New York University
Tier2-5: Sustainable Enterprise

Student-run enterprises at NYU exist through a variety of different venues, including the NYU Reynolds Program's Be A Changemaker Challenge, worker-coop COLORS Cafe in the Wagner School, and NYU-Poly's NYC ACRE Center, a cleantech and green jobs business incubator that engages both student business plans and student professional education.

NYU Reynolds Program, Be A Changemaker Challenge:

The NYU Reynolds Program in Social Entrepreneurship’s Be A Changemaker Challenge supports NYU students in creating organizations, programs or businesses that benefit the community and/or has a positive social impact. The challenge awards seed grants of $1000 and a Grand Prize Award of up to $20,000 to ventures. The competition educates student teams on how to transform executive summaries into effective business plans and models for their enterprises to succeed.

Past student-run businesses that have taught sustainable business skills through the Challenge include:

*CHEFs for Schools: Supplies public schools with chefs and organic food providers to make New York City’s school children healthier.

*Hayden Hall Sustainability Council: Makes NYU’s Hayden Residence Hall more sustainable through community advocacy and initiatives.

*WeCycle: Places WeCycle-branded recycling bins in convenient areas of Manhattan to benefit the community environmentally while providing funds for other non-profit or charity organizations that promote community development.

*Cycles: Transports purchases from urban farmer markets through a bicycle-run delivery service.

*White Tops: Reaches out to the public in efforts to reduce the effects of global warming through having flat rooftops painted white for free to reduce the effects of urban heat island.

More information about the Be A Changemaker Challenge can be found at: http://www.nyu.edu/reynolds/changemaker_challenge/

COLORS Cafe:

COLORS Café is a socially and nutritionally conscious café located in NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. The Café features improved working conditions, education and empowering workers and using local sourcing and green practices.

More information about COLORS Cafe can be found at: http://nyunews.com/news/2010/11/17/18colors/

NYU-Poly NYC ACRE:

NYU-Poly has placed a great emphasis on combining academics and research by arming faculty and students with the tools, resources and inspiration to turn their research into applications, products, and services that take flight as faculty- and student-owned companies. As part of this initiative, NYU Poly is home to the New York City Accelerator for a Clean and Renewable Economy (NYC ACRE). NYC ACRE helps clean technology and renewable energy companies in New York City grow, advancing the City as a role model for environmental sustainability and smart growth.

More information about NYC ACRE can be found at: http://www.poly.edu/business/incubators/nyc-acre