Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 51.50
Liaison Mike Harrington
Submission Date Aug. 6, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

The New School
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.75 / 2.00 Mike Harrington
Assistant Director
Tishman Environment & Design Center
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have one or more active student groups focused on sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:

New School Club for Sustainable Cities
Join a group of New School students dedicated to exploring and expanding the links between the sustainability community in New York City and sustainability resources at The New School. Its main interests are renewable/sustainable energy, environmental justice, food issues, transportation systems, waste systems, responsible consumption, community engagement, and whimsy.

Oikos NYC
Oikos NYC is a student-led organization focused on social, economic, and ecological sustainability in the teaching and research of economics and management. Our goal is to strengthen action competence among young decision makers, increasing awareness and meaningful analysis of sustainable development and creating institutional support for learning and project implementation. We are a member of an international network of roughly 40 Oikos chapters worldwide, where student members turn ideas into action.


The website URL where information about the student groups is available (optional):
Does the institution have gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
No

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
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The website URL where information about the gardens, farms or agriculture projects is available (optional):
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Does the institution have student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes (e.g. cafés through which students gain sustainable business skills)?:
No

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
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The website URL where information about the student-run enterprises is available (optional):
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Does the institution have sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
No

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
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The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
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Does the institution have conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:

Visiting Scholars Lunch and Learn Series
Tishman Environment and Design Center hosted three new Visiting Scholars in 2018. New School students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend a series of Lunch and Learn sessions to meet the scholars and learn about their projects and their careers.
Earth Week
Since the re-launch of the Tishman Environment and Design Center on Earth Day 2015, The New School has celebrated Earth Day by demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and addressing the climate crisis with a week-long series of programs and events coordinated by the Tishman Center in collaboration with academic departments, students groups, and other offices across the university. Earth Week at The New School is dedicated to championing environmental justice, inspiring activism through artistic expression and design, fostering professional opportunities in environmental sectors, promoting sustainable practices, and advancing sustainability in New York City and the world.

Design, Justice, and Zero Waste: Exploring Pathways to the Circular Economy
The Tishman Center and GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives) invite you to join us at Design, Justice & Zero Waste: Exploring Pathways to a Circular Economy conference and research collaborative. You will be part of a discussion with a global audience of innovative and creative eco-minded collaborators including students, practitioners, researchers, advocates and activists. As the world’s population increasingly urbanizes and the climate crisis worsens, the global economy risks breaching planetary boundaries with potentially catastrophic consequences if we continue to produce and consume at levels set by western standards. Frontline communities and workers in waste, manufacturing and distribution face disproportionate impacts from environmental degradation and extractive and exploitative industry practices. The conference will focus on how issues of production, consumption and waste impact environmental justice communities, workers and vulnerable populations.


The website URL where information about the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability is available (optional):
Does the institution have cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability:

Tar Sand Songbook Workshop Performance
An illuminating work of documentary theater, Tar Sands Songbook asks us to reconsider our relationship with oil. Creator Tanya Kalmanovitch knows this relationship all too well: She was born in Fort McMurray, Canada, near the site of the Athabasca Oil Sands, the world’s largest bitumen reservoir. Fort McMurray has since become a flashpoint of international clashes over energy, the environment, and the economy. Written and directed with Cecilia Rubino, Kalmanovitch’s polyphonic piece weaves together a chorus of actors’ voices with an original, improvised score. The words of indigenous activists, engineers, heavy equipment operators, elders, oil patch workers, scientists, and members of her own family fuel discussions of our past and the powerful forces that shape our future. Actors Jennifer van Dyck and Peter Jay Fernandez, musician Tanya Kalmanovitch, and media designer Stephen Byram bring this work to life.

The Ocean After Nature - exhibition
The Ocean After Nature considers the ocean as reflecting the ecological, cultural, political, and economic realities of a globalized world. Featuring work by 20 artists and collectives in a variety of media — including photography, video, sculpture, and design — the exhibition explores new ways of representing the seascape as a means to identify and critique land-sea divides, the circulation of people and goods, and the vulnerabilities of ecosystems.


The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):
Does the institution have wilderness or outdoors programs (e.g. that organize hiking, backpacking, kayaking, or other outings for students) that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
Yes

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:

Recreation offers a variety of exciting outdoor adventures throughout the academic year. Students can participate in activities such as kayaking, camping, hiking, horseback riding, biking, skiing, snowboarding, and rock climbing at discounted rates.


The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors programs is available (optional):
Does the institution have sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences (e.g. choosing a sustainability-related book for common reading)?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:

Disrupt Climate Injustice - February 26 – March 2, 2018
The New School will disrupt regular curriculum across the University in order to learn about climate change and its implications, particularly the unequal and devastating impacts on the most vulnerable and least responsible communities around the globe. This disruption is an opportunity to come together to take concrete action toward fighting climate change and supporting climate justice.


The website URL where information about the sustainability-related themes is available (optional):
Does the institution have programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
No

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
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The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills programs is available (optional):
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Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:

Students hired by the Tishman Environment and design center support sustainability projects on campus including the Good As New materials collection, planning Earth Week and other sustainability-focused events.


The website URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available:
Does the institution have graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
Yes

A brief description of the graduation pledges:

The New School uses the Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility: "I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work." Students sign the pledge using an online form, and receive a green ribbon to wear at graduation.


The website URL where information about the graduation pledges is available (optional):
Does the institution have other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives?:
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A brief description of the other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
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The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available (optional):
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Estimated percentage of students (full-time and part-time) that participate annually in sustainability-focused co-curricular education and outreach programs (0-100):
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.