December's Programs of the Month - 20th Street and Stuy Park

We tried and tried, but with the great programs that happened in December we couldn’t pick just one!

Here are the 2 programs that tied for Program of the Month for December 2011:

20th Street – Loving Lampposts

RAs from the 20th Street staff, led by, Joel Arken, and in collaboration with Hall Council, screened the film "Loving Lampposts" in November 2011.

This film is about the autism spectrum and the many responses to the crisis of autism diagnoses and was shown to a group of residents in the 20th Street Residence Hall. After the film, there was an hour-long discussion about representations of people on the autism spectrum and the different strategies to better understand autism. Several residents had experience working in nonprofits or having family members on the spectrum, so there were many diverse experiences that helped shape a fascinating discussion. Due to the success of this event, a follow-up program might take place in the spring semester!

Stuyvesant Park – Be Good, Be Green, Be Glamorous!


Stuyvesant Park RA, Ayanna Heaven, noticed that our students have a passion for clothing and for sustainability. She saw this as a great need for students to be given different options for accumulating clothing and introduce a new way of thinking about consumerism. The idea of a Stuyvesant Park clothing swap event was born!

When a student gave an article of clothing, he/she received an entry ticket to come to the event. After 2 days of clothing collection, the big swap event occurred on November 17th. At the event, the clothing and accessories were arranged on racks and tables in a retail fashion. The Stuyvesant Park Study Lounge was truly transformed into a clothing boutique. It was very reminiscent of a Fashion's Night Out event, promoting residents to give pieces so that they were given a ticket to come. There were hors-d'oeuvres, music, and goody bags at the event for them. Residents seemed to really dig the clothes that they got, and it was a good turnout.

Special Interest Community Highlight: Alison Schuettinger, 20th Street Green Community

Originally from Fredrick, MD, Ali is currently a second year masters student studying psychology. She is interested in applying psychology to environmental sustainability in order to combat global warming using behavior change. Ali’s interest in being a Special Interest Community R.A came from her interest in living a sustainable lifestyle and how that relates to well being.

Q. What is your favorite part about the 20th Street Green Community?
A. The garden, the people that care.

Q. What has been your favorite program with your community?
A. I conducted environmental health and safety inspections right after (the regular health and safety inspections) and people paid attention to the signs I posted on doors and turning off lights and AC and unplugging electronic devices when not in use. One resident in 2F had all lamps, devices unplugged with cords out on floor and nothing left on. I will conduct these monthly.

Q. What’s one goal you have for your community?
A. For residents to use less energy. For students to become aware of environmental concerns and become aware of environmental concerns and easy behaviors they can acquire in their lifestyle that produce zero to less carbon emissions (compost, recycle properly, take the stairs)

Q. What is the most memorable thing that has happened in your community?
A. The first week this resident who I had just met volunteered to stand by compost bins and educate students that all NS products are biodegradable and organic waste can be thrown away in compost not landfill.

Q. What is your dream, no-budget, no restriction program?
A. To measure the ecological footprint of the (20th Street) Green floor. We applied for green fund, let’s hope we get it.

20th Street Coastal CleanUp

On September 19^th, Hall Council members at the 20^th Street Residence organized a Coastal Cleanup along the Hudson River. Coastal Cleanup is a grassroots program organized by the Ocean Conservancy and supported by hundreds of thousands of people in over 100 countries. Over the past twenty years, millions of pounds of garbage have been removed from beaches all over the world, and, thanks to the efforts of the 20^th Street Hall Council, RAs, and residents, Hudson River Park is now 260 pounds lighter!

Among countless other items, including toys, plastic bags and cups, and food wrappers, the Cleanup team also discovered furniture, a bicycle, and even a surge protector. By far the most common item found along the shore were small (less than 2-liter) plastic bottles – the volunteers found over 300 of these alone!

Our oceans are becoming increasingly polluted each year, and, while Cleanup efforts are invaluable to reversing the problem, they are unfortunately not enough. Prevention is key! Always make sure that your garbage ends up in a trash can (or, even better, a recycling bin!), and if you see your friends littering, encourage them to consider the immense environmental impact that one small action can make. We all love our city, so let’s do our part to keep its beaches clean!

For more information on Coastal Cleanup, or to get involved, contact the Ocean Conservancy at:

Ocean Conservancy 1300 19th Street, NW 8th Floor Washington, DC 200361300 19^th St., NW

Toll-free: 800-519-1541
Main: 202-429-5609

Or visit them online at:

www.oceanconservancy.org.

Written by:

Spike Schwab

Literature Studies

Eugene Lang College

Campus Sustainability Week... You should go!

Have you signed The New School Sustainability Pledge yet? Go ahead, the commitment is easy and you'll be just one of hundreds of other New School students who have done the same!

This year, The New School will be celebrating its first annual Campus Sustainability Week, with events running from October 25-29. These events aim to bring The New School community together in its common commitment to sustainability within the University and on a larger scale. The schedule of events is as follows:

Tuesday, October 26
ReNew School's Free Market
Time: 1:30-4 pm
Location: Wollman Hall, 65 West 11th St., 5th Fl.
ReNew School's community swap. Bring your gently used clothes, books and trinkets to exchange for new treasures.

Wednesday, October 27
New School Alumni Panel on Sustainability
Time: 5:30-7 pm
Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th St.
Graduates from Milano and Parsons discuss their work in sustainability.

Thursday, October 28, 2010
Green Fund 2010 Awardees Presentations
Time: 6-8:30 pm
Location: Kellen Auditorium, 66 5th Avenue
Recipients of Green Fund 2010 awards will present their projects.

Friday, October 29, 2010
Sustainability Town Hall Meeting
Time: 12-1 pm
Location: Kellen Auditorium, 66 5th Avenue
This brownbag lunch presentation will introduce the work of the Office for Sustainability and the Sustainability Advisory Committee.

Parsons Solar Decathlon 2010 Team Presentation
Time: 4-5 pm
Location: Kellen Auditorium, 66 5th Avenue
New School students present their entry in the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon 2011 competition.

For more information, contact:

GWEN KILVERT THE NEW SCHOOL
Assistant Director for Sustainability & Energy Management Facilities
71 5th Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10003
kilvertg@newschool.edu

**Don’t forget that being green isn’t just a one-week event – it’s something that you can do every day of the year! Try following some of these tips to lower your impact and make your carbon footprint a little smaller:

Remember: less is more. Did you know that it’s possible to have more money, work less, and save the Earth by doing absolutely nothing? I know it sounds too good to be true, but cutting back on the amount of things that you are purchasing each month can make a major impact on your bank account and the environment. Think about all of that unnecessary packaging, and the pollution caused by producing and transporting goods – when you buy less (or buy used), these problems disappear, and the Earth is a cleaner place because of it.

This is an obvious one, but it seems like one can never be reminded too many times to TURN OFF THE LIGHTS when leaving a room empty. Unless you’re living in a haunted house, there are no invisible people hanging around your room, so when you leave, don’t forgot to turn the lights off.

Finally, be lazy. Do you hate doing your laundry every week? Me too. The solution: do it less often. Don’t make a trip to the laundry room unless you have a full load of laundry – running a regular wash cycle for just a few items is a waste of water and a waste of your money!

For more ideas on staying green, visit National Geographic’s “Green Guide” at http://www.thegreenguide.com/.

It's Green week... Commit!

Have you signed The New School Sustainability Pledge yet? Go ahead, the commitment is easy and you'll be just one of hundreds of other New School students who have done the same!

This year, The New School will be celebrating its first annual Campus Sustainability Week, with events running from October 25-29. These events aim to bring The New School community together in its common commitment to sustainability within the University and on a larger scale. The schedule of events is as follows:

Tuesday, October 26
ReNew School's Free Market
Time: 1:30-4 pm
Location: Wollman Hall, 65 West 11th St., 5th Fl.
ReNew School's community swap. Bring your gently used clothes, books and trinkets to exchange for new treasures.

Wednesday, October 27
New School Alumni Panel on Sustainability
Time: 5:30-7 pm
Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th St.
Graduates from Milano and Parsons discuss their work in sustainability.

Thursday, October 28, 2010
Green Fund 2010 Awardees Presentations
Time: 6-8:30 pm
Location: Kellen Auditorium, 66 5th Avenue
Recipients of Green Fund 2010 awards will present their projects.

Friday, October 29, 2010
Sustainability Town Hall Meeting
Time: 12-1 pm
Location: Kellen Auditorium, 66 5th Avenue
This brownbag lunch presentation will introduce the work of the Office for Sustainability and the Sustainability Advisory Committee.

Parsons Solar Decathlon 2010 Team Presentation
Time: 4-5 pm
Location: Kellen Auditorium, 66 5th Avenue
New School students present their entry in the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon 2011 competition.

For more information, contact:

GWEN KILVERT THE NEW SCHOOL
Assistant Director for Sustainability & Energy Management Facilities
71 5th Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10003
kilvertg@newschool.edu

**Don’t forget that being green isn’t just a one-week event – it’s something that you can do every day of the year! Try following some of these tips to lower your impact and make your carbon footprint a little smaller:

Remember: less is more. Did you know that it’s possible to have more money, work less, and save the Earth by doing absolutely nothing? I know it sounds too good to be true, but cutting back on the amount of things that you are purchasing each month can make a major impact on your bank account and the environment. Think about all of that unnecessary packaging, and the pollution caused by producing and transporting goods – when you buy less (or buy used), these problems disappear, and the Earth is a cleaner place because of it.

This is an obvious one, but it seems like one can never be reminded too many times to TURN OFF THE LIGHTS when leaving a room empty. Unless you’re living in a haunted house, there are no invisible people hanging around your room, so when you leave, don’t forgot to turn the lights off.

Finally, be lazy. Do you hate doing your laundry every week? Me too. The solution: do it less often. Don’t make a trip to the laundry room unless you have a full load of laundry – running a regular wash cycle for just a few items is a waste of water and a waste of your money!

For more ideas on staying green, visit National Geographic’s “Green Guide” at http://www.thegreenguide.com/.

Celebrating Earth Day at 20th Street

Since the beginning of the year, the 20th Street Hall Council has been eager to promote “green living” in the residence halls. This past semester, they worked together with 4^th Floor RA Krissy Koelle, who has been studying sustainability in her thesis class at Parsons, and orchestrated a “Green Theme” month, which happened to coincide perfectly with Earth Month. Although the month is only halfway through, we have been off to a tremendous start!

To begin the program, Hall Council held a water tasting challenge in the lobby of 20^th Street to inform students about the benefits of using tap water and to remind them that New York City has some of the best tap water in the world. We offered students two glasses of water, one with tap water and one with bottled water, to see which one they preferred. On a whole, students preferred tap water to bottled water. Hall Council member Ali Schuettinger spoke to other New School organizations and got them to donate canteens so that we could offer free canteens to everyone who participated in the program. We only anticipated having 15-20 students attend so we only planned on getting 16 canteens but at the last minute we got the donation doubled and ended up with 32 canteens and we gave all of them away!!! We followed that up with a small excursion to Chelsea Market with Hall Council President Joel Arken and RA Krissy.

This past week, we not only created a garden, but also held an event on our patio to encourage students to eat healthier and buy locally by offering them fresh, homemade juice. Elena, from ReNew School, brought her juicer and we bought produce and offered residents free juice and a handout about green-living in the residence halls. Elena stressed the importance of shopping from local farmers and we made sure to save the pulp and fruit remnants for next week’s program on composting. We had about 25-30 students come and it a great opportunity to promote healthy living, and it also gave students a great chance to mingle and chat.

That same day, Hall Council member Alec Opperman and a group of residents from 20^th Street went to Home Depot to purchase the supplies to start a garden. We purchased several different herbs, including basil, thyme, cilantro and parsley, and a raspberry bush. Already several different students have taken the initiative to help set up the planters and water the plants. Though the garden is starting small, we are hoping to watch it grow exponentially in the coming years!

We have a great deal to look forward to this month – next week Ali and Joel are leading a program about the importance of composting and then Ali is leading an excursion to the ever-popular Union Square Farmers Market. We are going to conclude the Green Month by starting a push for our clothing and food donation. We have already been amazed by the excellent turn out, especially from a smaller residence hall, and we look forward to the rest of our activities.

This Holiday Season – Recycle, Reuse and Re-invent Your Holiday Spending!

The school year is half way complete, and by now you've become enlightened on what it means to be a college student in New York City. For example, you know that taking taxis everyday and shopping for groceries only at Whole Foods are two sure fire ways to drain your bank account quickly. But just because you've adjusted your daily habits to cut costs doesn't mean you won't be tempted to spend spend spend this holiday season! So before you head home for the break, use these tips to help you curb your shopping appetite. After all, Mom and Dad can't be too proud of all those A+s if there are minus signs in front of your bank account balance!

Get in the Holiday Spirit, for Free!

New York City is notorious for holiday sightseeing and events. Free options include enjoying the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, admiring the window decorations on 5th Avenue, watching the nightly lighting of the giant menorah on 5th and 59th during Hanukkah, and of course, visiting Santa at Macy’s Herald Square. Not big into tradition? Well that's okay, too! Check out some unique and diverse activities, like the parading boom box carolers of Unsilent Night, the 500 tuba players at Rockefeller Center for Tuba Christmas, or celebrate the seven principles of Kwanza at the Museum of Natural History .

Get into Giving Gear and Donate!

Perhaps your dorm room is looking a little cluttered. When's the last time you wore those floral platform wedges, anyway? Help out your community (and spare your roommate some extra space!) by donating this season - and you can do it all right from your residence hall! Check out the bins in your lobby and drop off some coats, clothes, and canned goods.

Swapping Equals Saving

Not sure who to buy for this year? Spare yourself the torture of deciding which friends make the gift list by doing a group exchange. Have a Secret Snowflake Swap and set a price limit. Or be sustainable and do a White Elephant gift exchange...for once, re-gifting is encouraged! For more ideas, check out http://www.santalady.com/xmasgame/whiteelephant.html.

DIY and Use Your Talents!

Ever notice how Mom and Dad seem to love everything you've ever made, even those pictures where you colored outside of the lines or saturated the paper in glue? Well now that you're in college, odds are your talents have expanded, so using them for gift-making is an idea they'll truly appreciate. Got some time to kill on the long bus or plane ride home? Try knitting or crocheting. Decided to major in art? How about making a series of small paintings? If you're a writer, try filling a scrapbook up with some of your favorite memories, accompanied by photographs. It won't cost much to make, but you'll be sure to see many happy faces as your gift recipients open these hand-made gems.

Making a Greener Impact

It's no longer a "fad" it's the real deal and The New School is 100% committed to decreasing our environmental footprint. As a member of our community we thought you'd appreciate a little help and more info on steps (they're easy) you can take to help create a more sustainable environment and learn about Greening The New School. Here are a just a few tips that you can use every day. For even more info check out The Little Green Handbook created by Student Housing and Residence Life. Go green my friends!

• Refuse plastic bags when shopping... take along your own reusable bags. They don't have to be fancy, they can be old plastic bags that you use over and over again (enjoy the look the clerks gives you when they say, "are you sure you don't want a bag?")
• Take shorter showers- save water!
• Take the subway or a bus... but steer clear of taxi's
• Only wash clothes when you have a full load and wash everything in cold.... it's better for your clothes and saves energy not having to heat the water!
• Unplug items when not in use (even an item that is turned off will draw electricity when plugged in)
• Shop at Thrift Stores! Check out the Buffalo Exchange in the East Village and Williamsburg and Beacon's Closet also in Williamsburg
• Shut down your computer, turn off TV, Printer etc. when not in use
• Put in work orders for A/C units to be covered to help keep cold air out
• Recycle electronics, cell phones and batteries rather than throwing them out
• Think about composting (see Little Green Handbook for details)
• Donate old clothes, kitchenware and household items rather than throwing them out
• Shop from local markets such as the one in Union Square
• Participate in New School and Community- sponsored Environmental initiatives
• Spend time in parks, buy organic and recycle!