Sustainability at MMC

Student Involvement

MMC students are passionate about environmental causes, and it shows in the activities they engage in to improve sustainability on campus.

SustainMMC

SustainMMC is a student-led, action-oriented club that galvanizes student involvement in sustainability efforts on campus. As a registered student organization, SustainMMC welcomes students with any level of interest in sustainability and the natural environment to attend events and get involved with the club in any way they can. SustainMMC regularly hosts events that are both educational and fun, including volunteering, hiking, visiting botanical gardens, bird watching, ecological walking tours, clothing swaps, movie nights, and museum visits. Because SustainMMC recognizes that sustainability is a collective matter the group collaborates with other student groups, administrators and staff, and alumni on events and initiatives.

Connect with SustainMMC on MMC Engage and Instagram @sustainmmc to get involved and stay up to date!

Student Government Association

The Student Government Association (SGA) is the main governing body for student concerns and student representation at MMC. SGA consists of an executive board and a number of senators who represent particular issues of importance to student life. One of these senators is devoted to service and sustainability. The Senator for Service and Sustainability assists with the planning and implementation of MMC’s Day of Action among other sustainability activities.

Education

As the most populous city in the United States and a patchwork of hundreds of flourishing neighborhoods, New York City serves as a vibrant classroom to probe environmental issues on both community and global scales. MMC faculty take major advantage of the city, involving their students in site-based studies and cross-disciplinary approaches to environmental study. The result? Innovative responses to complex challenges in environmental health, including waste management, water treatment, air quality, and urbanization.

Urban Ecology Lab

Most of the world’s population live in cities, so understanding the impacts that cities have on the natural world is extremely important.

The Urban Ecology Lab, directed by Biology Professor Matt Lundquist, aims to understand how urbanization affects biodiversity and ecological function in urban green spaces and freshwater ecosystems.

The lab’s projects, including studying pollinator movement and small urban green spaces, frequently involve MMC students.

Faculty-student research

The benefits of a tightly-knit college community include many opportunities for faculty and students to collaborate on projects that have everyday relevance. In spring 2023, a study by an MMC faculty-student research team on pathogens tracked indoors from NYC sidewalks garnered international interest, with news outlets on five continents reporting its findings. Professor of Chemistry Alessandra Leri and Biology alumna Marjan Khan ’20, who participated in the research while enrolled at MMC, examined samples of bacteria from puddle water on Upper East Side streets, the shoe soles of student volunteers, and in interior spaces.

Choosing to do an independent study with a faculty member within the environmental sciences is another way to create research opportunities and engage in subjects that fascinate you the most. Recent examples of unique independent studies within the environmental science department have included “Constructing Vegan Leather out of Kombucha SCOBY” (2023) and “Quantifying Marine Plastics Washing Ashore at Rockaway Beach” (2024).

Barry Commoner Lecture on the Environment

In October 2023, Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer and journalist Elizabeth Kolbert delivered the Barry Commoner Lecture on the Environment. Kolbert spoke about her latest book, Under a White Sky, which explores interventions scientists have proposed to counter climate change.

Collaborative Efforts

Environmental Task Force

Consisting of a team of students and faculty, the Environmental Task Force advances environmental initiatives within the College. Recent task force initiatives have included the reduction of plastics usage on campus, implementation of LED lighting, and installation of signage to increase awareness of sustainability efforts. Past projects include the addition of air hand dryers in bathrooms, recycled paper for printing in the library, and placement of recycling bins on every floor of the College.

Waste Management

Marymount Manhattan College has for several years engaged private waste management companies for recycling and offsite sorting. In addition, the College has continually improved its on-campus sorting program. Sorting of recyclables and trash on the front end ensures non-contamination of recyclable materials when they are delivered to the sorting facility. On-campus sorting areas are located in every hallway of the College, the Nugent Lounge, the Commons, the Lowerre Family Terrace, the dining services kitchen, and the Business Office. The transition to self-sorting on-campus prioritizes the College’s commitment to sustainability measures and promotes deeper community involvement in these initiatives.

Additionally, MMC’s residence halls participate in New York City’s curbside composting program, which reduces organic waste that is sent to landfills and is instead converted into renewable energy and fertilizer.

Green and Sustainable Careers

The Office of Career and Professional Development and SustainMMC jointly host a Green and Sustainable Careers Employer Panel, featuring the tagline “You don’t need a science degree to help the environment!” The panel has featured a range of sustainability-oriented employers including EcoPlum, Broadway Green Alliance, Too Good To Go, Earthday.org, the NYC Department of Buildings Bureau of Sustainability, and the NYC Fair Trade Coalition. MMC students have benefitted from learning about careers related to reducing food waste, environmentally friendly theatre practices, global environmental education movements, and sustainable gift items.

Facilities Climate Initiatives

In accordance with government-sponsored climate initiatives, including the Climate Mobilization Act, MMC continually makes major campus upgrades to reduce its carbon emissions to bring it closer to net-zero. An example of these efforts is the ongoing conversion of all lighting on campus to LED fixtures, which cuts energy consumption by 50 to 75 percent.

The College’s mechanical and electrical systems are monitored and controlled by a building management system (BMS), which optimizes efficiency and reduces both financial and environmental costs.

The College is a charter member of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority Clean Green Campuses, a network of public and private colleges and universities in New York State that explore ways to lower carbon emissions and contribute to a just energy transition on their campuses and surrounding communities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has deemed MMC a Green Power Partner. This designation recognizes the leading amount of green power that the College uses, which reduces the negative health impacts of air emissions including those related to ozone, fine particles, acid rain, and regional haze.

Get Involved

• Become a College Green Captain with the Broadway Green Alliance. In this capacity, you will become more involved in college sustainability efforts by working with MMC’s Department of Theatre Arts, the Broadway Green Alliance, and fellow MMC students.
• Connect with SustainMMC and SGA about getting involved and communicating any ideas or concerns you have. Reach out on Instagram (@sustainmmc and @mmcsga), MMC Engage, or by email (sustainmmc@mmm.edu and sga@mmm.edu).
• Lead your own initiatives or start a new club! Create the change you want to see. MMC students and faculty support your passions and want to help you realize your ideas. Don’t be shy about asking your professors for guidance and advice.