The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) gave Columbia University a Gold rating in its 2017 Sustainable Campus Index. Columbia also received top marks in the areas of Research and Transportation.
This fall, Citi Bike is expanding with 142 new stations in Morningside Heights, Harlem, Astoria, Long Island City, Crown Heights and Prospect Heights.
The University confirmed its support for the Paris climate accord this summer, just four days after President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the landmark agreement.
Columbia University is one of the 375 most environmentally responsible colleges according to The Princeton Review. The education services company known for its test prep and tutoring services, books, and college rankings features Columbia in the 2017 edition of its free book, The Princeton Review Guide to 375 Green Colleges.
In September, Public Safety partnered with industry leader XL Hybrids to convert its 2016 Ford E350 Evening Shuttle Bus into a hybrid vehicle, making it the latest in Columbia's fleet to be brought into the University's green fleet. In addition to this shuttle conversion, Public Safety continues to replace aging vehicles with more sustainable options, including a Chevrolet Bolt added in August.
Since 2015, all of the undergraduate and Master’s graduation gowns worn at University Commencement have been made from recycled plastic bottles! Each "green gown" is made from 46 water bottles. For every 100 students wearing one of these recycled gowns, 4,600 plastic bottles are diverted from landfills.
Gardeners and nature lovers have noticed that plants are flowering earlier every year—a phenomenon generally attributed to climate change. New findings by Columbia researchers, however, are among the first to show that a decline in biodiversity may also play a role, magnifying the impact of climate change not just when plants flower, but on entire ecosystems.
Columbia’s Zagster bike share program has expanded to the Manhattanville campus.
The "We Are Still In" coalition provides a full list of committed members on its website.