{"id":264,"date":"2021-04-29T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/?p=264"},"modified":"2024-07-02T11:29:15","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T11:29:15","slug":"nyu-remains-invested-in-fossil-fuels-as-the-university-hosts-its-first-state-of-sustainability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/29\/nyu-remains-invested-in-fossil-fuels-as-the-university-hosts-its-first-state-of-sustainability\/","title":{"rendered":"NYU remains invested in fossil fuels as the university hosts its first State of Sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NYU held its first annual <\/span>State of Sustainability<\/span><\/a> address last Thursday, April 22. The webinar event featured speakers from the Office of Sustainability and other university departments, as well as NYU President Andrew Hamilton and Provost Katherine Fleming.<\/span><\/p>\n

The address described NYU\u2019s recent achievements regarding sustainability and its goals for the future, as well as new programs and opportunities being made available to all members of the university community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSustainability isn\u2019t something that just happens because we have an office with that name,\u201d\u00a0 Cecil Scheib, NYU\u2019s chief sustainability officer, said. \u201cAt NYU, we\u2019re committed to becoming one of the greenest urban campuses and advancing academic excellence through sustainability research, teaching and operations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2018, NYU committed to achieving <\/span>LEED<\/span><\/a> certification \u2014 the globally recognized sustainability certification for buildings \u2014 for all significant construction projects. Nicholas Liu-Sontag, Manager at the Office of Sustainability, said more than two million square feet of building space is certified or undergoing certification. The goal is to meet new sustainability standards for carbon emissions and water use for construction projects and facilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2020, NYU <\/span>earned<\/span><\/a> a STARS Gold Rating for Sustainability Achievements. The self-reported rating places the university in the top 30 percent of 323 certified institutions. Meanwhile, the Office of Sustainability worked with the Office of Global Inclusion to create an <\/span>Environmental Justice Incubator<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSustainability is intrinsically linked to social, racial, and environmental justice,\u201d Jauna Vitale, the assistant director at the Office of Sustainability, said. \u201c[The incubator] provides a space for faculty and administrators to convene and have candid discussions around the intersection of these issues.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hamilton said NYU has a responsibility to lead by making sustainability its top priority. Accordingly, the university will launch a <\/span>Green Workplace Certification<\/span><\/a> to track sustainability progress by individual offices and departments.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSustainability is good for NYU,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cIt leads to healthier, more productive study and work environments for the entire community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Some students, however, such as Tisch first-year Rose Knopper, a member of NYU Divest<\/span>, are not so impressed by the university\u2019s efforts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI<\/span> have heard this information before about NYU saying they will do this and that for sustainability,\u201d Knopper wrote to WSN in an email. \u201cThe truth of the matter is, NYU’s board of trustees includes oil and coal executives, leading to NYU keeping over a hundred million dollars invested in these industries.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Laurence D. Fink, the founder, chairman and CEO of the investment management firm BlackRock, sits on the NYU Board of Trustees. BlackRock holds $85 billion in investments in coal companies, as the Guardian previously <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a>. BlackRock is also the second-largest shareholder in oil and gas companies <\/span>ExxonMobil<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Phillips 66<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>the third-largest shareholder in oil and gas company <\/span>Chevron<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the sustainability address, Hamilton discussed NYU\u2019s Climate Action Plan,\u00a0the centerpiece of the university\u2019s strategy to combat climate change. Having reached its previous 10-year commitment to a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions five years early, NYU now aims to achieve a 50 percent reduction by 2025. According to Hamilton, the university made progress on this goal this past year despite the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, according to the Office of Sustainability\u2019s <\/span>website<\/span><\/a>, NYU is on track to become carbon-neutral by 2040. Hamilton said the goal to achieve a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions includes a new commitment to a 25 percent reduction in food-related gas emissions at NYU\u2019s New York, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai campuses by 2030.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Provost Fleming, university building operations were able to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 6,400 metric tons over the past year. She said schools have been asked to carefully consider their occupancy schedules for the upcoming fiscal year to economize heating and cooling in buildings. In light of this, Provost Fleming announced the university has launched an <\/span>All-University Climate Change Initiative<\/span><\/a> to strengthen climate and sustainability research and studies. The university has also developed a <\/span>Green Events Standard<\/span><\/a> for when in-person events resume.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGoing remote last Spring made clear just how much food, energy, plastic goods and transportation we\u2019ve been wasting pre-pandemic,\u201d Fleming said. \u201cOne of our greatest opportunities for improvement is in-person events. We realize that they\u2019re one of our biggest sources of food waste, with the Kimmel Center alone holding 70,000 meetings, 7,000 of which were catered.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While Knopper recognizes that NYU has implemented many green programs, she argues the efforts do not go far enough, citing <\/span>past<\/span><\/a> efforts<\/span><\/a> by NYU Divest to get the university to cut ties with corporations related to fossil fuels and the prison-industrial complex.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a group of students tried to get NYU to divest from fossil fuels in 2018, NYU refused their demands,\u201d Knopper told WSN. \u201cUntil NYU takes their money out of these problematic industries, the institution will never be able to champion itself as \u2018sustainable,\u2019 no matter how many green programs they introduce.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNYU is a dream school for so many kids and has such a big influence and reach,\u201d she continued. \u201cBy divesting from fossil fuels and doing more to become truly sustainable, NYU has the potential to be an example for other higher institutions and create meaningful change towards the global climate crisis.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Email Saurabh Kumar at news@nyunews.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

This story NYU remains invested in fossil fuels as the university hosts its first State of Sustainability<\/a> appeared first on Washington Square News<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NYU held its first annual State of Sustainability address last Thursday, April 22. The webinar event featured speakers from the Office of Sustainability and other university departments, as well as<\/p>\n

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