New York University
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

In 2017, NYU students collaborated with Environmental Studies Department faculty member Brendan Noakes and the Office of Energy Engineering to identify potential for solar panel installation by developing a renewable energy feasibility assessment for NYU's buildings. This project led NYU's Office of Energy Engineering to develop an RFP for installing solar panels on the project's recommended rooftop. As a result, NYU will be installing its first rooftop solar array on campus. This project led to students learning about renewable energy, developing energy projects in urban environments, and a collaborative learning experience with faculty, staff, and other students. The installation of the solar panels will also contribute to the University's carbon reduction goals.

NYU faculty member Semiha Ergan and PhD students from the Tandon School of Engineering are engaged in a multidisciplinary and collaborative project with NYU's Office of Capital Projects and Facilities focused on improving demand response programs through analysis of building energy data. The project, in collaboration with utilities, universities, and municipalities, aims to optimize demand management practices using real data for applications in diverse settings. The project is phased into 3 years, and will educate the participants as well as their respective organizations on building energy demand while providing demand flexibility solutions.

NYU operates a 13.4 megawatt cogeneration plant, which provides electricity, heat, as well as hot and cold water to numerous buildings across campus. A PhD candidate in the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, in collaboration with the NYU Office of Energy Engineering, is using the cogeneration plant to prepare an energy system model, and may propose recommendations if improvements are realized. Once completed, the project will provide greater understanding of the cogeneration plant's opportunities for improved functioning and efficiency across the buildings served.

NYU's Urban Farm is maintained by a cohort of students enrolled in the Intro to Urban Agriculture class in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development led by professor Laurel Greyson and supported by work from volunteers. The course is continually offered in the Fall, Spring, and Summer terms. The farm is used year-round for teaching and research about urban agriculture in New York City. A consortium of groups led by the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development's Food Studies program and the Silver Towers Tenants Association received a Green Grant to fund the Urban Farm Lab, which is directed by food studies professors Jennifer Berg and Amy Bentley. An Urban Farm Lab Steering Committee incorporates input from NYU community groups. This group of students, stakeholders, and faculty will collaboratively learn and engage in urban farming, developing new opportunities for sustainable food at NYU.

In the Fall of 2017, a Department of Environmental Studies course, co-taught by NYU's Grounds team, led students to develop a project proposal for green infrastructure on NYU campus grounds. Proposals ranged from incorporating green spaces, reducing stormwater runoff, reimagining campus buildings to incorporate runoff mitigation and green design elements, and utilizing runoff retention to mitigate stormwater runoff impacts. These projects aimed to increase the utilization of green infrastructure on NYU grounds and mitigate NYU's impacts on runoff and flooding related to stormwater.

In a Department of Environmental Studies Senior Capstone Seminar in the Fall 2017 semester, a group of 10 NYU students created a "Roadmap to Zero Waste" for the University. Their project culminated in a presentation to the NYU Office of Sustainability. Through their learning efforts on this project, students learned about the University's waste stream, options to reduce waste, and developed strategies for NYU to reduce waste. This collaborative project has helped inform the Office of Sustainability's efforts to reduce waste and improve sustainability.

New York City faces a major challenge of combined sewer overflows during rainfall. This is exacerbated by the high amounts of impervious surface across the city. In the Fall 2017 semester, NYU's Department of Environmental Studies students developed proposals to incorporate runoff mitigation strategies and infrastructure on University buildings. These proposals were taken to NYU's Office of Capital Projects and Facilities for consideration. Through this project, students learned about green infrastructure, runoff issues, and the University's opportunities to mitigate the negative impacts of storm runoff. These proposals will help the University plan and develop more responsive infrastructure in the future.

In his inauguration speech, President Andrew Hamilton committed to making NYU among the greenest urban campuses in the nation. Soon after, Cecil Scheib was appointed as Chief Sustainability Officer in January 2018, the Office of Sustainability launched a crowdsourcing campaign called “Sustainability at NYU” in which over 2,300 students, faculty, staff, and administrators contributed 180 ideas. A Sustainability Advisory Group of students and administrators responsible for major operational units as well as representatives from the University Senate was convened in April 2018 to provide input throughout the review process. To further develop and implement near-term sustainability initiatives, in September 2018, the Office of Sustainability convened a Sustainability Working Group composed of administrators, faculty, and students with direct expertise in five different areas: Teaching & Research, Engagement, Energy, Water & Health, Food & Waste, and Transportation. This process resulted in a complex, multifaceted list of short-term, actionable sustainability outcomes which involve all aspects of University operations. This process engaged students in the University planning process and encouraged learning and leadership among all participants. The membership of both these groups is below. SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY GROUP MEMBERS Chair Cecil Scheib Chief Sustainability Officer, Office of the President Deans Cheryl Healton College of Global Public Health Faculty Dale Jamieson Professor, Environmental Studies, Faculty of Arts and Science Mary Killilea Clinical Associate Professor, Biology and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Arts and Science Niyati Parekh Associate Professor, College of Global Public Health Richard Wener Professor, Technology, Culture and Society, Tandon School of Engineering Rodrigo Zeidan Associate Professor of Practice of Business and Finance, NYU Shanghai Center for Business Education and Research, NYU Shanghai Students Amy Diawara President, College of Global Public Health Graduate Student Council Meicha Hall NY Global Representative, Student Government Assembly Adriana Moreno Chair, SGA Sustainability Committee Administrators Dianne Anderson Director, Office of Sustainability Yanoula Athanassakis Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Office of the Provost Lynne Brown Senior Vice President, University Relations & Public Affairs Linda Chiarelli Vice President, Office of Capital Projects and Facilities Lisa Coleman Senior Vice President for Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Strategic Innovation Sabrina Ellis Vice President, Human Resources Tracey Gardner Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the President John O'Connor Interim Director, Environmental Health & Safety, NYU Abu Dhabi Len Peters Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Information Technology Stephanie Pianka Senior Vice President, Finance and Budget and Chief Financial Officer Juan Tie First Deputy Director, Public Safety SUSTAINABILITY WORKING GROUP MEMBERS TEACHING & RESEARCH Cybele Raver, Co-Chair Deputy Provost Tensie Whelan, Co-Chair Director, Center for Sustainable Business Jonathan Chin M.A. Candidate, Steinhardt John Gershman Clinical Professor of Public Service Tom Igoe Associate Arts Professor Beth Kienle-Granzo University Registrar & AVP of Student Information Systems Mary Leou Clinical Professor of Environmental Education Sophie Rifkin Senior Associate Director, Center for Sustainable Business ENGAGEMENT Charlton Mcilwain, Co-Chair Vice Provost for Faculty Engagement and Development, Office of the Provost Arlene Peralta, Co-Chair Senior Director, Community Engagement, University Relations and Public Affairs Monroe France Associate Vice President for Global Student Engagement & Inclusive Leadership Karan Ganta Tandon School of Engineering, 2020 Bethany Godsoe Associate Vice President, Career and Leadership Development Shonna Keogan Director, Executive Communications Eric Loffswold Associate Director, Learning and Org Development David Pe Associate Dean of Students, Student Life Michael Venturiello Program Administrator, Center for Student Life Katrina Wyman Sarah Herring Sorin Professor of Law, NYU School of Law ENERGY, WATER & HEALTH Jennifer Gerdes, Co-Chair Senior Advisor to the Associate Vice Chancellor of Global Programs Andrew Repoli, Co-Chair Director, Construction Management Brian Burke Director, Energy Engineering Jack Caravanos Clinical Professor, Global and Environmental Health Gabrielle Mendelsohn Co-President, EarthMatters; College of Arts and Sciences 2019 Melisa Puglisi Director, Environmental Health and Safety Bonny Urban Category Lead, Procurement FOOD & WASTE Tom Ellett, Co-Chair Senior Associate Vice President, Student Affairs Edie Peckl, Co-Chair Executive Director, Procurement Wayne Cook Procurement Lead Stephanie Kung Assistant Director, Environmental Health & Safety Owen Moore Associate Vice President, Campus Services Brad Penuel Associate Dean, Administration George Reis Manager of Grounds and Waste Management Lila Rimalovski Gallatin, 2019 Jose Roman Assistant Vice President, Post-Award Financial Operations Carlos Zafra Associate Vice President of Operations, CBS Lillian Zalta Assistant Dean TRANSPORTATION Chris Bledsoe, Co-Chair Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs; Director of Athletics, Intramurals & Recreation Natalie Hidalgo, Co-Chair Associate Vice President, Planning, Policy and Engagement David Baler Global Liberal Studies, 2019 Christopher Echeverria Senior Policy Analyst, Government Affairs Matt Huck Assistant Athletic Director, Business Operations and Club Sports Greg Rivas Assistant Director, Transportation Laurie Stallone Global Travel Manager, Procurement AREA LIAISONS Kate Baier Senior Director, Residential Life Lily Burns-Hernandez Assistant Vice Chancellor of Administration and Chief of Staff, NYU Abu Dhabi Erin Lynch Associate Vice President, Faculty Housing Erin Meekhof Associate Instructor, Arts & Humanities Harry Meng Chief of Staff to the Vice Chancellor, NYU Shanghai Gerard Savoy Director of Facilities Management Kristina Zacharias Associate Director, Facilities and Workplace Services

The NYU Impact Investment Fund (NIIF) is a unique multidisciplinary experiential student operated fund representing a collaboration between students from the Stern School of Business and Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service with legal support from students in the NYU School of Law. The NYU Impact Investment Fund leverages the diverse expertise of business, public service, and law faculty to support student investors targeting social enterprises in the sectors of financial inclusion, environment, healthcare, aging, education, and food systems. This fund provides students collaborative and practical experience in fund management for social impact. By creating this opportunity, the University is leveraging the breadth of expertise and the diverse areas of knowledge at NYU to educate students about social impact investing. This experiential learning can be applied by students in their professional life to create positive socially impactful investments. The Fund made its first investment a few months ago into Sapient Industries, which has built the world's first Plug Load Management System for monitoring and controlling the power supplied to each and every device in a building. More information can be found at the following website: More information about the fund can be found here: https://www.niifonline.com/