Events

The Sustainability Group launched its Brownbag Lunch Series with an engaging session led by Jennifer Lauren from the Center for Teaching Advancement. Jennifer brought a recently published book to share, drawing from her experience working in diverse contexts such as Colombia, Congo, and Ireland, where young people play critical roles in addressing environmental, social, and institutional challenges.

Her talk explored how sustainability efforts operate at both the multilateral and institutional levels, emphasizing accessibility, youth participation, and intergenerational dialogue. She highlighted initiatives such as youth advisory boards, climate and mental health programs, and community-based facilitation models that connect local groups with international donors.

The discussion also touched on broader issues including conflict recovery, civil discourse, and the tension between individual and collective action. Participants reflected on the duty of care institutions have toward young activists, especially those speaking out in global forums like the UN.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to a dynamic and inspiring kickoff to our Brown Bag Lunch series!

The Sustainability Group’s November Brown Bag Lunch featured Prof. Krishnendu Ray, whose talk, “Failed Infrastructures of Mobile Lives,” examined the social, economic, and emotional dimensions of migration, food, and inequality in contemporary India.

Drawing from his presentation Eating Alone: Failed Infrastructures of Commensality, Prof. Ray reflected on the vulnerabilities of India’s mobile populations, particularly migrant workers, during the COVID-19 lockdown. Through powerful imagery and real-life narratives such as The Long March and The Distraught Father, he illuminated how systemic neglect and infrastructural failures deepened precarity for millions.
Prof. Ray discussed how heat exposure, gendered labor burdens, and the uneven impacts of climate change are reshaping rural and urban livelihoods. Women, especially in India’s agricultural sector, bear increasing responsibilities as men migrate to cities for work. He emphasized the need for infrastructural investment in shaded stands, safe public spaces, affordable mass transit, and women-only train cars to promote sustainable, equitable mobility.

The conversation also explored how digitalization and industrialization have transformed the rhythms of daily life—altering commensality, or the act of eating together. Prof. Ray’s reflections challenged participants to consider how “failed infrastructures” extend beyond roads and transport, encompassing the erosion of social and emotional bonds in an increasingly fragmented world.

The Sustainability Group’s February Brown Bag Lunch welcomed Belle Mbaezue and Michelle Chen from NYU’s Future Fashion Group (FFG), who shared insights on student-led sustainability initiatives transforming fashion culture on campus. Their talk explored how creative reuse, community engagement, and education can challenge the environmental and social harms of the fast fashion industry.

Founded in 2018, the Future Fashion Group brings together students across disciplines to reimagine fashion through sustainability and equity. Belle Mbaezue, FFG President, highlighted the organization’s mission to reduce textile waste while building more inclusive systems through community-centered design. Michelle Chen discussed the role of storytelling, education, and creative practice in fostering awareness around ethical consumption and environmental justice.

The speakers introduced FFG’s major initiatives, including clothing swaps, upcycling workshops, and sustainability education programs that encourage students to rethink consumption habits. Projects such as the Swap Shop have already rehomed thousands of clothing items, diverting significant amounts of textile waste from landfills while improving access to affordable clothing for students.

The conversation also addressed the broader environmental impact of the global fashion industry, which accounts for a substantial share of carbon emissions and water consumption worldwide. By promoting repair, reuse, and informed decision-making, FFG aims to cultivate a circular fashion culture at NYU—one that prioritizes longevity, creativity, and collective responsibility over disposability.

Through student-led innovation and cross-campus collaboration, the session highlighted how local action can contribute to global sustainability goals, inspiring participants to reconsider the social and environmental life cycle of what we wear.

At our recent Brown Bag event on Wednesday March 25, Dr. Alexis Riley, Assistant Professor of Science Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning shared her research entitled “Sustainability as Embodied by Black Women Scientists.” Dr Riley’s work is informed by the legacy, innovation, and healing of Black women science teachers whose improvisational and community-minded teaching she places at the center of science education. Drawing on rigorous archival research and her own life experience as a former science teacher, Dr. Riley’s presentation charted the history of the rich and grounded science teaching by ordinary and famous Black women science teachers from pre-Brown v. Board segregated schools in the South all the way to those in Northern cities like Philadelphia. While Dr. Riley acknowledged the sense of isolation that many Black women science teachers still feel today in a discipline that has been historically dominated by white men, often removed from the lived experiences of Black and minoritized communities, she emphasized that said teachers can learn and take inspiration from successful Black women science teachers of the past whose work she encapsulates in the philosophical underpinnings of Womanist Pedagogy (Beauboeuf-Lafontant, 2005; Siddle- Walker, 2000). Dr. Riley presented rich, concrete examples of sustainable science curriculum, especially relevant to communities of color, showing how they can be aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Overall, this was an excellent presentation, grounded in a philosophy and pedagogy of care for promoting sustainable science practices for all, especially communities of color.

The Sustainability Group’s April Brown Bag Lunch featured Leah Master and Dr. Hildur Palsdottir, who led an engaging discussion on rethinking sustainability education through community-based and experiential approaches.

The session explored how sustainability can be understood not just as preservation, but as care and responsibility for a changing planet. Drawing from her research in childhood and science education, Leah highlighted the importance of reconnecting students, especially in urban contexts, with the natural world through hands-on, place-based learning. Dr. Palsdottir expanded on this perspective by emphasizing interdependence and the need to rethink dominant systems that contribute to environmental harm.

Together, they shared examples from their teaching and programming, including field-based learning, multi-species engagement, and partnerships with local organizations such as the Sands Point Preserve. These initiatives encourage students to explore topics like climate justice, waste, and ecological restoration while building meaningful connections with their communities.

The session highlighted how sustainability education can move beyond the classroom to foster awareness, accountability, and a deeper sense of connection to the environments we inhabit.