Green Fund 2011 Library Archive

The following student-, faculty- and staff-led projects and research seed-grants received funding support from the Green Fund. Click on the project name to view each team's final presentation.

Projects

Building Sustainable Information Models (PDF)
The U.S. Department of Energy's biannual Solar Decathlon competition challenges university teams from around the world to design and build solar-powered houses. This project team developed software to facilitate the efficient transfer of data from The New Schools' Solar Decathlon 2011 Team's Revit Model for Environmental Analysis to a Passive House Planning Package.

Clothing Traceability (PDF)
The New School is a leader in fashion design studies. This project examined a standard of traceability in the clothing supply chain, building on Parsons role as a leader in sustainable fashion.

Parsons Green Supply Center (PDF)
As an art and design school, Parsons students are often left with unwanted materials and supplies after completion of class projects. Starting as a pilot program with Green Fund support, this project now collects, organizes and redistributes materials within The New School both digitally through The Green List website and physically through the Parsons Green Supply Center.

Sounds of Sustainability Concert (PDF)
This concert, performed by 32 musicians in three movements, was composed and conducted by Mannes students for Earth Day 2011. The composition was intended to reflect on different aspects of the environment and sustainability, and was accompanied by a 10-minute video that included environmental messaging around climate change, waste and pollution.

The 20th Street Residence Garden (PDF)
Green space is in great demand on the urban campus of The New School. This student garden was expanded to include permanent garden beds, more herbs and vegetables and a compost area to help increase educational and food related programs in the residence hall.

Urban Dyeing Garden Club
Access to gardening opportunities on an urban campus is limited. The Green Fund supported the ongoing maintenance of a rooftop garden used for growing plants that produce natural dyes and the construction of a rainwater catchment system. Learn more by visiting the project blog.

Research Seed-Grants

Balancing Sustainability and Lighting Quality (PDF)
Lighting systems account for more than 30% of electricity costs in commercial and institutional buildings in the U.S. This project designed a protocol for measuring and assessing The New School's lighting system and developed recommendations for retrofits and potential future upgrades.

Low & Non-Toxic Printmaking (PDF)
Many of the chemicals involved in the printmaking process expose artists to increased health risks. This research project examined ways to make the Parsons print shop safer and less toxic, while also exploring how these new processes open up new imaging opportunities.

Oyster Garden (PDF)
Oysters are the backbone of their aquatic environment and yet their populations have declined drastically. This project sought to develop a sustainable materials catalogue for oyster rearing, laying the foundations for creating an environmentally conscious oyster restoration project in New York City.

Urban Dyers Almanac (PDF)
Traditional methods of dyeing fabrics have largely disappeared from the fashion industry. This online publication and material library was created to record and archive natural dye research and was completed in conjunction with the Natural Dyeing Textile

Lab. Learn more by visiting the project blog.