Reducing Green House Gas Emissions

Union Square NYCOngoing Initiatives

To reduce green house gas emissions, the university:
  • offers a pretax transportation expense benefit plan for its employees. All major modes of public transit (including MTA bus and subway systems, PATH, and Metro North trains) are within walking distance from the university's urban campus, enabling a sustainable commute for its students, faculty, and staff.
  • bought renewable energy credits to offset 100 percent of purchased electricity.
  • only purchases computers and appliances with an Energy Star rating.

Future Goals

The university will:
  • commission and retrofit HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) systems in select existing buildings.
  • partner with Con Edison to retrofit lighting fixtures to cut carbon emissions by an estimated 2 to 5 percent.
  • initiate a pilot program for plug load efficiency to make existing appliances more energy efficient.
  • develop a comprehensive, sustainability-awareness campaign for the university community.