Why we marked Watching and Reading spaces on the Sustainability Wayforming Map

Maybe it's a little more obvious why we mapped water bottle filling stations and places to lock your bike. Watching and reading spaces have their place on our Sustainability Wayforming map too though because we are thinking broadly about what it means for The New School to be a sustainable place and a sustainable community.The Tishman Center is committed to fostering an environmental philosophy and an understanding of sustainability that digs deeper than simply championing the concepts of being "green” or “eco-friendly.” At The New School sustainability is truly cross-disciplinary, incorporating and addressing cities, climate, inequality, policy, design, and social justice. Sustainability is also a practice or set of behaviors and ways of thinking -- and that's where watching and reading come in. In brief, the watching and reading spaces on campus are great spots to observe how the campus and the community operate, and they're great spots to spend a little time thinking about how you can contribute to advancing sustainability at The New School and beyond.Our libraries and study spaces are chock full of resources you can use to study and research climate change, sustainability, and environmental justice. They are places you may spend a great deal of time contemplating the way the world works and how you can make a difference or leave your mark. We encourage you to use some of that contemplative time to reflect on how your creative energy and academic efforts can contribute to real world solutions for the present ecological crisis.Watching spaces on campus or places you may choose to sit and people-watch, meet up with friends, or take a quick break between class and studying. They are also spots where you can observe some of the The New School's best sustainability features, or opportunities for improvement. While you sip an iced coffee at one of the red tables in the Street Seats installation on 13th Street, take a moment to look at the University center and think about how much energy we save by letting so much natural light into the building through all those windows. When you sit with a group in the Vera List courtyard at Lang take a quick second to think about the relaxing and air purifying effect the plants offer. As you daydream in the library, let your thoughts wander over to consider that the green roof is irrigated with recycled water form the University Center's on-site water treatment system.No matter where you choose to read, study, daydream or people-watch you'll probably be able to notice some elements of sustainability of you look for them. Also keep an eye out on twitter where we'll be highlighting watching and reading spaces September 12-16 with #sustainableTNS.