The New School is greening its campus and reducing its environmental impact. New initiatives focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, decreasing potable water consumption, managing waste, and improving efficiency and indoor environmental quality.

The New School was one of the first institutions to sign up for the Mayor's Challenge to Universities. Developed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as part of PlaNYC, the challenge encourages local universities to reduce their green house gas emissions by 30 percent by 2017. At the start of the program, The New School had the lowest level of greenhouse gas emissions per square foot of existing buildings of any of the participating institutions.

In addition to the Mayoral Challenge, the university is participating in the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in connection with the Clinton Global Initiative, an agreement to implement sustainable practices into educational programs and facilities.