Mayor
Michael R. Bloomberg today announced that nine universities have
accepted his challenge for reducing their greenhouse emissions 30% in
the next ten years, matching the commitment the Mayor has for emissions
from City operations. Each of the universities, known as 2030
Challenge Partners, will create an inventory of their greenhouse gas
emissions along with a plan for how they intend to achieve their
reductions. The Mayor and the university officials challenged other
city institutions and other government entities to match their
commitment to the same 10-year accelerated pace of greenhouse gas
emissions reductions. This new commitment is more aggressive than the
PlaNYC goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions citywide by 30% by
2030. The first nine 2030 Challenge Partners are Barnard, Columbia,
Cooper Union, CUNY (23 campuses), Fordham, New York University, Pratt,
St. John's University, and The New School. At the announcement, held at
Brooklyn's Pratt University, the Mayor was joined by Barnard President
Judith Shapiro, Columbia President Lee Bollinger, Cooper Union
President George Campbell Jr, CUNY Vice Chancellor Iris Weinshall,
Fordham President Revered Joseph McShane S.J., New York University
President John Sexton, Pratt President Thomas Schutte, St. John's
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dr. James Pellow
and the New School Executive Vice President Jim Murtha.
"I want to applaud these universities for accepting our challenge.
Universities are really the right group to lead the charge on climate
change," said Mayor Bloomberg. "They are in the business of shaping the
leaders of tomorrow - which means they have a huge stake in the future.
These schools own a significant number of buildings throughout the five
boroughs. Together, NYU, Columbia, and CUNY alone occupy about 38
million square feet of space - the equivalent of 43 Yankee stadiums,
they are helping to make a sizable dent in the City's overall
emissions."
The City's first-ever carbon emissions inventory found that energy
use in buildings accounts for almost 80% of the City's overall
emissions, and of that, 18% is from governmental and institutional
buildings. By accepting the challenge, these institutions are leading
by example in helping to make a sizable dent in the City's overall
emissions.
The City will work with all of its challenge partners to share best
practices and develop a body of knowledge that can help all of them
achieve the targets with maximum efficiency. For the City's portion of
the challenge, the Mayor's Office has committed more than $80 million
in the fiscal year 2008 executive budget for a program, currently under
design, that will include retro-commissioning of buildings, energy
audits, and an assessment of operations and maintenance practices.
Improving data logging, installing more modern, efficient equipment,
tuning up equipment that is already in place, and improving operations
and maintenance practices will also increase building efficiency.
"Barnard accepts the Mayor's challenge with great enthusiasm," said
Barnard President Judith R. Shapiro. "Always with an eye toward
innovation and the future, Barnard has enjoyed great success in using
as many of its resources as possible to increase energy efficiency and
sustainability - the best example being our award-winning future campus
center, the Nexus, designed to be energy efficient, almost completely
composed of recycled and recyclable materials, and equipped with a
green roof that increases valuable green space in the city, reduces
heat transfer through the roof, and provides a site for faculty and
student environmental research."
"This is a city of big ideas, fueled by our great colleges and
universities," said Columbia President Lee Bollinger. "No idea is
bigger or more important to our collective future than Mayor
Bloomberg's determination that New York be a leader in responding to
the challenges of climate change. Columbia scientists have long been
at the forefront of breakthroughs in climate research. Now we're proud
as an institution to join in a shared commitment to a more sustainable
environment in our local community and across the globe."
"Speaking for all of us at The Cooper Union, I'd like to thank you
for your leadership in this area that is critical to the health and
safety of our students, the viability of our city and the future of our
planet," said Cooper Union President George Campbell Jr.
"We commend Mayor Bloomberg for his exemplary leadership," said CUNY
Vice Chancellor Iris Weinshall. "For us, environmental sustainability
is as much about leadership as it is about stewardship. And the CUNY
community of 450,000 students, faculty and staff will help us define
and exercise both."
"We join this challenge, not just because Fordham is a New York City
institution, but because responsible stewardship of the Earth is a
charge from God our creator, who has not given us the Earth simply to
use, but has entrusted it to our care and we must bring to the task all
the wisdom and commitment of which we are capable," said Fordham
University President Reverend Joseph M. McShane, S.J.
"Across the world, the realities of climate change and global
warming are pressing hard against political and policy decisions; it is
an enlightened and courageous governmental official or elected leader
who chooses to make the difficult decision of setting an agenda to
confront directly the challenges of global warming," said NYU President
John Sexton. "This City has always proclaimed what I call its
affirmative lack of contentment-its persistent need and desire to
become even better."
"Pratt is pleased to join Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his efforts to
battle global warming," said Pratt Institute President Thomas F.
Schutte. "As a college of art, design, and architecture, Pratt has a
responsibility to innovate and teach sustainable practices and to model
the City's sustainable lifestyle through the buildings, interiors, and
products our students, faculty, and alumni create."
"St. John's University enthusiastically supports Mayor Bloomberg's
powerful vision and his call to action to make New York an even greater
city," said Dr. James Pellow, Executive Vice President and COO of St.
John's University. "As a PlaNYC Challenge Partner, St. John's commits
to do its part in the global fight against climate change. We applaud
the Mayor's leadership and we look forward to collaborating with him
and other PlaNYC partners to achieve these important goals."
"Mayor Bloomberg's determination to make New York City an
international leader in environmentally innovative design and policies
is truly inspired," said The New School President Bob Kerrey. "At The
New School, we intend to do our part to contribute to this effort by
ensuring that all of our buildings adhere to high standards of energy
efficiency. The foundational design concept for our new academic
building on the corner of 5th Avenue and 14th Street is for an
educational, low carbon, 'green' building."
