Stony Brook University will be celebrating Climate Week NYC — the largest annual climate event of its kind — from September 17-24.
As a global leader in the fight for our environment, Stony Brook has a rich history
of leveraging scientific innovation and community engagement to drive groundbreaking
research on climate science and to serve as a national leader in sustainable operations.
Climate Week will gather global changemakers from business, government and civil society
for a vibrant agenda driving climate action and championing change.
While Climate Week is only seven days, Stony Brook University’s deeply-embedded commitment
to climate justice is every day, year-round. Pioneering research, environmental restoration,
conservation work and collaborative action are helping drive society towards a greener
future, spanning disciplines all across our campus community.
Some examples include:
The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island
Stony Brook was selected this year as the anchor institution of the New York Climate Exchange, a first-of-its-kind international research center set to drive dynamic solutions
to the global climate crisis, while also acting as a hub for New Yorkers to benefit
from the new green economy.
A number of Climate Week activities will involve and be hosted by The New York Climate
Exchange, focused on topics ranging from coastal resiliency and deep-tech climate
innovation to composting at home, along with several tours of The Exchange’s future
home on Governors Island. View the full schedule of The Exchange Climate Week events.
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
SoMAS is SUNY’s designated center for marine and atmospheric sciences and a global leader
in research, education, and public service. Recently ranked as having the fourth best atmospheric science department in the world,
its research spans both local problems affecting Long Island and processes that impact
the globe. It tackles such issues as ocean acidification, sea level rise, hurricanes,
storm surge, flooding, winter storms, ecology, disaster planning and recovery, and
the effects of these environments on human health.
Shinnecock Bay Restoration Program
Founded by SoMAS in 2012 in response to deteriorating conditions of Shinnecock Bay,
the program’s goal is to restore the bay to its former health. This year, Shinnecock Bay was named a new “Hope Spot” by Mission Blue, an international organization
that supports the protection of oceans worldwide. Hope Spots are iconic ocean regions
that stand out as some of the most pristine on the globe. This places Shinnecock Bay
in a league with internationally-recognized locations such as The Galapagos Islands,
the Sargasso Sea, and the Ross Sea in Antarctica.
Collaborative for the Earth
Stony Brook University Provost and Executive Vice President Carl Lejuez announced a new faculty-driven initiative, “Collaborative for the Earth,” on August 22. The multidisciplinary “action-tank” seeks to develop solutions in response
to the harmful effects of climate change and in the abatement of existential risks
to the living world’s interconnected life-supporting systems, with attention to human
dignity and justice and the preservation of civilizations.
Centre ValBio
Centre ValBio is an international research station situated on the edge of Madagascar’s beautiful
and abundant Ranomafana National Park. It protects Madagascar’s unique and biologically
diverse ecosystems through conservation science and projects that directly benefit
the local people. Under the direction of renowned primatologist Patricia C. Wright,
Centre ValBio facilitates hands-on science to sustain the resources and people of
Madagascar and safeguards biodiversity for future generations.
Discovery Prize
Chris Johnson, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, is one of three finalists for the 2023 Discovery Prize for his research on why some particles in the atmosphere form clouds and some don’t.
His research team is building new instruments that take precise looks at particles
to make a link between the chemistry of a particle and whether or not it turns into
a cloud, and that will help answer major questions that lead to uncertainty in clouds’
cooling potential in climate models.
Stony Brook University Hospital
Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) was recognized this year by Practice Greenhealth as
a national leader in environmental sustainability. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services honored SBUH at the 2022 United Nations
Climate Change Conference (COP27) for pledging ongoing action to decarbonize the health
care sector and make health care facilities more resilient to the effects of climate
change. SBUH has formally committed to pursuing the White House’s climate goal of reducing
emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
Center for Mesoscale Transport Properties at SBU
The Center for Mesoscale Transport Properties, a U.S. Department of Energy Office
of Science funded Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC), was recently awarded $13.6
million in renewed funding to enable research focused on electrochemical energy storage.
It is led by Esther Takeuchi, distinguished professor and William and Jane Knapp chair in
the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering. Advanced battery systems
are needed to continue to expand adoption of electric vehicles and for the wider implementation
of intermittent renewable energy generation such as wind and solar.
FoodLab
FoodLab, located at Stony Brook Southampton, is establishing Stony Brook University as a
national center for the study of challenging food related issues the world faces –
how do we feed a growing world population facing climate change and diminishing natural
resources. It will utilize the significant academic strengths, facilities and resources of the
university to offer educational programming in the fields of food production, food
culture, food business, food ecology, and agricultural technology.
Earthstock
Earthstock is Stony Brook’s annual tradition celebrating the university’s leadership in sustainability
and environmental awareness. Focus areas include reducing our carbon footprint, conserving resources and promoting
eco-friendly practices throughout our campus and community. Environmentalist of the Year Awards are given to an educator, a student and a member
of the community for outstanding contributions to the protection of Long Island’s
environment.
Campus Initiatives
- SBU Eats kicked off the fall semester with a reusable take-out container program at East Side and West Side dine-in to be more sustainable and move away from disposable
containers.
- The SBU Eats Waste Not program is a tool that tracks, measures, and reduces food waste
in our kitchens by focusing on production waste, over-production, and unused/out of
date inventory.
- Stony Brook University was the first higher education institution in the United States
to launch a Freight Farm on a college campus.
- Students volunteer at Campus Community Gardens to combat food insecurity in the community by harvesting and donating seasonal produce
to the Stony Brook University Food Pantry.
- Stony Brook Heights is an innovative micro-farm located on the third floor deck of
the Health Science Center at Stony Brook Medicine with 36 raised beds filled with an array of colorful, fresh, organic vegetables and herbs.
- The Ashley Schiff Preserve is a green gem of the Stony Brook University campus, 28.2 acres of woodland in between the area of Roth Quad/Life Sciences and the School
of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS).
Climate Week NYC is hosted by Climate Group, an international non-profit whose purpose is to drive climate action,
fast. The event takes place every year in partnership with the United Nations General
Assembly and is run in coordination with the United Nations and the City of New York.
