Tag: Compost

Trash Talk on Freshkills Discovery Day!

A landfill turned urban parkland seems an unlikely way to deal with waste but that is exactly what’s happening at Freshkills Park in Staten Island. Fresh Kills Landfill, once the largest in the world was officially capped and closed in 2001. Since then the site has transformed into a 2,200 acre urban park. The soil infrastructure layered over the landfill has allowed the site to become a distinct space for wildlife, recreation, and education. The park is still in the works and will not be officially open to the public until 2036. However, the Freshkills Park Alliance provides regular opportunities for people to visit and engage with the site through hiking, biking, photography, and more. Read more

How to compost in NYC (it’s easier than you think)

I know what you might be thinking- ew I don’t want my smelly garbage lying around my dorm for days.

I too was skeptical about composting and if I could really be one of those people. My roommates and I genuinely were curious about how one can compost in the city. We did our research and got started with a small plastic bag. We had a lot of questions that we learned the answer to from the internet and with a couple weeks of practice. Now, I’m here to help you live your best green life without the hassle. Read more

Mealworm ice cream and food waste: a day at the fair (PICS)

On Tuesday, the Office of Sustainability took a field trip to the NYC Food Waste Fair with dozens of vendors from restaurants, tech start-ups (including our very own Green Grant recipients, RISE) and City departments.

Check out some of the best moments!

(Photos by Dylan Garcia)

Arts & Science in Action: NYU’s Student Sustainability Project

by Erica Tom

photo courtesy of Robin Nagle

In 2015, New York City announced its goal to reach “Zero Waste” by 2030, meaning the city will send absolutely no waste to landfills. Can you imagine that? This seems like an impossible feat, but what if it isn’t? This summer I had the opportunity to pilot a new class, along with about 16 College of Arts and Science and Liberal Studies students, focused on the very topic of zero waste. This class-internship-hybrid, called “Arts & Science in Action,” delves into the world of zero waste and green infrastructure, specifically at NYU. How could I pass that up? Hailing from San Francisco, arguably the pioneering city in the zero waste movement, I have always been curious to learn how to reduce my carbon footprint. As a psychology major, I wasn’t expecting the class to have any crossover with what I have been studying. Yet, I found that environmental work is rooted in understanding human behavior. To enact change, we must first grasp why it is we do what we do.
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Sustainability in Sydney: First Impressions

My taxi rolled up to the curb a few buildings away from 83 Quay in Haymarket, Sydney Australia. Still disoriented from the 13 hour and 45 minute flight from SFO, the damp 95 degree heat and the dizzying ride on the left side of the road, I walked into the Urbanest Student Accommodation— an apartment style building for students from US universities like NYU studying abroad as well as students studying at nearby Sydney universities. I was greeted by a very friendly combination of Urbanest and NYU Sydney staff… and all the disposable plastic water bottles my heart desired. Although my reusable NYUGREeN water bottle had only a sip of warm water left in it, I resisted the urge to take the chilled plastic bottles I was offered each time it became obvious that the foreign heat was taking a toll on me.

Plastic and waste

bins at Bondi beachWhen I finally got up to my room, I found that there was yet another plastic water bottle sitting on my desk.The mop bucket was the best I could do without a real recycling bin in the kitchen. There was no information about recycling in the building or any signs indicating nearby bins. I found out shortly after that there is in fact a recycling bin in the building, but without any encouragement from the staff or general information about recycling in the building along with the single waste bin in each kitchen, it seems unlikely that recycling is regular behavior at Urbanest. At the Science House, where classes are held, there are clearly marked trash and recycling bins in the Student Center, however, they aren’t advertised during orientation. Read more