Who We Are

As part of the Office of the President, NYU’s Office of Sustainability leads the University-wide effort to build a healthier and more sustainable future.

Office of Sustainability Staff »
Sustainability Advisory Group »

What We Do

  • We work towards reducing our carbon emissions 50% from our baseline by 2025, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2040.
  • We promote academic excellence in our efforts to improve the air quality and comfort of our buildings.
  • We support sustainability teaching and learning across diverse schools.
  • We champion ideas that advance innovation, education, social justice through our Green Grants program, which has granted over $1 million in funding since its inception.
  • We engage our community through student opportunities and action resources.

Why We’re Here

NYU is a values-driven institution and our community cares about our role in bringing solutions to the climate crisis. Over the years, NYU students, faculty, administrators, and staff have been identifying ways to innovate and implement sustainable change for our institution. From the first meeting of the Sustainability Task Force, which was started by an NYU student and precedes the establishment of the Office of Sustainability, to the naming of NYU's first-ever Chief Sustainability Officer, NYU has made impressive strides.

History of Sustainability at NYU »        NYU Sustainability Commitment »

How We Do It

Sustainability at NYU is a collective effort. As the Office of Sustainability, we are committed to modeling our values as we seek to promulgate them within our community.

  • We are committed to doing our part to confront climate change and improve global public health. In alignment with these values, our office has adopted Greener By Default and features plant-based, inclusive, and healthful options by default when serving food at all our hosted events.
  • Our workplace practices meet the Platinum level of Green Workplace Certification.
  • We strive to be proactively anti-racist, combat white supremacy culture, and embed anti-racist actions into our work. Our process began in 2018, accelerated in 2020, and is far from complete.