Manager, New York University Office of Sustainability
How does a tri-athlete from Chile with a degree in civil engineering go from a trek guide in Patagonia to a Manager of Sustainability at New York University? Nick Gordon saw firsthand what climate change was doing to the beautiful places he was working in–like melting glaciers—and inspired him to take action.
After several years of working on sustainability projects in South America and Hong Kong, Nick decided to pursue a master's degree in sustainability at Columbia University. During a summer, he served as an EDF Climate Corps fellow with American International Group (AIG), where he identified ways to improve energy efficiency in their NYC offices. He wanted to work for a very large company:
"In the field of sustainability, big companies are often seen as the bad guys and I was curious to work in one so I could see what that was all about."
Nick liked that as a neutral entity, he could ask questions in-house employees might be reluctant to ask. “When done in a way that does not shame or point fingers, then you can point out problems and solutions and have a better chance of being heard.” Nick made recommendations that would produce a savings of over $500,000 annually at AIG’s headquarters and identified projects to reduce energy use in all of the other properties managed by CBRE, the property managers for AIG.
Nick wanted a job he could feel passionate about, while having as large an impact as possible. Sure enough, he landed a position as a sustainability manager at NYU where he has worked since 2013.
"NYU is one of the largest real estate holders in Manhattan, with over 130 buildings. I felt in coming here I could have a big impact. My work involves reducing energy use and developing strategies to meet NYU's goal of a 50% reduction by 2025 from a 2006 baseline and to be carbon neutral by 2040."
Nick values the opportunity to be surrounded by both good ideas as well as the diversity in people working to make NYU and the city more sustainable—anywhere from facilities and transportation managers to student groups and other community members through programs like the Green Grant Fund. Nick also attends workshops and conferences to share best practices.
"I still go back to Patagonia. I love it there. But this is great, too."