Summary: The nine colleges and universities that are taking part in Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 30 in 10 Challenge are taking a step ahead of the original PlaNYC challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030. In addition to corresponding with the school’s educational priorities, universities are ideal partners for the challenge because they typically own their own properties and can afford the short-term costs of green renovation while reaping the long-term benefits of energy efficiency. Beyond the nine schools, many other places of higher education are investing in green and sustainable building.

Across the five boroughs, nine New York City colleges and universities have signed on to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 30 in 10 Challenge to reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent in just 10 years. The schools join the city government of New York in accelerating the pace of an already-planned carbon emissions reduction. Originally, Bloomberg’s PlaNYC infrastructure and development strategy called for a 30 percent reduction in carbon emissions 13 years later, by 2030.

“Universities are really the right group to lead the charge on climate change”

“Universities are really the right group to lead the charge on climate change,” Bloomberg said at a press conference on June 6. “They are in the business of shaping the leaders of tomorrow, which means they have a huge stake in the future.”

Eighty percent of carbon emissions in New York City come from buildings, and 18 percent of this amount results from governmental and institutional structures—the first building types to be targeted with PlanNYC. Just three of the participating schools (New York University, Columbia University, and the City University of New York) occupy the equivalent of 43 Yankee Stadiums.

Nine paths to green
Beyond the lofty ecological goals of the universities, there are practical economic factors that make institutions ideal torch-bearers for reduced carbon emissions. Universities typically own their own buildings or have long-term leases. This affords them the ability to absorb the short-term costs and appreciate the long-term efficiency advantages of green and sustainable building, as opposed to a tenant business that is preoccupied with making each month’s rent. “[Institutions] have the most to gain from making energy improvements—unlike, say, the commercial sector where sometimes the entity investing in energy improvements is not the one who will pay the energy bills,” says John Gallagher, a spokesperson for the mayor.

Universities typically own their own buildings or have long-term leases, which affords them the ability to absorb the short-term costs and appreciate the long-term efficiency advantages of green and sustainable building

Walking the talk
For the schools, participating in the challenge is simply walking the sustainability talk. “We teach environmental awareness and environmental subjects and feel we need to model what we teach,” says Lia Gartner, AIA, vice president for design and construction at the New School.

As a school of architecture and design, the Pratt Institute is even more aligned with the goals and necessary expertise required with the 30 in 10 Challenge. Anthony Gelber, Pratt’s sustainability coordinator for facilities and operations, says the students who witness the greening of the campus will be sustainability’s best experts and advocates. “They’re the future, both in the way they live, the way they think, [and] the way they design,” he says. Gelber hopes that Pratt, which hosted the press conference, can reduce their emission by 10 percent simply through energy conservation, and would like to have a conservation plan in place by September for when students return to school. In addition, Gelber says all future renovations and new buildings will target LEED® Silver or Gold certification.

All future renovations and new buildings at Pratt will target LEED® Silver or Gold certification

Barnard College is building a green student center (called Nexus) that will feature a green roof with natural vegetation, high-efficiency HVAC systems, and recycled steel and concrete. At New York University, a group of students, faculty, and administrators have come together as the NYU Sustainability Task Force to recommend a prioritized “Green Action Plan” to reduce the school’s environmental footprint and develop a program to award research funds for environmental sustainability projects. The New School is building a new potentially LEED Platinum certified 500,000-square-foot campus facility that will increase their campus size by 40 percent. Several of the schools are in the process of auditing their current level of carbon emissions or reviewing past energy audits.

At the City University of New York alone, the attempt to reign in carbon emissions will span across all five boroughs, into 280 buildings, to 450,000 students. Howard Apsan, CUNY’s director of Environmental Health and Safety, isn’t just dealing with the complexities of one campus. “We have 23 different campuses,” he says. “Each one is a little different.” But, CUNY’s large size can be an advantage when investing in green and sustainable building. Apsan says their large operation can also be a plus. “We have economies of scale that help us a little bit.”

The next nine
Higher education’s interest in green and sustainable building does not stop at the city limits. Colleges across the nation have embraced it as well. The University of Vermont has pledged to drastically reduce (and eventually eliminate) the school’s greenhouse gas emissions, and to increase sustainability research and public awareness efforts. At the University of Utah, a new energy conservation program is saving $1.2 million a year in utility bills. According to the Associated Press, the University of Wisconsin campuses in River Falls, Green Bay, Oshkosh, and Stevens Point are planning to “go off the grid” and produce at least as much renewable energy as they consume by 2012.

Bloomberg’s office will be working with the challenge partners to create channels for information and expertise sharing on technologies, funding opportunities, and system measurements, according to Gallagher. The next step will be to enlist more governmental and institutional organizations.