Upcoming Certificate Course: The Sustainable City

The Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC) presents:

The Sustainable City
with Howard Apsan, Director of Environmental, Health, Safety, and Risk Management for The City University of New York and Adjunct Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

More than half of the world’s population now lives in urban settings, making sustainable urban management a critical concern. This course introduces you to the fundamentals of urban environmental management and sustainability with a special focus on New York City. Topics include air quality, water, land use, transportation, energy, and waste management. Through readings and discussion you gain an understanding of the many environmental challenges that today’s cities face and explore how those challenges are addressed.

Howard Apsan serves as the Director of Environmental, Health, Safety, and Risk Management for The City University of New York (CUNY), the largest urban university system in the United States. He serves as the University’s chief risk officer and co-chairs the University’s Business Continuity Committee. Before joining CUNY, Apsan worked as an analyst, manager and consultant for most of his career. He served for several years in New York City government at the Mayor’s Office, the Board of Education, and the Sanitation Department and he spent seventeen years in private consulting, in the U.S. and internationally. He has also been president of his own firm, Apsan Consulting, Inc., since 2001. He has been a member of the faculty at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs since 1986 and also teaches in the Master of Science in Sustainability Management program. He has served on the United States Technical Advisory Group (US TAG) for ISO 14000, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Environmental Committee (E-50), the Springfield (New Jersey) Environmental Commission, and chaired the New York Chamber of Commerce Environment and Energy Committee. He is a LEED Accredited Professional, a member of the Editorial Board of Environmental Quality Management, and writes and lectures regularly.

Meets: Thursdays, May 3, 10, 17, 24 (4 sessions; 6:10-8:40PM)

Interested in learning more? Visit our website or

Contact Desmond Beirne for more information:
cerc@columbia.edu or 212-854-0149.

This course is part of CERC’s Certificate Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability. Courses may be taken on an individual basis or you may pursue the full 12-course Certificate.