Sustainability
- SUNY New Paltz earned STARS Silver from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, recognizing the colleges’ achievements in sustainability across the institution.
- SUNY New Paltz’s commitment to sustainability is recognized in Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges and the Sierra Club’s Cool Schools ranking.
- The New York Power Authority recognized SUNY New Paltz’s solar-battery storage microgrid as the Innovative Energy Project of the Year.
- The Sustainability Faculty Learning Community developed and offered four new sustainability courses and four new courses that include sustainability as well as integrated sustainability into 12 existing courses.
- The Office of Campus Sustainability is constantly working to lower the College’s carbon footprint. Recent projects include upgrading exterior campus lighting to LEDs, upgrading interior campus lighting to LEDs in four buildings and insulating heating piping in mechanical rooms. All together, these projects are estimated to reduce the campus’ energy costs by approximately $238,000 each year.
- SUNY New Paltz has implemented green infrastructure practices on nearly every construction project that impacts how the campus retains and absorbs stormwater. Recent projects include the green roof at the Haggerty-Student Union Plaza, rain gardens at Ridgeview Hall, a rainwater cistern at Bevier Hall, and bio-retention areas at Science Hall. Permeable pavement is under construction at the new Route 32 parking lot and a rain garden is under construction at the Engineering Innovation Hub. Once these projects are complete, the campus will have 13 sites showcasing 9 different types of green infrastructure.
- All new construction and major renovation projects are certified by the US Green Building Council through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
- SUNY New Paltz faculty and staff have developed programs to engage students with sustainability including the Sustainability Living Learning Community, the Career Center’s Saturdays of Service and Alternative Spring Break program, which focus on sustainability themes, and the Sustainability Ambassadors program.
