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Sustain It

picture of a pratt building in the fall

Overview – Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute, with approximately 5000 students and over 2 million square feet of facilities in Brooklyn and New York City, is dedicated to teaching and practicing sustainability and resilience.

The Administrative Sustainability Department is housed under the Facilities Division and is dedicated to promoting and developing a low carbon, resilient campus by developing sustainable policies and practices for the Institute, as well as coordinating the activities of the Campus as a Living Learning Laboratory in conjunction with the CSDS, Center for Sustainable Design Strategies.

The Director of Administrative Sustainability, Tony Gelber, works under the guidance of the Executive Director of Facilities and Capital Planning, Christopher Gavlick.

Background on Sustainability and Resilience

As humans have evolved over the millennia, sustainability challenges have been a part of the evolution. From fire burning cave dwellers to high rise multi-taskers, humans have always impacted the world they live in. This footprint, the ecological footprint, has grown tremendously, due in part to the sheer number of humans and also in part to their technological prowess. In particular, the industrial revolution and now the Information Age has created enormous environmental challenges. The challenges of adequate space and food, clean water and clean air, and the ever increasing need for energy and the resulting carbon, have become increasingly dominant in the 21st century.

In geologic time we are now proposing a new era, the anthropocene, which would follow the Mesozoic, Neogene, Pleistocene and Holocene Eras. In the anthropocene, we humans are significantly altering the earth causing global warming and climate change, as well as stretching our resources to the limit. The causes of global warming include the loss of forests and the ice caps and the significant increases of carbon in the atmosphere, mainly due to the fossil fuels being burned. These fossil fuels were created in the Mesozoic era by pulling carbon from the atmosphere. Carbon levels of approximately 200 ppm existed prior to the industrial revolution. Today, levels have exceeded 400 ppm. Scientists believe this increase in carbon causes unstable climates and a need for a more resilient built environment.

Recognizing this as a significant problem, Pratt has become a leader in addressing and teaching sustainability, climate mitigation and resilience. Pratt has joined with academic and administrative colleagues on many levels to collaborate and promote mitigation, adaptation and resilience.

Initially, Pratt joined NYC and AASHE, The American Association of Sustainability in Higher Ed on ‘challenges’ to reduce carbon. In addition Pratt is a member of the NYC 2030 District, established as the 23rd 2030 District in North America. Pratt also has joined the Trust for Governors Island in planning the future for the Island. Pratt also has a special program of study on the archipelagoes, to help identify and implement solutions to these ‘front runner’ climate victims. Most recently Pratt is striving to meet the historic NYC local law 97 on carbon reductions.

These nonprofit private-public partnerships are a catalyst to collaboratively advance sustainability and resilience, via technologies, projects, programs and practices at the local, regional and global levels.

Listed below is a summary of Pratt’s actions to both teach and practice sustainability, climate mitigation and adaptation and carbon reductions.

PRATT – Sustainability Goals, Plans and Actions

To achieve significant climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience, Pratt has completed 2 studies, The Roadmap and The Community Energy Study and is completing a 3rd, DeCarbonization which will augment an existing Climate Action Plan, which aims to achieve a 40% reduction in ghg by 2040.

The studies identify methods to reduce carbon and increase resilience to climate change. The  plan uses the wedge approach to reduce ghg by targeting energy production and use in areas such as lighting, HVAC and plug loads. Several of these strategies also increase resilience by making us less dependent on fossil fuels, and in addition, managing campus stormwater with green and gray infrastructure: bioswales, and detention/retention areas, backflow valves and pumps.

The following actions, programs and  policies and actions are being implemented and or evaluated to reduce carbon and increase resiliency:

  • Power – reduce the dependence on fossil fuels by conservation, more efficient equipment and Electrification.
    • We have spent about $20MM on conservation, new central plant and Electrification, reducing dependence by about 20-25%
  • Engaged with an Emergency Power Co for Emergency Backup Power
  • Housing – we have renovated part of the Athletic Center and plan to use it as our backup housing for Residence Halls
  • Flooding – we have identified all the areas on campus that flood and are implementing detention/retention storage and bioswales to absorb flood waters. We have also installed a building check valve and tank and pump system for our Cafeteria building
    • Increased storm water retention on campus by approximately 25% with the addition of permeable spaces at: Cct parking lot, Grand Ave, Campus east/west crosswalk, under bicycle parking areas.
  • Renovated Higgins South as LEED Silver equivalent in 1998, designed
  • Built Myrtle Hall as LEED Gold in 2012
  • Installed approximately 25 KW of solar PV on Myrtle Hall
  • Minimized fleet operations and use one electric truck and one electric scooters for on-campus use out of a fleet of about 8 vehicles
  • Meter and report energy and water usage in 90% of  buildings 
  • Working to improve carbon sequestration by improving campus soil quality with compost.to improve plant hardiness and reduce the use of fertilizers 
  • Increased recycling and reuse from approximately 25% in 2007 to 35% in 2024. Note, prior to the 2020 NYC change to single stream recycling our recycling/reuse rate between 2015 and 2020 was over 90%.
  • Improved Food sustainability by:
    • Purchasing approximately 20% of food and beverages from within a 250-mile radius of Brooklyn, NY, 
    • adding organic labeled products to the menu, 
    • providing vegan options at every meal and
    •  eliminating the use of single use water bottles.
  • Transportation – reduced single occupant, internal combustion engine vehicle use by:
    • Promoting bicycle and mass transit use as follows:
    • Campus bicycle programs:
    • bicycle racks have been placed around the campus, many on permeable pavers to increase storm water retention
    • a free bicycle helmet and fitting event is conducted most years in conjunction with the NYC DOT
    • Promoted mass transit:
      • the Institute participates in a program whereby faculty and staff can purchase metro cards passes using pre-tax dollars through the HR Department
    • Flexible work week:
      • Some faculty and many staff can work remotely 1 day/week to reduce trips to campus and reduce fossil fuel usage. 
  • In addition we have and are developing sustainability policies to promote sustainability and resiliency. Below are Policies in place and in progress to help meet our goals:
    • All construction to be Local Law 88 and Local law 97 compliant, LEED Certified equivalent; e.g. Myrtle Hall, LEED Gold, low energy building approximately 125,000 sf
    • Grounds Mgmt. attempts to be 100% organic:
      • 4 Tier IPM Protocol is used including: soil fertility, ID and pest monitoring, developing action thresholds, developing preventive measures
      • Attempt to eliminate all synthetic fertilizers with a compost program
      • Use well water for irrigation not potable water
      • A biodiversity assessment has been conducted in conjunction with a Phenology Trail and a Pratt Trail Network
      • A natural Dye Garden has been established where students grow and process plants to make natural dyes for their artwork
    • Purchasing and Vendors – All products and services shall be environmentally friendly and be a minimum of Energy Star and must follow Pratt Community Stds to remain as vendors to Pratt.
      • Green Cleaning products, Green Seal or Ecologic are preferred when available and effective. We have migrated from a multi-product, non-condensed set of products to a 2 product condensed system. This has eliminated many products including cans, and bottles and the transport costs and energy uses to get them to the site
        • Attempt to use all custodial paper to as 100% recycled
      • Electronics – attempt where applicable to use EPEAT and Energy Star products
      • Ofc paper to follow the guidelines established for Amazon and WB Mason Supplies
      • all furniture to undergo and pass BIFMA stds; furniture preferred purchasing to include an E3 review for best practices possible within budget and scheduling.
    • Clean air – no smoking is allowed on Pratt grounds or in Pratt buildings
      • No idling of any vehicles on the Pratt campus
    • Solid Waste – attempt to maximize reuse, and recycling by:
      • Reuse – GiveTake – 100% giveback to students and faculty, staff by special request
      • Organics – prep-waste being composted and a pilot plate waste program is being implemented
    • Haz Waste – Pratt complies with the NYC RTK, Right to Know Law and in addition, has banned some mat’ls and practices completely.
      • The Community Right-to-Know Law [Local Law 26 of 1988], requires the City to effectively regulate the storage, use, and handling of hazardous substances. As part of the law, we oversee the use and storage of hazardous substances that pose a threat to public health and environment in New York City through its Right-to-Know (RTK) Program.
      • The RTK Program manages the reporting and storage of hazardous substances by requiring businesses and facilities to annually file a Tier II report detailing the quantity, location, and chemical nature of every hazardous substance stored within their facilities throughout the five boroughs.
      • Tier II Online Filing System
      • The Community Right-to-Know Program uses an online reporting system run by NYC DEP.
image of a man in a reflective work vest standing next to a garbage truck and a heap of recycleables

Websites for Additional Information