landfill. This was perhaps my first major act of environmental activism. Many years later, as an employee of the NYU Office of Sustainability and Masters student in Steinhardt’s Environmental Conservation Education program, I find myself (less frantically) continuing to encourage our community to intentionally disengage from wasteful or unsustainable practices. For fifteen years, I have been fighting the same fight.
For those of us who have been steeped in environmental activism throughout our lives, we know that our tireless efforts are only a small part of a much longer history of the fight for environmental protection. This month, as we recognize the incredible women who have led the environmental movement, we want to of course pay homage to the renowned Rachel Carson. Read more
Check out our major environmental accomplishments in 2015!
NYUnplugged Conserves Energy
During the month of February, 8 NYU Residence Halls participated in NYUnplugged, saving 50,175 kWh of energy. Green House was named the competition winner! Stay tuned for forthcoming details about this year’s NYUnplugged challenge.
Bike Share Expands
In March, the Bike Share program opened its Brooklyn docking location, extending the program outside of the borough of Manhattan. Resolve to bike more in 2016, and find your nearest Bike Share location here! Read more
