Happy earth day, NYU: Good job going green
WSN Editorial Board
Issue date: 4/22/08 Section: Staff Editorial
In honor of Earth Day, which is today, we would like to applaud NYU for its dedication over the past few years to green efforts. NYU has taken many environmentally-friendly actions, such as purchasing wind power credits for electricity usage - a first for a university of its size. The recently renovated Gallatin building on Broadway contains many green features, such as bathrooms that use less water than before. The Hayden and Weinstein dining halls have many locally-grown food options and in all of the dining halls, the to-go boxes are biodegradable. The bookstore and computer store have been encouraging customers to not take plastic bags.
NYU has also implemented many changes to use less energy. In a major project, NYU is replacing its cogeneration plant with a new one that will capture heat energy that was previously released and wasted. The new Gallatin building uses less energy for lighting. With the "Unplugged" challenge, the NYU Sustainability Task Force has created a competition to measure how much residence halls can decrease their energy consumption. In Third Avenue North residence hall, the university is testing a pilot program of sensors that reduce heating or cooling in rooms when they are unoccupied. NYU has also supported many student-created green initiatives.
On this Earth Day, we thank NYU and applaud it for its successes. And we have suggestions for how NYU can build upon its green measures to continue being environmentally friendly in the future.
NYU currently uses too much energy for heating. Many students cannot control heating in their dorm rooms and resort to opening the windows. Allowing individual control over heating would result in less energy used. If such decentralized control is technologically unfeasible in older buildings, perhaps the centralized heat should just be turned lower; we're better off wearing sweatshirts than sweating during the winter. The excess heat is also a problem in classroom buildings such as the Silver Center. Many lights in NYU buildings are on more than they need to be. Hallways, especially in residence halls, should be outfitted with motion sensors or short-duration switches so that lights are only on when necessary. Recycling facilities are abundant in some NYU dorms, such as Palladium residence hall, but sparse in others. The Kimmel Center Market Place still uses a lot of paper and plastic in its plates and utensils.
These initiatives may require a substantial initial investment, but in the long term, they will help the earth and help NYU by saving money on energy costs.
NYU has also implemented many changes to use less energy. In a major project, NYU is replacing its cogeneration plant with a new one that will capture heat energy that was previously released and wasted. The new Gallatin building uses less energy for lighting. With the "Unplugged" challenge, the NYU Sustainability Task Force has created a competition to measure how much residence halls can decrease their energy consumption. In Third Avenue North residence hall, the university is testing a pilot program of sensors that reduce heating or cooling in rooms when they are unoccupied. NYU has also supported many student-created green initiatives.
On this Earth Day, we thank NYU and applaud it for its successes. And we have suggestions for how NYU can build upon its green measures to continue being environmentally friendly in the future.
NYU currently uses too much energy for heating. Many students cannot control heating in their dorm rooms and resort to opening the windows. Allowing individual control over heating would result in less energy used. If such decentralized control is technologically unfeasible in older buildings, perhaps the centralized heat should just be turned lower; we're better off wearing sweatshirts than sweating during the winter. The excess heat is also a problem in classroom buildings such as the Silver Center. Many lights in NYU buildings are on more than they need to be. Hallways, especially in residence halls, should be outfitted with motion sensors or short-duration switches so that lights are only on when necessary. Recycling facilities are abundant in some NYU dorms, such as Palladium residence hall, but sparse in others. The Kimmel Center Market Place still uses a lot of paper and plastic in its plates and utensils.
These initiatives may require a substantial initial investment, but in the long term, they will help the earth and help NYU by saving money on energy costs.
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