Our Focus:
Sustainability
DCISE works to engage the Pace community in sustainability education, awareness, inspiration, change, and stewardship.
GreenPace Sustainability committee
GreenPace serves as an incubator of ideas where Pace University students, staff, faculty and administrators can develop sustainability proposals, create research projects, and implement various green practices while involving the Pace and outside community in its efforts.
GreenPace is comprised of diverse representatives throughout the University, including faculty, associate deans, students, alumni, senior administration, and service and facility managers. As priorities and initiatives range from campus to campus, representatives from all three campuses attend regular meetings to discuss issues and projects specific to their respective campus.
Below are some highlights from the past year.
Solar Tree
In 2019, a new outdoor solar energy source became the new focal point for the Pleasantville campus quad thanks to the diligent work of two Pace University MA in Environmental Policy students, Pavan Naidu ‘18 and Alexandra DeRosa ‘18, under the advisement of Professor Michelle Land. Bringing together imagination, technology and sustainability, Pace unveiled the solar powered eTree on its Pleasantville campus with the support of Consolidated Edison Company of New York. The modern-art style e-tree is located on the lawn between Elm and Alumni Halls, and the Kessel Student Center.
The eTree is nearly 15 feet tall and provides a shaded resting area with benches that can seat six. It carries seven insulated solar panels to generate up to 1,400 watts of energy, and provides Wi-Fi, a charging station, night illumination, a panic button, and an interactive LCD display screen providing information about the electricity generated by the tree.
EarthTub Composter
In 2015, the Pleasantville campus began composting pre-consumer food waste using an EarthTub composter. Since then, the composter has been run by a team of student volunteers and led by a GreenPace intern. The food waste is processed through a partnership with Pace University’s Dining Services department.
The EarthTub has a capacity to compost up to 100 pounds of biodegradable material each day. Annually, this program has kept an average of 2,000 pounds of Pace’s food scraps out of landfills and has produced an average of 3,000 pounds of high-quality compost. The resulting compost is discharged into the organic garden on the Pleasantville campus and is used for student research on the benefits of compost on untreated soil, in addition to reducing the need for additional fertilizer in the garden.
AASHE STARS
This year, Pace University submitted its AASHE STARS application with help from Daisy Rivera ‘21, the Pleasantville campus GreenPace intern, Ying Xin (Winnie) Zhao ‘20, the New York City GreenPace intern, and students from Professor Anne Toomey’s Sustainable Design Class. The students reviewed all of the University’s course offerings and determined whether each was sustainability inclusive. AASHE STARS is an assessment framework for universities to determine their sustainability and highlight their efforts. AASHE STARS is used by the Princeton Review to rank the most sustainable schools in the nation.
Student Organizations
Pace Sustainability Initiative
New York City campus
This student organization is spearheading sustainable changes on Pace University’s NYC campus under the guidance of its faculty advisor, Environmental Studies and Science Assistant Professor Anne Toomey, PhD. The club was formed in fall 2017 through a merging of the Sustainability Network at Pace (SNAP), created by Carly Sheinberg ’19, Environmental Studies, and PSI, created by Thomas Carpenito ’21, Environmental Science.
Since its inception, PSI has been executing several initiatives, including convincing the University to attach aerators to all dorm faucets, saving an average of 2,688,781 gallons of water and $35,479 annually. They host several talks with topics such as the carbon tax, sustainable travel and studying abroad, and climate policy. They also hosted John Mandyck, the chief executive officer of Urban Green Council, who gave a talk about urban policies and arranged trips to the New York Aquarium and the Museum of Natural History.
PSI was recently awarded the Dean Emanuel Heller Meritorious Service Award, given to the student organization that demonstrates outstanding collective participation in University and community affairs.
Follow the club on Instagram @pacesustainabilityinitiative.
NATURE (Natural Activists Teaching Understanding and Respect for the Environment) Club
Pleasantville Campus
NATURE serves as an outlet for students on the Pleasantville campus who have an appreciation and concern for the natural environment. NATURE plays an active role in engaging students, forging a sense of responsibility and commitment to environmental stewardship along with its faculty advisor, Angelo Spillo.
This year, NATURE participated in several events, including hosting a trip to the Wolf Conservation Center, an animal artwork paint night, a Meet the Animals event at the Dyson College Nature Center, and co-hosting the World Wildlife Day Bake Sale. The club also organized a campus cleanup and a tree planting ceremony.
Follow the club on Instagram @pacenatureclub.
Pace Produce Initiative
New York City campus
The Pace Produce Initiative (PPI) is a club formed in the fall of 2019 to dismantle, reconstruct and winterize Pace’s New York City campus community garden. The group’s e-board worked with volunteers to change the garden’s layout to increase its growing capacity and public space for both functionality and a comfortable community space for socialization. PPI’s goal is to cultivate sufficient produce to donate to the Provisions Food Pantry that works in partnership with Pace’s Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Follow the club on Instagram @paceproduceinitiative.