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Environmental Stewardship

The New York Times Company is strongly committed to protecting the environment in all of the many communities in which it operates. The Company’s current practices to minimize and reduce waste and emissions include:

Newsprint

  • We fully support responsible forest management practices that contribute to maintaining species and ecosystem health, while facilitating a stable, sustainable supply chain.  The Company sources 100% of its virgin newsprint fiber from certified forests.
  • Our suppliers have an inclusive approach to certification and utilize a number of internationally recognized standards, including Forest Stewardship Council ("FSC"). We continue to encourage our major suppliers in their efforts to implement FSC-certified operations in their designated forest regions.
  • We work with our suppliers to promote sustainable forest management, the protection of endangered forests, eco-paper development and responsible environmental practices.
  • We support improved forest practices that reduce the loss of forests that store high concentrations of carbon.
  • We avoid the purchase of paper products from highly controversial sources including companies that are logging forests illegally; forests that comprise habitats of threatened, endangered or imperiled species; and intact or old growth forests.
  • The Company encourages the newsprint industry to support greater recovery of recycled papers.  We continue to make our best efforts to purchase high recycled post-consumer waste content newsprint when available from suppliers within our geographic footprint.
  • The Company is committed to continuing to improve efficiencies in our paper usage and to decrease paper consumption.
  • The Company reduced newsprint consumption through reducing the size of the web-width at the majority of its newspapers and converted substantially all of our print sites to lighter-weight newsprint.
  • All waste ink is disposed of as non-hazardous material.

Other Recycling

  • The Company’s plants primarily use non-hazardous products that can be recycled. It recycles all waste from the printing process, including slab waste as well as the aluminum plates that are used in the print process.
  • The Company recycles waste paper in all of its offices and printing plants.
  • The plastic delivery bags are produced using a high percentage of recycled material.
  • Employees participate in a variety of local recycling and conservation programs, designed to manage waste appropriately, conserve energy and water.

Other Initiatives

  • In 2008 The Times installed a "cool roof" at its printing facility in College Point, Queens. It uses a reflective white acrylic coating applied to the 500,000 square feet of roof surface. In hot, sunny weather, cool roofs reduce air-conditioning costs by 20 percent or more, along with the resulting reduced energy consumption. This type of technology was the focus of reporting by Felicity Barringer in her article, "By Degrees: White Roofs Catch On as Energy Cost-Cutters."
  • The Company printed its 2008 Annual Report/10-K and 2009 Proxy Statement on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper.
  • In February 2009, the Company hosted a Green Fair for its New York area employees with the goal of introducing them to real-life environmentally sustainable practices, products and ideas. Twenty-two organizations attended the event and seven others provided additional samples and door prizes. The Company estimates that the fair was attended by 500 business side and newsroom employees.
  • The Times supports mass transit and telecommuting alternatives where possible, including a large, on-site bicycle parking system at the Times Building.

The New York Times Building

  • In June 2007, the Times Company completed the move to its new headquarters at 620 Eighth Avenue in New York City. The New York Times Building features numerous environmentally-sustainable innovations, many of which are first-of-their-kind ventures in scale or for a New York City tall building. The Times Company has freely shared information, and some innovations are now becoming part of a manufacturer's standard commercial offerings. Learn more about the building
  • Lighting and Shading: By engaging Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LNBL) and with financial assistance from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Times Company specified a very advanced, integrated dimmable lighting system and a dynamic shading system with real energy savings of well over 50% as documented in a post occupancy evaluation by LBNL (reference study).

    The lighting system is the first of its kind in the world. By using daylight harvesting, it maximizes use of natural light so that electric lighting is used just as a supplement. Each of the more than 18,000 electrical ballasts in the system contains a computer chip that allows it to be controlled individually. This means that lighting levels can be adjusted to different spaces based on the occupants' lighting needs. Occupancy sensors throughout the open plan and offices also ensure the lights are off when a zone is vacant.

    The automated shading system is programmed to use the position of the sun and inputs from an extensive sensor network to act as determinants to raise and lower shades, either blocking extreme light to reduce glare or allowing light to enter at times of less direct sunlight. The daylighting and shading systems work in concert to ensure that the building efficiently uses natural light whenever possible.
  • Underfloor Air Distribution: The building features a versatile underfloor air distribution (UFAD) system. With this system, the Company is able to supply cooled air that is 10 degrees warmer than a typical overhead system — at 68°F — and gently pump this chilled air up from the floor rather than pushing air down from the ceiling at high velocity. Cooler air naturally fills the lower area of the room and rises when it hits warmer objects such as people or computers. The warm air then exits the workspace through vents in the light fixtures. This system not only saves energy, it also ensures a much more regulated, comfortable temperature throughout the space. .
  • Co-Generation On Site: The building also features a co-generation plant that makes energy on site. Using clean-burning gas, the co-generation plant supplies 40% of the power for the Times Company’s space. The plant’s heat by-product is used to heat the Company’s space during the winter and to provide cooling during the remainder of the year. This is very unusual, especially in New York City where very few commercial office buildings have co-generation plants. Funding support for the co-generation project was received from NYSERDA.
The New York Times Building

The New York Times Building

Our new headquarters includes numerous environmentally friendly features such as the ability to generate one-third of its power using clean burning gas. Learn more about the building.

Photo credit:  New York Power Authority

Employee Green Fairs

In February 2009 and November 2011, the Company hosted Green Faisr for its New York area employees to learn about environmentally sustainable practices, products and ideas.