Tag: Compost

NYU Sustainability 2016 #YearinReview

Here are some of NYU Sustainability’s major accomplishments in 2016!

unplugged2016Residence Halls Conserve Energy for NYUnplugged
In February, 17 Residence Halls competed in the NYUnplugged energy reduction challenge. Lipton Hall not only saved the most energy but also brought the most awareness to energy conservation through events and social media, securing their spot in first place!

Student, Faculty & Staff Collaborate
In March members of the Sustainability Task Force (STF) submitted a proposal to Governor Cuomo’s REV Campus Challenge, which called for New York State colleges and universities to develop clean energy plans for a chance to win $1 million for support in implementation. NYU was nationally recognized as a competition “Leader” and a “First Mover” for joining the competition in its first 6 months. The effort brought together a diverse group of individuals, who developed a proposal for an anaerobic digester at NYU. Additionally, throughout the Fall, an STF working group collaborated on a Sustainability Indicator Survey to question the NYU community on their attitudes towards sustainability. The survey is in queue for release.   Read more

Don’t stress! Buy, cook, eat, and waste less!

farmer's marketStill having nightmares of Thanksgiving leftovers? It’s difficult not to go overboard with delicious comfort food when entertaining for the holidays, but once your guests leave and the fridge is still full, the gravy regrets start to kick in. As the holiday season progresses avoid the stuffing sweats and apple pie anxiety. Here are 5 easy tips to reduce your waste and be sustainable in the kitchen this season!

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Small Step, Big Impact: Reflecting on Zero Waste Week

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In preparing for Zero Waste Week, my colleagues and I in the Office of Sustainability had many conversations about how to hold “zero waste” events. What food should we buy? Should we rely on everyone to bring their own plates, cups, and cutlery or provide compostable options? But, we also confronted bigger problems, like how to communicate the global waste crisis without making the Zero Waste Challenge seem pointless. How can we be honest about the complexity and vastness of an issue like waste while inspiring our peers to take action in their own lives? After the election, tackling the feelings of hopelessness and searching for ways to act and do something that matters became the focus of our kickoff event. However, every issue we cared about was suddenly on the table. So if we have to fight for everything, why worry about waste? How can we actually make a difference? I was so grateful to have Prof. Cassandra Thiel with us to talk about how specific industries like health care can make valuable, tangible reductions in their waste streams and how they’ve already started. At the end of the event, I signed up for the Zero Waste Challenge and in doing so, pledged to carry all the waste I would produce throughout the week. Inspired by Prof. Thiel and the group discussion, I felt an incredible sense of hope, and I knew I would carry that with me throughout the week as well. Read more

Don’t Trash that Pumpkin!

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

Making Movies Without Making a Mess: Earth Angel and the Sustainable Film Movement

By Emellie O’Brien

IMG_1137I was a filmmaker before I was an environmentalist. If you had told me when I was in film school that I would be using my B.F.A. from Tisch to organize an industry-wide sustainability campaign, I would not have believed it. As a film producer, I viewed film as a creative vehicle for change. Little did I know that that hunger for change would lead me down a very different path. Read more