New York University

President Sexton signed the Presidents Climate Commitment. The Sustainability Advocate Program offers training sessions and informational resources to enable employees to “green” their own departments and work spaces. The sustainability office provides a comprehensive and detailed website describing sustainability initiatives.

NYU is a member of the city's PlaNYC, which commits the university to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent over the next ten years. The university expects to meet this target in substantially less time. NYU is expanding its cogeneration plant, which, when brought on-line by 2010, will result in a 15 to 20 percent reduction in carbon emissions. NYU also implemented a new energy strategy that resulted in a nearly 5 percent reduction in electricity usage through a variety of conservation and efficiency projects.

Dining services offers locally grown foods, which are defined as goods produced within a 200-mile radius of the university. As part of the Hayden Sustainable Dining Hall pilot program, menus offer fair trade coffee and cage-free eggs; over 30 percent locally-sourced baked goods, dairy, and produce; sustainably raised seafood; and organic, humanely raised meats. Beginning in fall of 2008, dining services will participate in a composting program.

The university has established that all new construction and major renovations will meet LEED Silver standards. Gallatin Hall is the first LEED-certified renovation project at NYU.

Various student environmental organizations are active on campus promoting sustainability. Students are engaged with the sustainability office as interns, volunteers, and as members of the task force. NYUnplugged is the residence hall energy competition that rewards housing communities for reducing their energy consumption.

The sustainability task force supported a student-created Bike to School program that included identifying bike storage possibilities, removing abandoned bikes, hosting bike repair workshops, and recommending improvements for bike infrastructure at NYU. The university recently announced funding for a bicycle-sharing initiative.

The university makes a list of endowment holdings available to trustees, senior administrators, and other select members of the school community. The university makes neither its shareholder voting record nor a list of endowment holdings public.

The university aims to optimize investment return and is currently invested in renewable energy funds. The university is exploring, but not currently invested in, community development loan funds.

The university asks that its investment managers handle the details of proxy voting.