New York University
IN-3: Innovation 3

NYU Sustainability Task Force's Green Grants Program Green Grants support projects that improve operational environmental performance, foster eco-literacy and community engagement, advance applied research goals, and demonstrate the viability of best practices and technologies at NYU. The NYU Green Grants Program represents an exemplary sustainability granting program unparallel to any other in higher education. The third cycle of Green Grants in 2010 awarded roughly $75K in grant monies to 14 projects that span a breadth of topics and environmental issues that will help the University reduce environmental impact, engage the community and advance applied research and educational goals. Each Green Grant proposal is evaluated on its likely impact on the campus environmental footprint, its ability to be self-sustaining or institutionalized after initial funding, and its feasibility and potential for successful implementation. The Green Grant program is an initiative under the Office of Sustainability at NYU and is funded through NYU’s Sustainability Fund. 2010 Green Grants include: "The Center for the Sustainable Built Environment" at NYU’s Schack Institute for Real Estate to provide a multi-disciplinary platform to advance sustainable development research and practice in the real estate and construction industries. "Ride Down Memory Lane" is the creation of a MP3 self-guided bike tour to educate participants on the history of NYU and promote environmentalism by including historical locations. "Kimmel Herbalmania: Edibles for All" which will use different spaces within the Kimmel Center for Student Life to grow edible plants in containers, collaborating with the university's catering office and chefs to educate on how to use the plants in nutritious and appetizing ways. "French Fry Oil into Biodiesel Fuel" is designed to evaluate the NYU Dining Halls’ current recycling of used fryer oil to determine the optimum combination of services and environmental performance from the available vendors, and then educating NYU’s student body about the biodiesel conversion process. Overall, Green Grants have funded more than 50 separate student-, faculty- and administrator-led projects and initiatives in just over three years, with more than $300,000 in funding awarded. Please see the attached letter for additional explanation of the relevance and innovative approach represented by this project.