Earth Week Festival

Albert and Vera List Academic Center
6 East 16th Street, 6th floor
3:00–7:00 p.m.

Celebrate Earth Day with the New School community. View work that addresses sustainability, enjoy music, and more. A small zero-waste reception follows. Space is limited, so come early to ensure admission.

Recycled Runway

3:30-4:30 p.m.

Recycled Runway is a Parsons sustainable wear fashion show. Student designers in the School of Fashion use old clothing, leftover fabrics, and recycled materials to make brand-new garments. The goal is to bring sustainable thinking to fashion and create beautiful clothing while saving resources and minimizing waste.

Tom Csatari Quintet with Strings

5:00-6:00 p.m.

Lang/Jazz senior Tom Csatari presents his graduation recital with his electro-acoustic chamber ensemble. Tom's music incorporates American folk, hip-hop, and classical idioms and reflects his interest in environmental conservation and sustainability. 

Student Project Showcase

3:00-7:00 p.m.

Art and design work addressing a wide range of sustainability issues and solutions is exhibited. Email sustainability@newschool.edu to inquire about submitting your work.

The Sustainable Beverage: Reusable Mugs and Fair Trade Coffee

Eugene Lang College Café
65 West 11th Street, ground floor
2:00–5:00 p.m.

The New School supports BYOMug. Free coffee and reusable mugs will be given away to the first 100 attendees. This event is hosted by Dining Services and Gillies Coffee, the first licensed New York City roaster of Fair Trade® Certified coffee and The New School's principal coffee supplier. Featured guest speaker is Donald Schoenholt, president of Gillies Coffee.  

Earth Week Film Competition

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

ReNew School Food Demo

Vera List Courtyard
66 West 12th Street/65 West 11th Street
12:00–3:00 p.m.

The student organization ReNew School hosts an afternoon of planting demos, seed giveaways, water tastings, and other activities in support of sustainable food systems.

Careers in Sustainability

Theresa Lang Community and Student Center
Arnhold Hall, 55 West 13th Street, 2nd floor
6:00–8:00 p.m.

New School alumni working in sustainability-related careers speak about their career trajectories and the nature of their work. Moderated by John Clinton, associate professor and director of the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management program at The New School for Public Engagement.

Panelists:


Kirsten Brooks is manager of Corporate Outreach at A+E Networks, managing museum and educational outreach programs for History, A&E, and Bio. Brooks previously served as program administrator at the United Illuminating Company, managing K-12 education and community outreach programs on behalf of the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund. She has also worked on domestic corporate sponsorships at Sesame Workshop and in program management at VH1 Save the Music Foundation.

Brooks earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from New York University and a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management from the Milano School for International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy.

Jason Hudspeth is a designer at the New York City-based firm LEVENBETTS, whose work examines design as a conceptual framework within which to reimagine the built environment. Hudspeth collaborated on the research-based project PhX caseXcase: Cactus Flower Housing, which won an AIA NYC Honor Award in 2011.

Hudspeth holds a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art from Drury University and a Master of Architecture from Parsons The New School for Design. During his graduate studies, he served as project architect for The New School and Stevens Institute of Technology's entry to the 2011 Solar Decathlon Competition in Washington, DC.

Ashok Kamal is co-founder and CEO of Bennu, a leader in green social media marketing. Bennu's sustainability solutions increase enterprise value by aligning clients' business objectives with consumer demand and environmental resources. Kamal's career as a social entrepreneur spans the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. He has launched a progressive entertainment company, led a youth development organization, and worked on Newsweek magazine's inaugural Green Rankings while at KLD Research & Analytics, a pioneering firm for socially responsible investors.

Kamal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Environmental Analysis and Policy from Boston University and a Master in Nonprofit Management from the Milano School for International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy. He earned his Master in Business Administration in Entrepreneurship from Baruch College's Honors program, where he served as president of the Sustainable Business Club, Baruch's Net Impact chapter. He also studied abroad at the Indian Institute of Management.

Reana Kovalcik is development coordinator at Wellness in the Schools (WITS), where she develops grants and fundraising proposals, manages social media and other communications, and regularly represents WITS at events. Kovalchik is currently helping coordinate an urban farm community project, including a school rooftop garden, in Chinatown,  integrating the work of chefs, the school, and a local New York City council member. 

Kovalcik graduated in 2007 with high honors from DePaul University in Chicago, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy. She also holds a Master of Science in Urban Policy and Management from the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy.

Alex Smith is an educator at Solar One, New York City's first solar-powered green energy, arts, and education center. He earlier served as an intern at the center while studying at The New School. In his current position, Smith focuses on the Green Design Lab, a curriculum resource and guide for making city schools a healthy and green place to work and learn.

Smith graduated from Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies.   

Water Fight: A Teach-In on Fracking and Our Energy Future

Tishman Auditorium
Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall, 66 West 12th Street
6:30–8:30 p.m.

A panel of experts and activists discuss hydraulic-fracturing natural gas extraction and its local effects from a variety of perspectives. The panel is moderated by Joel Towers, executive dean of Parsons The New School for Design. A Q&A with the audience follows.

Panelists:

Al Appleton is a senior fellow at the Cooper Union Institute for Sustainable Design and adjunct associate professor at Cooper Union, where he teaches an advanced concepts seminar on sustainability and economics. During the early 1990s, Appleton served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and director of the New York City water and sewer system.

Hilary Baum is president and founder of Baum Forum/Public Market Partners. Baum produces educational conferences and special events focusing on critical food and farming issues. As the founding coordinating director of Food Systems Network NYC and the Public Market Collaborative, Baum has long been involved in the development of farmers' and public markets, agricultural marketing programs, and community-supported agriculture. Baum co-authored Public Markets and Community Revitalization.

Ashok Gupta is the director of Programs and former director of Energy Policy and a senior energy economist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Gupta specializes in global warming policy, energy efficiency, renewables, sustainable building design, smart growth, and transportation policy. He serves as NRDC's representative on Mayor Bloomberg's Sustainability Advisory Board and Energy Policy Task Force and on the boards of directors of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies, Alliance for Clean Energy New York, Citizen's Union Foundation, and Green Light New York. He received the US Green Building Council's 2007 Leadership Award for Advocacy, the Environmental Steward Award from Solar One in 2006, the Environmental Professional of the Year Award from the Association of Energy Engineers in 2003, and the Environmental Advocates' 2001 Advocate Award for leadership in support of clean air and energy. He has a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Math from Georgetown University and a Master of Economics from American University. 

Hilary Meltzer is the deputy chief of the Environmental Law Division at the New York City Law Department. Meltzer has worked extensively with the city's Department of Environmental Protection on the potential effects—for public agencies and local stakeholders—of hydraulic fracturing on New York City's drinking water supply. Her work involves a combination of litigation and counseling, dealing particularly with enforcement cases intended to protect against contamination in the upstate New York watershed.

Louis Wright is a senior in Environmental Studies at Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts. He is active in the university's undergraduate environmental student organization ReNew School and in Amp Up Youth Summit, Bill McKibben's 350.org, and local anti-fracking activism.

Moderator:

Joel Towers is executive dean of Parsons The New School for Design and previously the dean of Parsons. An associate professor of architecture and sustainable design, he came to Parsons in 2004 to lead the school's sustainability initiatives. In 2006, he became the inaugural director of the Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School and associate provost for Environmental Studies. Before serving as Parsons' dean, Towers was the dean of Parsons' School of Design Strategies. As a practicing architect for the past two decades, Towers is a leader in advancing environmental research through building design, construction methodology, and urban design. In 1992, he co-founded the firm Sislian, Rothstein and Towers Architects (SR+T), a firm that extends the domain of traditional practice. Towers received his Master of Architecture from Columbia University and his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Michigan.

Arbor Day Tree Planting

Stuyvesant Park Residence
318 East 15th Street
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

The Urban Forestry Club plants trees in collaboration with the New York Restoration Project and New York University. Arrive early to participate in the plantings and stay for a tree care workshop starting at 11:00 a.m. Gloves and tools will be provided. This event is made possible by the Arbor Day Foundation and The New School Green Fund.

Rowing Expedition on the Hudson River

RSVP required; email recreation@newschool.edu (subject: "Earth Week Row").

Meet in the lobby of Arnhold Hall, 55 West 13th Street, at 5:00 p.m. sharp.

5:30–7:30 p.m.

Help crew a New School-built rowboat on the Hudson River. Beautiful views are guaranteed.