Year after year, NYU continues to strive for excellence in sustainability, 2022 was no exception.
From new initiatives to community partnerships, building renovations to welcome week events; students, faculty, staff, and administrators from across the university have been invaluable to making a greener NYU. We’re shining the spotlight on some of 2022’s great accomplishments!
New Addition to Bobst!
In February, President Andrew Hamilton revealed that Bobst Library would be equipped with 304 solar panels and installation was completed by early this summer. The solar panels generate 110 kilowatts of energy, that’s the same as powering the Seventh Street student residence for a year!
NYU Biking
In March, NYU was awarded Silver-level Bicycle Friendly University and Business status by the American League of Bicyclists for efforts to support affordable, sustainable, and healthy transportation. Biking is a central part of the NYU community, with our 2019 survey showing that there had been a 627% increase in bike ridership over the last decade. In addition to doubling bike parking across NYU’s campus over the last two years, NYU also coordinated group rides, bike education, gave out more than 300 helmets to the community and much more! Learn more about biking at NYU.
Earth Month
For the first time since 2019, we once again held the Earth Day Street Fair! The NYU and NYC community came out to celebrate the planet we live on and learned about actions they can take to protect it.
During the 2022 State of Sustainability address, we reported on recent accomplishments, announced new initiatives, and recognized community leaders for their significant contributions to our sustainability efforts. We also unveiled 2040 Now, a university-wide, week-long initiative in April 2023 to envision a sustainable future in the year 2040, when NYU plans to be climate neutral!
In May, we successfully removed over 9 tons of waste during our annual Green Apple Move Out, our annual initiative to collect and donate unwanted items from students moving out of residence halls. More than 500 items were diverted from the landfill, and were instead rehomed or recycled!
Student Engagement
During fall welcome week, we got to hear from students about how we can confront the climate crisis and achieve climate neutrality by 2040. Our interactive kiosks, focused on 2040 Now, invited students to think about and leave their comments on how they’d like to lower their environmental impacts in their spending, community, and otherwise. We were excited to hear from so many students on how NYU can achieve climate neutrality as a community!
Art Installation
*This Is Not a Drill*, funded through our Green Grants program, produced an exhibit with artworks that focus on the intersection of technology, equity, and the climate emergency and was displayed in Bobst’s Gallery. During the exhibition’s closing event, Cecil Scheib, the Chief Sustainability Officer at NYU, along with a panel of climate science experts discussed how we can create a public pedagogy to combine technology, the arts, critical thinking, and climate justice activism.
Pilot Program
In October, through community partnership with Union Square Partnership, the Clean Curbs Pilot program was brought to NYU, just outside the Carlyle Court residence hall. Normally, bags of trash are placed on sidewalks, where it can obstruct pedestrian traffic, leak, emit odors, and attract pests. With the new bins, trash bags can be placed within a solid structure eliminating those issues.
Waste Week
Our annual Waste Week in November featured an array of events, workshops and engagements centered around multiple key waste areas that included fashion, food, and material waste. One of our most popular events was our live food waste tracking at Downstein and Third North, where front-of-house food waste was recorded, measured, and analyzed. We were able to compost 44 pounds of food scraps from plate waste and students were incredibly excited to know their food was going towards composting efforts!
Intersectional Environmentalism
The Environmental and Racial Justice Network (ERJN) sponsored the Critical Voices working group, which examines the relationship between environmentalism, biodiversity conservation and racial justice to discuss the critical role that histories of settler colonialism and ongoing capitalist paradigms have played in the ideologies and approaches to the teaching, practice and academic study of environmental justice. The ERJN held a virtual Spring Summit and Fall Summit, which invited conversation on durability of racism and its many material forms, working across diverse cultures, and dismantling environmental injustice at NYU and beyond.
Green Grants and Green Workplace Recap
In 2022, we awarded $90,000 in Green Grants funding! Grantees’ projects range from creating biodegradable mesh bags, analyzing noise pollution at NYU, to creating an edible farm and garden lab at NYUSH. If you’re looking to start a project of your own, visit our Green Grants webpage for more information!
Our Green Workplace Certification was a hit in 2022. We added 32 new certified workplaces with 19 being awarded Platinum, 12 awarded Gold and 1 awarded silver. If your workplace hasn’t been certified don’t delay, download the checklist and let’s discuss.
Many thanks to all members of our community for making our favorite memories of this year possible, and for the dedication and commitment to making a greener NYU. With exciting new initiatives and programs planned, we look forward to seeing you in the new year and are excited to continue advancing sustainability at NYU!
