NYU Names Cecil Scheib To Lead University-Wide Sustainability Efforts

President Hamilton said, “Few challenges will be more pressing in the decades ahead than climate change. New York is a coastal city; our medical center sits at the water’s edge. Those of us who were present for Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath received a powerful preview of how rising sea levels, for one, could disrupt the normal rhythms of our lives. The University is committed to continue taking concrete actions to reduce its carbon footprint; to make sustainability a higher priority within our community, both individually and institutionally; to operate more sustainably; and to be a sustainability leader in higher education.

“The appointment of Cecil Scheib as the Assistant Vice President for Sustainability is an important step in realizing those goals.”

NYU can point to significant strides in sustainability in recent years:

• Aggressive energy-management, including lighting, controls, and equipment, allowed NYU to meet its 30% carbon reduction commitment years ahead of schedule.
• The building of a sophisticated co-generation plant, which went online in 2011, helped further reduce the University’s carbon footprint and electrical consumption, and added resiliency during black-outs.
• NYU incorporated sustainability into building design discussions and construction practices.
• Commuting to classes and work at NYU relies much more on greener strategies – mass transit, bicycling – than many peer institutions.

Cecil Scheib returns to NYU after nearly six years during which he served as the Managing Director of the Building Resiliency Task Force for the City of New York and Chief Program Officer at Urban Green Council. As Director of Energy and Sustainability at NYU from 2007 to 2012, he was intimately involved in shaping NYU’s program of green efforts and ambitions.  From the co-gen plant to the Green Grants Program, from electrical usage reductions to greater diversion of NYU’s solid waste, from weaving sustainability into NYU’s procurement to the drafting of the University’s Green Action Plan, Mr. Scheib had a guiding hand. Mr. Scheib – who was a founder of the eco-village Dancing Rabbit – earned a BS in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford University; is a New York State licensed professional engineer; and is a Certified Energy Manager and LEED Accredited Professional.