Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.39
Liaison Dianne Anderson
Submission Date Jan. 31, 2011
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.0

New York University
ER-1: Student Sustainability Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.00 / 5.00 Jeremy Friedman
Manager, Sustainability Initiatives
Operations
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total number of degree-seeking students enrolled at the institution:
42,667

Program name (1st program):
Sustainability Leadership Training for Resident Assistants

Number of students served by the program (1st program):
11,858

A brief description of how the student educators are selected (1st program):

This program works to integrate sustainability into the existing educational and resource-providing efforts of Residential Assistants (RAs) for NYU residence halls. About 300 RAs serve every year. They go through a selection process in order to become RAs, and then receive the Sustainability Module as part of their RA training.

RAs have a variety of other duties, but are in constant contact with the thousands of NYU students living in more than a dozen different residence halls.

The Office of Sustainability and other campus organizations and entities do hold dozens of additional informational events and activities intended to target the non-resident student (commuter) population, but there is not at present a dedicated or formal peer-based training program for these students.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (1st program):

This sustainability-focused continuing education module gives RAs a better understanding of what is meant by green and sustainable in the context of residential housing. The goal is to "train the trainers" in order to give students a better understanding of their personal and wider community's ecological footprints. As part of the module, students will articulate goals and action steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle, along with awareness of available resources to assist them in achieving articulated goals with their residents throughout the academic year.

RAs trained under this module were instrumental in implementing key projects, including the annual NYUnplugged residential energy conservation competition.


A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (1st program):

NYU's Student Affairs division, in conjunction with support from the Office of Sustainability, hosts a training session for RAs on an annual basis.

Full-time staff are directly involved in administering the training, and Office of Sustainability staff were involved in developing the materials.


The website URL for 1st Program:
Program name (2nd program):
Stern Campus Greening Initiative

Number of students served by the program (2nd program):
7,096

A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):

The NYU Stern Campus Greening Initiative (SCGI) is a cross-functional, student led task force that works on devising and implementing sustainability initiatives throughout the Stern School at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Students on the SCGI are chosen from within Stern grad’s Net Impact Chapter the Social Enterprise Association.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (2nd program):

SCGI seeks to engage, enable and empower Stern students to lead sustainable organizations and lives by creating and supporting learning opportunities on issues of sustainability, providing applied/real world opportunities to help students build a skill set in sustainable practices, and improving Stern’s environmental footprint. SCGI is encouraged to facilitate these interactions in the broader Stern community.


A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (2nd program):

SCGI is funded through the Student Life Office at the Stern School of Business. Additionally, members of the SCGI work closely with faculty, staff and other departments across NYU to implement sustainability in Stern and to educate Stern students about sustainable choices.


The website URL for 2nd program:
Program name (3rd program):
Earth Week Programming and Trainings

Number of students served by the program (3rd program):
42,667

A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):

Earth Week at NYU features more than 25 exciting programs, volunteer opportunities and events as part of a highly public celebration of NYU’s commitment to sustainability.

The "week" spills over into 10-14 days of lectures, volunteer opportunities, fun events, art displays, a solar-powered concert, and even an annual eco-fashion show and recycled-clothing exchange called the Swap-O-Rama-Rama. Each year, the entire NYU student community is invited to attend these events, through emails direct to all students, in-class announcements, sidewalk chalking, posters, club listservs and word of mouth.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (3rd program):

The series is independently planned and conceived by a team of dedicated students, most of them members of Earth Matters!, the university's largest environmental student club which was established in the late 1980s.

The students are directly supported on the Earth Week Planning Committee by staff in the Student Activities, Community Service, Public Affairs and Sustainability Offices at NYU -- these administrators inform and educate the students about the university's budget process, event planning resources, and guidance on ensuring the best environmental performance of the events' operational logistics. The students also coordinate directly with the Environmental Studies department and the Sustainability Task Force.


A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (3rd program):

The Office of Sustainability offers direct funding for many of the initiatives during Earth Week, but many of the three dozen annual events are sponsored directly by student clubs and other offices and academic programs across the campus.

In-kind staff support described above.


The website URL for 3rd program:
Program name (All other programs):
NYU Bike Share

Number of students served by the program (All other programs):
500

A brief description of how the student educators are selected (All other programs):

Student bicycle experts trained by the Office of Sustainability to lead and coordinate the Bike Share Program, some part-time student employees and some volunteers.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (All other programs):

Student educators and those served by the program learn bicycle maintenance tricks, safety laws and best practices, how to inspect a bike to ensure it's functioning optimally, and bicycle rider rights and responsibilities in New York City. They also learn the rules and requirements of the Bike Share Program, how to get a bike, how long to keep it, where to report a problem, etc.


A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (All other programs):

Since 2009, the Office of Sustainability has invested more than $13,000 and considerable time of full-time and part-time staff in launching the first public free bicycle-sharing program in New York City.


The website URL for all other programs:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

NYU coordinates and offers a wide range of overlapping and interlocking programs, initiatives and opportunities to engage, communicate with and educate the student body.

Many of these programs function as frameworks designed to draw out student leaders and enable them to "own" projects and events, with student organizations sponsoring and planning the majority of the event programming on campus and leading education efforts both within and beyond residence halls.


NYU coordinates and offers a wide range of overlapping and interlocking programs, initiatives and opportunities to engage, communicate with and educate the student body.

Many of these programs function as frameworks designed to draw out student leaders and enable them to "own" projects and events, with student organizations sponsoring and planning the majority of the event programming on campus and leading education efforts both within and beyond residence halls.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.