NYC’s Sustainable Trash Bin Policy: Revolutionizing Commercial Waste Management for a Greener City

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.

trash bags piled up outside of an NYU building
7 containerized waste bins neatly securing waste outside of an NYU building
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!

Taking Sustainable Graduation Photos

Two students in their graduation gowns posing in front of the archEvery May, public spaces near NYU buildings (like Washington Square Park) are flooded with violet gowns and black caps as graduating students capture photos they’ll cherish for years. Cameras flash and families exchange congratulations. The streets in between the many iconic NYU buildings come alive in jubilation.
 
But after the party ends and the graduates leave, the setting is quite different. Glitter, balloons, and streamers may look great in pictures, but a lot of them get left behind and become an environmental nuisance. 
 
Don’t let your joy become a pain for the parks, the streets, or the planet! Below are some tips on how to celebrate your graduation more sustainably.

 

 

  1. Instead of glitter: visual effects. Glitter gets everywhere – even when you do your best to clean it up. It also takes thousands of years to fully break down, threatening wildlife and polluting our water. Even edible glitter can be quite toxic to smaller animals. Instead, consider using filters and camera apps on your phone to achieve the same effect. It’s easy to add sparkle to your photos after taking them, especially with so many free apps available. Think pixels, not trash!
  2. Instead of streamers: ribbons. Streamers may be pretty when they float around us in photos, but they are made of harmful plastic. Instead, consider tying ribbons to sticks to create ribbon wands. A great addition to any celebration, from graduation to weddings, ribbon wands are colorful, flow like streamers, and are fun to dance around with and use for photos. Many of us already have ribbons at home, and after you craft your ribbon wands, you can continue to reuse them many times! To get a streamer effect, ask friends and family to shake the ribbon wands around you so that the ribbons frame your photos.
  3. Instead of balloons: banners. Balloons can be harmful to wildlife, who may get tangled in them or try to eat them. When they get stuck on trees, balloons are difficult to remove, posing a threat for months. Finally, there’s a shortage of helium – the gas that makes balloons float – and whatever is left should probably be used in more critical settings, like healthcare (helium is a necessary component of many MRI scanners). Even so-called biodegradable balloons are not easily biodegradable, and are the number one type of balloon found in the stomachs of wildlife. Instead of balloons, try having a banner with you in your photos. Banners can be made from leftover paper or old fabric you may already have at home or can buy at thrift stores. You can even paint any message you want. Try using an old bed sheet for a really huge and impactful banner! Or, have loved ones hold up both sides of a paper banner and run through it like a sports star! (Just don’t leave the parts behind in the park when you’re done.)
  4. Instead of standing or sitting in the flowers: get creative with your angles. The flowers in most city parks, including Washington Square Park, don’t just sprout when spring comes around. A team of people plan and plant the gardens every year, making sure to pick flowers that are both beautiful and helpful to the local fauna (like bees and other pollinators). When you step into a flower bed for a picture, you might not notice yourself causing much damage – but imagine what it looks like after hundreds of NYU graduates do the same! So if you want a flowery photo to commemorate your graduation, try getting creative with your camera angles. You don’t need to be in the flower bed to look like you’re in the flower bed. Have a friend get low to the ground on one side of the flowers while you stand on the other side. Take a selfie from above so that your whole background is flowers. Options abound! 

We are so proud of our graduating NYU students. You worked hard and deserve this momentous occasion! We hope you find time to celebrate yourself and all of those who have helped you get here. And when you do, remember sustainable practices!

Congratulations to the Class of 2024 from the NYU Office of Sustainability. #GoViolets

NYU Ranks in the USA Top Ten for QS Sustainability Rankings

QS World University Rankings Logo

NYU is ranked #8 in the USA for the 2024 QS Sustainability Rankings, up from #17 in 2023! 

The QS Sustainability Rankings measures an institution’s ability to tackle the world’s greatest ESG challenges and features nearly 1,400 universities worldwide. 

For environmental impact, the ranking explores environmental education, research, and sustainability. For social impact, it examines employability and opportunities, equality, health and well-being, the impact of education, and knowledge exchange. And for governance, the ranking evaluates indicators of good governance such as student representation and dedicated staff for sustainable development. 

NYU continues to strive for excellence in sustainability with projects and initiatives like the Coolfood Pledge, the Passive House retrofit of Rubin Hall, and the goal of being completely climate-neutral by 2040. 

A big thanks to everyone who tirelessly contributes to our ongoing sustainability efforts!

NYU Sustainability 2023 #YearinReview

 

2023 Year in Review Graphic

2023 was a big year for NYU as it surpassed expectations and reached new sustainability heights!

From a week-long celebration to combat climate anxiety to moving up in sustainability rankings, students, faculty, staff, and administrators from across the university came together to advance NYU’s sustainability initiatives and programs. Let’s take a look at some of our accomplishments this year!


Outdoor rendering of the John A. Paulson Center

We started the year with the opening of the new John A. Paulson Center. This LEED Gold-certified building with 58 classrooms, academic and athletic facilities, theaters, common rooms, and faculty and student housing, was engineered with sustainability in mind.

 

In February, President Andrew Hamilton, Provost Georgine Dopico, and Executive Vice President Martin Dorph endorsed NYU’s Commitment to Sustainability. The commitment was developed by the NYU Sustainability Advisory Group and details how NYU strives to conserve natural resources, encourage sustainability practices, and more.

A student posing during the Re-Fashion Show

2040 Now was a week of creating climate awareness and taking action! We held several big events and competitions throughout the week to inspire students to take climate action and advocate for change.

  • We launched the first-ever 2040 Now Climate Short Film Competition and received submissionsfrom all over the globe.
  • The Environmental Racial and Justice Network (ERJN) held its first in-person Spring Summit, with multiple ERJN events throughout the week.
  • The NYU community was zipping around campus during our Micromobility Festival where they got to try out electric scooters and e-bikes and enjoyed helmet giveaways and discounted bikes. A student being explained how to use an e-scooter
  • Outfits inspired by climate activism, upcycling, biodiversity, and more walked down the runway during our Re-Fashion Show, hosted by none other than Plant Kween. 
  • The 2040 Now Center, the hub of all activity, allowed students to connect with their elected officials through postcard writing and advocacy. It also featured revolving speakers, activities, and tabling events.

As the spring semester wrapped up, we celebrated reaching 10,000 students through class presentations, where they learned about NYU’s sustainability initiatives, programs, and opportunities to get involved. It was a great opportunity to connect with students and faculty members! 

In June, NYU was ranked by the Times Higher Education for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the U.S. we ranked #3 for Climate Action, #4 for Responsible Consumption and Production, and #5 for Affordable and Clean Energy! We also added a ‘sustainability’ tag in Albert to make it easier for students to find sustainability-related courses.

During the summer, we helped 12 students explore sustainability fields with our 3rd annual round of Sustainability Internship Grants. With our largest application pool yet, the accepted students worked at organizations like the United Nations Environmental Program, The Staten Island Zoo, Circle of Blue, and more. 

Cover of Abu Dhabi Climate Action PlanIn September, NYU Abu Dhabi launched its Climate Action Plan. The plan enables the University to measure its greenhouse gas emissions and set clear, measurable targets for reduction. NYUAD’s carbon neutrality goal by 2050 is roughly equivalent to planting almost 20,000 acres of mangroves, three times the acreage of Saadiyat island in Abu Dhabi.

We celebrated Biketober with bike riding lessons outside of Tandon, where NYU community members were able to learn the ins and outs of riding a bike and bike safety. We also highlighted  Campus Safety’s Bike Response Unit, which is back on campus and demonstrates how bikes can revolutionize and aid public safety.Student is instructed on how to ride a bike

More recently, NYU climbed Princeton Review’s Greenest Colleges List to the #3 spot! Since appearing on the rankings in 2021, we’ve installed solar panels on the roof of Bobst Library, LEED-certified 5 more buildings (bringing the total to 17), and are currently conducting a passive house retrofit of Rubin Hall.

We ended the year with some great news. NYU is ranked #8 in the USA for the 2024 QS Sustainability Rankings, up from #17 in 2023! The QS Sustainability Rankings measures an institution’s ability to tackle the world’s greatest ESG challenges and features nearly 1,400 universities worldwide.

 


We thank the many members of our community who have helped advance sustainability efforts at NYU. All our 2023 accomplishments and favorite memories are possible only through collaborative efforts! We look forward to creating an even greener NYU in 2024 and a greener world as well. 

 

NYU ranked #3 on the Princeton Review’s 2023 Top 50 Green Colleges!

Princeton Guide to Green Colleges Top 50 Logo

NYU ranked #3 on the Princeton Review’s 2023 Top 50 Green Colleges!

This green rating provides a comprehensive measure of “superb sustainability practices, a strong foundation in sustainability education, and a healthy quality of life for students on campus,” and is selected based on “a combination of school-reported data and student opinion,” via both institutional and student surveys.

NYU continues to develop pathways to achieve climate neutrality by 2040. The university has undertaken several projects, including placing solar panels on the rooftop of Bobst Library, achieving LEED certification for 17 buildings, signing the Coolfood Pledge to reduce food-related greenhouse emissions, adding organics bins across multiple dining halls, offering bicycle programs, and offering sustainability-related degrees. 

The Passive House retrofit of the historical Rubin Hall is an example of a current, major sustainability project, which is on schedule to reopen for student living in the fall of 2024. 

Thank you to all our community members who work to support our sustainability goals and strive to make NYU one of the greenest urban campuses!