Barnard, Columbia, Cooper Union, Fordham, New York University, Pratt, St. John's University, the New School and 23 CUNY campuses have become the first 2030 Challenge Partners.

"Universities are really the right group to lead the charge on climate change," says Bloomberg, in a statement. "They are in the business of shaping the leaders of tomorrow--which means they have a huge stake in the future. These schools own a significant number of buildings throughout the five boroughs." Combined NYU, Columbia and CUNY occupy 38 million sf, equal to 43 Yankee stadiums, according to Bloomberg. "They are helping to make a sizable dent in the city's overall emissions," he says.

When the city conducted a study of the carbon emissions produced, it was found that 80% of the city's emissions come from buildings. Of that 18% of emissions are produced from government and institutional facilitates. The mayor's office is now working on a program to assist building owners and occupiers to reduce emissions, and he has earmarked $80 million in the 2008 fiscal budget for the program. According to a release, that plan will include "retro-commissioning of buildings, energy audits, and an assessment of operations and maintenance practices. Improving data logging, installing more modern, efficient equipment, tuning up equipment that is already in place, and improving operations and maintenance practices will also increase building efficiency."

"This is a city of big ideas, fueled by our great colleges and universities," says Columbia president Lee Bollinger. "No idea is bigger or more important to our collective future than Mayor Bloomberg's determination that New York be a leader in responding to the challenges of climate change. Columbia scientists have long been at the forefront of breakthroughs in climate research. Now we're proud as an institution to join in a shared commitment to a more sustainable environment in our local community and across the globe." Other presidents and heads of the universities involved echoed Bollinger's sentiments.

CUNY vice chancellor Iris Weinshall says, "For us, environmental sustainability is as much about leadership as it is about stewardship. And the CUNY community of 450,000 students, faculty and staff will help us define and exercise both."