| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.65 |
| Liaison | Mike Harrington |
| Submission Date | Dec. 17, 2021 |
The New School
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Name and a brief description of the 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.
BIPOC Earth
BIPOC EARTH (Environmental Action Rooted in Transformational Healing) is an environmental justice collective centering Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). This collective aims to provide an organizing space focused on intersectional environmental justice that activates, supports, heals, and empowers BIPOC communities at The New School and beyond. We aim to honor, uplift, and contribute to a radically transformative future rooted in decolonial, racially just, feminist, cooperative, and ecological-centered practices that build intergenerational and multiracial communities for liberation.
Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on 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.
Communities Beyond Crisis is a speaker series that we did in the spring semester in collaboration with Pratt Institute.
It was a four part series that focused on sustainability in disaster situations. The sessions focused on Participatory Action Research, Agroecology, Women's Leadership in disaster situations and Mutual aid in immigrant and indigenous communities.
Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on 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.
We sponsored a performance of the Tar Sands Songbook in 2019, building of the previous work of developing Tanya's performance.
Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
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.
Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
We have been focused on climate emergency related events, including a climate rally and we have done a book club featuring the book "The World we Need."
Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
The New School's Healthy Materials Lab offers the following online courses for students at no cost:
1) Online Certificate Program: Healthier Materials and Sustainable Building
https://healthymaterialslab.org/learning-hub/e-learning-online-certificate-program
2) Online Program: Healthy & Sustainable Affordable Housing
https://healthymaterialslab.org/learning-hub/the-affordable-housing-guide-program
In the programs, students learn about the sustainability and toxicity of the materials in the building environment around them and sustainable alternatives.
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
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.
Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
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.
A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.