NYC is stepping up its commitment to reducing kids’ exposure to pollutants by implementing a “Stop Idling” campaign at some of the city’s most trafficked schools. Commissioner Carter Strickland of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently
Enduring a brutally hot summer in New York City may end up killing you. A new study released this week says thanks to global warming and the “urban island” effect, NYC mortality rates due to warming temperatures are likely to increase by 20 percent by
NYC Deputy Mayor Caswell Holloway recently announced plans to outfit the empty rooftop of a Department of Environmental Protection wastewater treatment plant in Staten Island with enough photovoltaic panels to power about 169 homes in the area annually.
Some of New York’s colleges and universities have been quietly making every day Earth Day with a series of efforts to boost sustainability and conservation. From adding green roofs to their buildings to installing new wastewater management systems, many
New York City’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2017 has taken another step in the right direction. At a press conference at Rockefeller University yesterday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the expansion of the PlaNYC Carbon
Mayor Bloomberg broke ground today on the ambitious High Bridge revitalization project to restore New York’s oldest standing bridge and the park area around it. Part of the Old Croton Aqueduct, the bridge links Manhattan to the Bronx. With the bridge’s
The bill proposing a natural gas pipeline extension through the New York area that passed through the House of Representatives earlier this year has just been approved by the Senate. The Bloomberg administration gave a statement saying that the pipeline that
Recycling may not yet be a priority for our younger generation, but a new “Recyclarium” featuring fun interactive games that teach about sustainability has hit the streets of New York City in order to change that. The re-purposed trailer, designed by Sims Municipal Recycling, will travel from school to school in order to make learning about the importance of conserving natural resources fun for children. Among other upbeat teaching aids, the mobile education center includes wheels and doors that can be turned to reveal which materials can and can’t be recycled.
This week marked the very first installation of a wind turbine at a New York City school. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited The Town School on Manhattan’s Upper East Side Monday afternoon to activate a wind power system at the landmark nursery-
The American Lung Association’s 2012 State of the Air report is out, and it contains some positive news for New Yorkers. According to the findings, the city’s air pollution is at its lowest levels since the reports began 13 years ago – but there’s still significant
Despite Mayor Bloomberg’s many new sustainable practices that have been implemented through the PlaNYC initiatve, new data reveals that the city’s recycling rate has dropped over the last five years. New York City’s recycling rate slipped to just 15 percent
Freshkills Park, the massive restoration project that’s transforming what used to be the world’s largest landfill into public green space, is one step closer to receiving its long awaited solar and wind power. The city issued a Request for Proposals (RFP)
New York City makes a lot of waste – 3 million tons to be exact — and it costs the city $300 million to export it away from our lovely city streets. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is on a roll trying to divert that waste from the landfill and has now put out a
Aerial view of the area where the Brooklyn-Queens pipeline would run
Brooklyn and Queens homes may soon be powered by natural gas instead of heavily polluting number 4 and number 6 heating oils. On February 7, a bill for construction of a new three-mile
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced last week 25 percent of the proposed green building laws have been drafted into law over the last two years. The proposals were part of a green building report originally published
The New York Hospital Queens (NYHQ), located in Flushing and serving a community of about 115,000 people each year, is upgrading its 55-year-old infrastructure as part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC ‘s green energy initiative. The hospital aims to
As Mayor Bloomberg’s tenure approaches its end, many are discussing what his long-lasting legacy will be. Education and economic development have been pillars of his administration, but no doubt Bloomberg will also be remembered for PlaNYC. The 30 year sustainability
New York public schools are being challenged to save as much energy as possible as part of an initiative with the Green Design Lab program. The thirty participating schools will have the chance to win grants totaling $30,000, sponsored by non-profit Solar
New York City has been named a recipient of the World Green Building Council’s Government Leadership Awards for Excellence in City Policy for Green Buildings. The honor was announced on Monday during the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP17,
Good news, New York! We are on track to hit the PlaNYC goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2017! Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement yesterday as he kicked off Climate Week. Our GHG levels are 12 percent below the 2005 baseline, and
Mayor Bloomberg kicked off Climate Week 2011 yesterday with the release of the annual PlaNYC Greenhouse Gas Inventory, which reported a 12 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions since 2005. The success of Bloomberg’s green policies was a key part to
Getting approval to modify buildings that are historical landmarks in New York City can be tough, even if the change is small. But thanks to green initiatives like PlaNYC, city agencies and other organization are working to change that. As part of an ongoing
