NY Climate Tech: Apr 7 - Apr 15
Waste & architecture, nuclear & geothermal, solutions & silent disco, CDR & circularity, Earth month events, and much more
Hi friends,
Here are our picks for the week:
Today get into material re-use and architecture at ♻️ Wasted x Van Alen – with Pratt Institute in Brooklyn
Tomorrow head to the FiDi for ⚛️ Deploying Nuclear at Scale
Thursday turn up the temperature 🔥⛏️ Heat Beneath Our Feet: Unlocking Superhot Geothermal with SOSV or meet up for 🍹 New York CDR Community Drinks
Next Tuesday find your groove at 🎧 Sip & Solutions: Silent Disco Earth Month Edition in Brooklyn or head to midtown for ♻️ The Future is Circular with Women in Cleantech and the Carbonauts
As always, scroll down for the full list of events this week and upcoming events for Earth month (we have 80+ listed below and more on the way).
Til next week!
Cheers,
Alec, Sonam, and the Climate Tech Cities team
Community Shoutouts
🌊 Waterfront Conference: May 19
The Waterfront Conference is our region’s premier forum for the shared waterfront. Annually, the event attracts more than 600 participants, including policymakers, community leaders, scientists, engineers, architects, academics, and environmental advocates, as well as labor, real estate, insurance, and financial service professionals. Want to get involved or table? Get in touch with dezer@waterfrontalliance.org
This Week’s Events
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
🌍 Spring 2026 Lecture in Climate Data Science: NILS THÜEREY: Apr 9
🖨️ Print & Preserve: Printing Workshop for NYU Students: Apr 9
🌊 Exhibit Opening - A Decade of Delta Cities Coastal Resilience: Apr 9
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
🌱 The Role of Community Engagement in Achieving Sustainability Goals: Apr 14
🍏 Green Apple Trivia: Apr 14
♻️ The Future is Circular: A Discussion on Advancing the Circular Economy: Apr 14
Opportunities
🌎 Climate Curve Prize: Methane: Due 4/17
The Climate Curve Prize: Methane is a new global competition funding solutions that ♻ methane emissions in food, agriculture, and waste systems, with applications open until April 17, 2026. It will award $200K total, including $25K each to eight winners, plus visibility and access to a global network of funders and partners. Applicants must have active, scalable projects that can quantify methane reduction impact, across categories like mitigation, finance, MRV, and social pathways, with finalists announced in July and winners in September during NYC Climate Week.
🇺🇸 Climate Science Serving America Fellowship: Due 4/17
Project Drawdown has launched a remote fellowship for PhD-level scientists and engineers working on climate solutions, focused on research, outreach, and collaboration with its internal experts. The program offers $130K–$140K for early-career fellows and $150K–$160K for mid-career fellows, plus benefits and a $10K annual stipend for research-related expenses.
🌇 Urban Future Competition: Due 4/27
Celebrating its 10th year, the Urban Future Prize Competition is open for startup applications, awarding $50,000 in non-dilutive funding to two winners, $10,000 to two runner-up teams, and admission into the ACRE Incubator for leading climatetech startups across Climate Mitigation and Climate Adaptation tracks.
🚀 Entrepreneur Roundtable Accelerator: Due 5/4
ERANYC is where founders build, connect, and grow their companies with the help of our team and deep network of mentors and investors. ERA provides a unique advantage to founders—NYC’s largest mentor network, with 1,000+ expert mentors and 700+ alumni founders across all major industries. $150K investment on a 6% Post-Money SAFE, $600K+ in perks & cloud credits (AWS, Google Cloud, OpenAI & more).
Upcoming Opportunities
ConEd Nonprofit Grants: Due June 30
Upcoming Events
🤖 Robotics Innovation Exchange: Apr 15
🐦 Precarious Paths: Migration through the lens of Piping Plovers: Apr 15
📊 Spring 2026 Lecture in Climate Data Science: BRUCE USHER: Apr 16
⚡ DERTF Brooklyn Meetup: Apr 16
🎙️ Through the Noise Podcast Launch: An Intimate Evening of Conversation: Apr 16
👗 Sustainable Fashion:Panel Discussion & Clothing Swap!: Apr 17
🌱 SJC Youth Eco Ambassador Program - Policy Learning Lab Series: Apr 17
🌌 MYCO: Metamorphosis: Apr 18
🌍 Earth Day 2026 Festival: Apr 19
🛋️ The Living Room: Climate Conversations (A public space for climate feeling): Apr 19
💚 GARI Summit: Apr 20
⚛️ Women in Nuclear: Apr 20
☀️ Solar Solutions: Earth Week Screening hosted by WE ACT and CFF: Apr 20
🎤 Standup For the Planet: Apr 20
👩💼 2026 Well Defined Women In Leadership Summit NYC: Apr 21
⚡🌍 Climate Impacts of AI: Alternatives to Techno-Utopianism and Doom: Apr 21
⚛️ The 100-Year Quest for Fusion Energy with Steven Cowley, Director, PPPL (In-Person): Apr 21
🌐 Digital Colonialism: Apr 21
🍽️ Good Food Spotlight: Serving Up Insights on Food Service: Apr 21
🌱 New Earth Dialogues with Jeff Tkach, CEO of Rodale Institute: Apr 21
🏗️ Circularity: Best Practices for Construction & Design: Apr 22
🌿 Earth Day Panel Building a Greener Waterfront: The Story of Wagner Park: Apr 22
🧵 On the Mend: Why Using What You Have is the New Luxury!: Apr 22
🧊 Annual NYU Global Climate Change Film Festival Awards and Presentation: Apr 22
🎨 Crisis in Higher Education: Apr 22
🍺 Lectures on Tap - “Sustainable Consumption is an Oxymoron”: Apr 22
🎨 Creative Climate Awards 2026 Earth Day Celebration - Collective Power: Apr 22
🌍 WiC Earth Day Mixer: Apr 22
📊 Spring 2026 Lecture in Climate Data Science: ANN LEE: Apr 23
💰 Thinking Anew: Blending Public and Private Capital for the Climate Transition: Apr 23
🌍 I2SL GNY: Networking Celebration for Earth Day 2026: Our Power, Our Planet: Apr 23
⚖️ Earth Day 2026: Climate & Environmental Justice in New York City: Apr 23
🌿 CCA 2026: Indigenous Dialogues on Land, Health, and Crisis Care: Apr 23
🌿 CCA 2026: Indigenous Youth Dialogues on Land, Health, and Crisis Care: Apr 23
🌱 CCNY Earth Week Volunteering with Historic Harlem Parks: Apr 23
🌊 Shapes of Change: Time Lapse Dance + Pre-Show Talk & Reception: Apr 24
😂 Hahapocalypse: Apr 25
🕯️ The Social and Psychological Impact of Contemporary Antisemitism on Jews: Apr 28
🌱 Sustainability Graduate Programs Final Capstone Briefings: Spring 2026: Apr 28
🌊 Remathau: People of the Ocean: Apr 29
🏛️ 2026 Sovern Lecture On Design: Marion Weiss & Michael Manfredi: Apr 29
🌱 Making Sustainability Real: From Strategy to Action: Apr 29
📊 Spring 2026 Lecture in Climate Data Science: JOSEPH KO: Apr 30
🐨 The Science of Saving Koalas: Apr 30
🌊 The Ocean on Fire: Apr 30
🌱 New Earth Dialogues: In conversation with Lindsey Wikstrom: Apr 30
🎹 John Medeski & Los Abstraccioneros - Camino Verde Benefit Concert: May 1
📖 Dystopia Gets Personal: Laila Lalami & Megha Majumdar: May 1
🌱 Climate Solutions: May 1
🌎 Climate Tech Cities and Streetlife Ventres Startup and Talent Platforms
Climate Tech Cities and Streetlife Ventures are launching new platforms to support climate founders, funders, and career transitioners! There is no shortage of great companies raising money for their groundbreaking ideas, great investors looking to support with capital, and great talent living the mantra that every job is a climate job. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Events in Detail
⚡ Taming the 2026 Peak: Rethinking Demand Response to Address Year-Round Grid
When: Tuesday, Apr 7
Where: Building Energy Exchange, Inc., New York
This expert panel discussion examines the evolution of demand response strategies to address grid reliability challenges in 2026 and beyond. Hosted by the New York Energy Consumers Council at Building Energy Exchange, the session brings together industry leaders to explore how demand response mechanisms must adapt to manage year-round grid demands. The event offers valuable insights for energy professionals, utilities, and stakeholders invested in grid modernization and reliability solutions.
🌿 Resilience Thinking Through Nonhuman Ontologies
When: Tuesday, Apr 7
Where: North Hall 107, Brooklyn
This event explores resilience thinking through nonhuman ontologies, examining how design can engage with the pluriverse of nonhuman perspectives. Hosted by the Pratt Sustainability Center, the session titled “When Plants Outlast Empires: Designing With the Nonhuman Pluriverse” offers critical perspectives on sustainability and design that challenge anthropocentric approaches. The free event provides an opportunity to engage with emerging frameworks in ecological design and philosophical thinking about human-nature relationships.
♻️ Wasted x Van Alen – with Pratt Institute
When: Tuesday, Apr 7
Where: Van Alen Institute, Kings County
Pratt Institute and Van Alen Institute present an annual public conversation examining waste reimagined as architecture through minimal resource expenditure. The event features presentations from leading design studios including Stock-a-Studio, New Affiliates, and Estudio [PM], alongside student work showcasing material reuse innovations. A panel discussion moderated by Pratt Associate Professor Stephanie Bayard will explore whether waste-to-architecture conversion can achieve a zero-degree transition through pure mental reframing.
🌱 Climate Cafe & Facilitator Training
When: Wednesday, Apr 8
Where: 110 Schermerhorn St, Kings County
Climate Cafe NYC is hosting a facilitator training session at the Brooklyn Quaker Meeting House designed to equip community members with skills to launch neighborhood climate discussion spaces. The 2-hour event combines a brief climate cafe experience with facilitation theory, best practices, and hands-on role-play scenarios to prepare new facilitators. This grassroots initiative addresses the growing need for accessible community spaces where people can discuss climate action and support one another across New York City.
⚛️ Deploying Nuclear at Scale - From Ambition to Execution
When: Wednesday, Apr 8
Where: New York
This panel discussion addresses the critical execution challenges of deploying nuclear energy at scale to meet surging electricity demand from AI infrastructure and data centers. Featuring leaders from JLL, GE Vernova, Newcleo, and the Atlantic Council, the event explores practical pathways for integrating nuclear into industrial projects and scaling the nuclear supply chain. The two-panel format covers both near-term infrastructure integration and long-term sector scalability, followed by a networking reception with key stakeholders across utilities, developers, investors, and technology providers.
🌍🤖 Spring 2026 Lecture in Climate Data Science: NILS THÜEREY
When: Thursday, Apr 9
Where: Columbia Innovation Hub - Tang Family Hall, New York
Nils Thüerey delivers a specialized lecture on climate data science at Columbia University’s LEAP Center, which focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence and physics in Earth science applications. This seminar offers direct access to a leading researcher in computational methods for climate modeling and scientific computing. The event provides valuable learning opportunities for students and professionals interested in AI-driven approaches to climate science and environmental data analysis.
🌱 Climate Policy & The Art of Doing
When: Thursday, Apr 9
Where: 2039 John F. Kennedy Blvd, Jersey City
This interactive workshop examines the mechanisms of climate policy formation and empowers young people with practical strategies to influence environmental decision-making. Hosted by Sustainable JC, the event combines policy education with actionable engagement opportunities for emerging climate advocates. The free format and focus on youth participation make it an accessible entry point for those seeking to translate climate concern into tangible policy impact.
🖨️ Print & Preserve: Printing Workshop for NYU Students
When: Thursday, Apr 9
Where: 20 Cooper Sq room 101, New York
This beginner-friendly printing workshop at NYU’s Grey Art Museum draws inspiration from Robert Rauschenberg’s innovative approach to printmaking. The session explores the intersection of artistic practice with sustainability and activism, emphasizing creative reuse and environmental consciousness. Designed specifically for NYU students, the workshop provides hands-on learning in a supportive environment at no cost.
🔥⛏️ Heat Beneath Our Feet: Unlocking Superhot Geothermal with Carlos Araque, CEO, Quaise Energy (In-Person)
When: Thursday, Apr 9
Where: New York
This fireside chat explores superhot geothermal energy as a scalable solution to global energy demand, featuring Carlos Araque, CEO of Quaise Energy (an MIT spinout pioneering fusion-derived drilling technology). The discussion covers the technical and economic barriers that have limited geothermal to less than 1% of global electricity, innovative approaches to accessing deeper and hotter resources, and Quaise’s Oregon pilot project advancing toward commercial deployment. The event brings together energy innovators, investors, and technologists interested in next-generation geothermal solutions and the intersection of fusion technology with energy infrastructure.
🍹 New York CDR Community Drinks
When: Thursday, Apr 9
Where: New York
Isometric and South Pole are hosting a spring networking event for the carbon dioxide removal and climate solutions community in New York. The casual drinks and bites gathering provides an opportunity to reconnect with peers and stay updated on recent developments in the climate tech sector. This free event leverages the credibility of two established organizations in carbon certification and climate finance to facilitate meaningful industry connections.
✍️ Another way: creative writing workshop
When: Thursday, Apr 9
Where: Neighbor, New York
This creative writing workshop invites participants to imagine sustainable futures through storytelling, exploring how we might care for ourselves, each other, and the planet in 2030, 2045, and beyond. Inspired by Dr. Ayana Johnson’s work on narrative and climate solutions, the session combines reflective writing prompts with community connection among creatives and optimists. Participants will engage in collaborative ideation while building a toolkit of resources to continue the conversation beyond the workshop.
🌊 Exhibit Opening - A Decade of Delta Cities Coastal Resilience
When: Thursday, Apr 9
Where: Leo J. Kuhn lobby gallery, Higgins Hall, Brooklyn
This exhibit opening celebrates a decade of interdisciplinary climate visioning studios at Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture, showcasing ten years of community-engaged research on coastal resilience in delta cities. The event provides an opportunity to explore innovative approaches to climate adaptation and urban sustainability through student and faculty work. Attendees can network with sustainability professionals, architects, and community partners while reflecting on lessons learned from a decade of collaborative climate action research.
🌲 Science & Society: Do Forests Feel?
When: Thursday, Apr 9
Where: Pioneer Works, Brooklyn
This event explores the emerging science of plant intelligence and forest consciousness through a conversation between renowned forest ecologist Suzanne Simard and science journalist Zoë Schlanger. The discussion examines what it means for forests to “feel” and challenges conventional understanding of botanical communication and awareness. Hosted by Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, this free event brings cutting-edge research on forest ecosystems to a general audience interested in science, nature, and environmental philosophy.
🌿 Resilience Thinking Through Nonhuman Ontologies Workshop
When: Friday, Apr 10
Where: North Hall 107, Brooklyn
This workshop explores resilience through nonhuman ontologies and design practices that center the pluriverse, examining how natural systems outlast human empires. Hosted by Pratt Sustainability Center, the full-day event offers participants an opportunity to rethink design methodologies by integrating perspectives from ecology, philosophy, and indigenous knowledge systems. The workshop bridges academic theory with practical design applications, making it valuable for designers, architects, and sustainability professionals seeking to decolonize their practice.
⚡ Energetic Game Night!
When: Friday, Apr 10
Where: Pratt Sustainability Center (Engineering, Room 001), Brooklyn
Energetic is an interactive game night focused on clean energy transition and future thinking, hosted by the Pratt Sustainability Center in collaboration with MS in SES, LEAP, and City Atlas. This free event provides an engaging, hands-on learning experience about energy systems and sustainability challenges. Participants will gain practical insights into clean energy solutions while networking with peers interested in environmental sustainability.
🎨 Earth Celebrations and the Ecological City - Memory Mural Workshop
When: Saturday, Apr 11
Where: East River Park Fire Boat House, New York
This hands-on mural workshop brings together the Lower East Side Ecology Center and Earth Celebrations to create public art celebrating urban climate action. Participants will collaborate with artist-in-residence Katherine Freygang at the scenic East River Park Fire Boat House to paint a community mural that serves as both environmental advocacy and public engagement. The free event combines creative expression with ecological awareness, offering a unique opportunity to contribute to visible climate messaging in a high-traffic NYC location.
👗 Power & Fashion: Clothing Swap & Book Launch
When: Saturday, Apr 11
Where: Heyground Harlem by Communitas, New York
This event combines a practical clothing swap with the launch of “Guided By Power,” creating a unique intersection of sustainable fashion and social consciousness. Hosted by the NYC Fair Trade Coalition at Heyground Harlem, the gathering invites participants to rethink consumption patterns while building community through exchanging lightly used clothing. The event addresses growing consumer interest in circular fashion and ethical consumption, offering both tangible value through clothing exchange and intellectual engagement around power dynamics in the fashion industry.
🌊 @CPR | Jay Reinier: Wave Collapse
When: Sunday, Apr 12
Where: CPR - Center for Performance Research, Brooklyn
Wave Collapse is a multimedia performance by artist Jay Reinier that examines technology at its limits and its intersection with climate change and systemic failures. Presented by CPR (Center for Performance Research), this event offers a unique artistic perspective on contemporary technological and environmental crises. The performance combines multimedia elements to create an immersive exploration of how interconnected systems collapse under pressure.
🍽️⚡ Climate Science and Energy Engineering Dinner
When: Monday, Apr 13
Where: Skylight Diner, New York
This informal dinner brings together professionals interested in climate science and energy engineering for discussion at Skylight Diner in New York. The event offers a casual networking opportunity with separate checks, making it accessible and flexible for attendees. The focus on substantive topics in a relaxed dining setting provides a unique format for professional conversation outside traditional conference settings.
🌱 The Role of Community Engagement in Achieving Sustainability Goals
When: Tuesday, Apr 14
Where: 370 Jay St, Kings County
This panel discussion brings together leading experts in environmental engineering, climate science, and urban sustainability to explore how community engagement drives progress toward sustainability goals. Featuring distinguished faculty from NYU Tandon and UCLA, the event combines cutting-edge research on water quality, climate resilience, and collective decision-making with real-world examples of successful environmental advocacy. The discussion is moderated by two prominent NYU leaders and offers valuable insights for professionals working in urban sustainability, environmental engineering, and climate adaptation.
🎧♻️ Sip & Solutions: Silent Disco Earth Month Edition
When: Tuesday, Apr 14
Where: Threes Brewing, Brooklyn
This Earth Month event combines silent disco entertainment with sustainability-focused networking at Threes Brewing in Brooklyn. Attendees will enjoy a unique interactive experience where conversations happen on wireless headphones, creating an engaging format for professionals and enthusiasts interested in zero waste initiatives. The $10 entry fee makes this an accessible opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals while celebrating environmental responsibility.
🍏 Green Apple Trivia
When: Tuesday, Apr 14
Where: Mercury Bar West, 9th Avenue, New York, NY, USA, New York
Green Apple Trivia is NYC’s only sustainability-focused trivia night, combining environmental knowledge with entertainment at Mercury Bar West. This free event offers a unique opportunity to engage with sustainability topics in a casual, social setting while networking with environmentally-conscious participants. The event blends learning and fun, making it an accessible entry point for those interested in environmental issues without the formality of traditional conferences.