NY Climate Tech: Giving Tuesday Edition!
Climate change won't solve itself! This Giving Tuesday, donate to the Green City Force to train young leaders powering a green and inclusive economy.
Hi friends,
We’ve got a special edition newsletter for you on this Giving Tuesday, highlighting the work of one of our favorite non-profits in New York City.
Green City Force (GCF) trains young leaders to power a green and inclusive economy, through service. GCF enlists youth from low income housing communities and equips them with the tools to change the trajectory of their lives. Corps Members develop a passion for sustainability and service by driving large-scale environmental and health initiatives, whether its planting urban gardens, retrofitting homes, or working with communities to increase recycling rates. Graduates of the program go on to jobs in sustainability, college programs, and more. Our very own Kathy Zhang recently interviewed GCF’s Executive Director, Tonya Gayle to learn more about the impact, expansion, and enabling conditions of their work - dive in below!
Support GCF Corps Members today by making a tax-deductible gift through GCF’s Website. Whether it’s $5, $50, or $500 - your contribution helps all of us build a resilient, sustainable, and equitable New York City!
And while you’re in the giving spirit, please take 5 minutes to fill out our annual Climate Tech Cities Community Survey so we can continue to create a diverse and vibrant climate tech ecosystem for years to come :)
Our picks for this week:
♻️ Carbon to Value Initiative Year 3 Final Showcase: Thu, Nov 30
💸 Climate Capital Stack: Unlocking NYC's Ecosystem: Thu, Nov 30
🥂 First Friday Meetup: Fri, Dec 1
🎉 Climate Cafe Turns One: Sat, Dec 2
For those planning ahead, we look forward to seeing you at the upcoming Climate Tech Demo Night at SOSV on Monday, December 11, brought to you by Streetlife Ventures, Amazon AWS, NYU Future Labs, and Climate Tech Cities. Lots of cool startups showing their latest and greatest climate solutions in action!
As always, scroll down for the full list of upcoming events.
Cheers,
The Climate Tech Cities Team
A Green City Rooted in Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
Interview with Green City Force Executive Director Tonya Gayle, by NY Climate Tech’s Kathy Zhang.
Support GCF Corps Members today by making a tax-deductible gift through GCF’s Website.
What is GCF’s mission, and what does it work to realize this mission?
GCF was created to address two interconnected challenges with disproportionate impacts on low-income communities in NYC: unemployment of young adults and solutions to climate challenges. Through a service learning model, we help put members on a professional pathway with growth opportunities.
We bring young people in as GCF service members and provide training on eco-literacy and historical hazards & challenges that have affected their communities. Our projects evolve with emerging solutions, local policy priorities, and skills building and employment opportunities. We’ve supported a number of mayoral initiatives including the NYC Cool Roofs as its inaugural workforce partner in the effort to cover one million square feet of rooftops (more details).
We currently run six Eco-Hubs across all five boroughs in NYC that layer multiple types of sustainability and environmental solutions on-site, which include urban farms, composting, rainwater catchment, irrigation systems, and solar installation. The hubs aim to provide healthy food in communities as well as workforce training, and we have planned to create more Eco-Hubs across NYC in the next few years.
With dynamic policy and funding priorities locally, how are you thinking about long term strategic planning and partnerships?
Our focus is aligned with a number of federal and local policies. The Inflation Reduction Act, Justice 40, CLCPA, and Local Law 97 are all policies with provisions meant to support disadvantaged communities.
At the federal level, President Biden has just announced an order for the American Climate Corps. If this comes through, it means models like our organization can be lifted up as best practices. We're also part of The Corps Network, which is a national umbrella organization pushing for greater investment in service and conservation corps.
More locally, NY State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) also has provided a series of workforce development funding opportunities for us over the years, and we also work with WE ACT for Environmental Justice and Manhattan Clean Energy Hub locally to serve low income communities.
How do you think about emerging trends in climate tech?
First of all, we love innovation, entrepreneurs, smart cities–all those things. The green transition requires all types of roles, and we encourage folks to think about how to design climate solutions with employment opportunities for different levels and skill sets, as well as growth opportunities. As one example, GCF members work with NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) and their energy department to monitor heat pumps and work with residents to capture data.
Recently, NY Governor Hochul announced the Empire Technology Prize, a competitive opportunity focused on low carbon heating system solutions & retrofits in tall commercial and multifamily buildings in New York state, which would also provide many entry level opportunities for emerging applications of climate tech.
How do the GCF members evolve the program?
Leadership of the young people in the program is critical to our model, and we learn from them all the time. In our early days, we worked with NYCHA on energy behavior change campaigns focused on reducing water and electricity use in public housing, which wasn’t a top issue of concern since residents don’t pay for utilities. One GCF alum turned staff member Melinda Ruiz coined the phrase “Love Where You Live” to focus the campaign on our shared goal of living healthily and ownership in taking care of one’s home and communities.
We have another GCF alum Domingo Morales who’s a social entrepreneur and GCF employer partner, hiring other graduates of the program. About a third of our staff are graduates of the program, and we try to integrate the community’s voice to inform our way forward wherever we can.
What are the key enabling conditions that could really accelerate and scale GCF’s impact?
That's a great question. The hardest part for program graduates is getting a union type job with consistency over gig work. If there are policies that develop a clear track from service learning training programs like GCF to entry-level civil service jobs, that would be a game changer. Another key enabler are requirements to hire from and invest in the local community as part of bids and RFPs, and providing financial support for upskilling since it’s not easy to take several weeks off for unpaid training. We’re seeing more workforce development programs like these, but there's a huge opportunity to standardize these practices.
Support GCF Corps Members today by making a tax-deductible gift through GCF’s Website.
🌎 Climate Tech Cities and Streetlife Ventures 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!
Community Shoutouts
🌳 GrowNYC Petition
The New York City Compost Project and GrowNYC serve millions of New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs, providing food scrap collections, organics processing, composting outreach and community education. Sign the petition to urge Mayor Adams to save these programs in light of announced budget cuts.
Upcoming Opportunities
🌱 ReGen Accelerator (Due Nov. 30)
Are you a seed-stage climate tech startup striving to reduce the material impact of greenhouse gas emissions? Then you can apply now to Kaplak Ventures' "ReGen Accelerator", a three-month program for founders working to decarbonize at industrial scale. For more information, email contact@regenaccelerator.tech
👩🔬 SOSV Sustainable Industry Tech Matchup (Due Nov. 30)
SOSV is hosting its first virtual Sustainable Industry Tech matchup from December 4 to 8, 2023. Modeled after our very popular Climate Tech and Health Tech Matchups, this virtual event will bring together 200 startups and 200 investors for short introduction meetings over a week at their convenience.
📈 Scale for Climate Tech (Due Dec. 4)
We are excited to announce the next iteration of Scale For ClimateTech (S4C), the go-to manufacturing resource for climate tech innovators! Through this next iteration, S4C will continue to deliver customized manufacturing support to climate tech innovators through our cohort-based service, as well as expand its services to provide free matchmaking between climate tech innovators at large and New York manufacturers. Applications to join the 2024 cohort are now open to innovators globally.
✨ NYCEDC Founder Fellowship 2024 (Due Dec. 5)
Applications are now open for the 2024 Founder Fellowship which will provide 60 diverse tech startups across NYC with access to networking, fundraising, mentorship, business development, and other opportunities necessary to build and scale their enterprises. New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is partnering with Chloe Capital, Company Ventures, Newlab, and Visible Hands to host four unique Founder Fellowship cohorts in spring 2024.
🔌 NextEra Energy 2024 Seed Competition (Due Dec. 15)
NextEra Energy Investments is holding a seed investment competition for pre-Series A companies focused on cybersecurity, data & AI, decarbonization and/or energy transition. Up to 10 winners can be selected to receive up to $500,000 in seed capital investment.
Rolling Deadlines and 2024
⚒️ Pilots at the Brooklyn Army Terminal (Rolling)
🏢 Urban Tech XChange (Rolling)
🌇 $10M Empire Technology Prize (Due Mar. 24)
Events This Week
🍹 The Carbonauts Sustainability Cocktails (New York City): Wed, Nov 29
♻️ Carbon to Value Initiative Year 3 Final Showcase: Thu, Nov 30
🌍 CCNY Sustainability PSA Project - Screening Event & Internship Fair: Thu, Nov 30
👩🔬 IndieBio NY Coffee Break: Thu, Nov 30
💸 Climate Capital Stack: Unlocking NYC's Ecosystem: Thu, Nov 30
☕️ Climate Cafe: Thu, Nov 30
🍽️ Climatetech Dinner: Thu, Nov 30
🥂 First Friday Meetup: Fri, Dec 1
📚 Introduction to Teaching Systems & Resilience Thinking for STEM Teachers: Sat, Dec 2
🎉 Climate Cafe Turns One!: Sat, Dec 2
Read on for more details about this week’s happenings and upcoming events this month
Upcoming Events
🏳️🌈 Out in Climate — Carbon Removal Panel: Tue, Dec 5
🎉 2023 Waterfront Alliance Holiday Party: Tue, Dec 5
🌍 Sustainability Programs Final Capstone Briefings: Fall 2023: Tue, Dec 5
✨ Science & Society: Climate Futurism: Tue, Dec 5
🙋🏽♀️ Women and Climate Holiday Party: Tue, Dec 5
💧 Urban Science Innovators Series: Joe Shuttleworth of Arup: Wed, Dec 6
☀️ Solar America Show International 2023: Tue, Dec 12
🌳 Exclusive Gallery Film Screening: I Could Have Been A Tree Instead: Sun, Dec 17
Event Details
🍹 The Carbonauts Sustainability Cocktails (New York City)
When: Wed, Nov 29th from 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Where: Chinatown (Location on RSVP)
Join us for delicious cocktails and conversation with other passionate sustainability advocates. This is a great opportunity to meet others in the sustainability community, so feel free to share this invite with green friends and colleagues. The more the merrier!
🌍 CCNY Sustainability PSA Project - Screening Event & Internship Fair
When: Thu, Nov 30th from 12:00 PM to 1:45 PM
Where: The City College of New York, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY
Join us for a panel discussion on the future of renewable energy and its impact on climate change.
♻️ Carbon to Value Initiative Year 3 Final Showcase
When: Thu, Nov 30th from 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: NYU Kimmel Center for University Life, Rosenthal Pavilion, 60 Washington Square South Suite 605, New York, NY
Join us in New York City on Thursday, November 30 to celebrate the culmination of the third year of the Carbon to Value (C2V) Initiative! Hear from the 8 Year 3 Cohort startups shaping the future of the carbontech industry as they each present their unique solutions, the progress they’ve made throughout the past six months of the C2V program, and where they are headed next.
👩🔬 IndieBio NY Coffee Break
When: Thu, Nov 30th from 9:00 - 10:30 AM
Where: IndieBio, 7 Penn Plaza, New York, NY
Are you developing a new product or technology? Are you looking for a co-founder or your next key hire? Are you looking for a job or an internship? Considering making a career pivot into the start-up ecosystem? Then come join IndieBio NY for our next Coffee Break to learn more about the IndieBio NY program, and meet fellow members of the NY biotech community.
💸 Climate Capital Stack: Unlocking NYC's Ecosystem
When: Thu, Nov 30th from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Where: Register for Address
Scaling climate solutions will require a rich and diverse ecosystem of financial support at each stage of growth. Many extraordinary innovations and critical players in the Climate Capital Stack are emerging and evolving now - we all know there is no better home for this new frontier than New York City. You are invited to the launch of ClimateHack's NYC community, and the first in a series of four events focused on bringing together NYC's community of founders, funders and public partners.
☕️ Climate Cafe
When: Thu, Nov 30th from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: Neighbor, 176 9th Avenue, New York, NY
Join us for the NYC Climate Cafe, a supportive environment for discussing difficult emotions arising from the climate crisis. Connect with peers, break through the 'business as usual,' and deepen community resilience. Open to all with a suggested donation of $10.
🍽️ Climate Tech Dinner
When: Thu, Nov 30th from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Where: Register for Address
You are invited to join us, a growing community of folks who are interested or working in the climate and sustainability space and looking to connect with others IRL. This is a paid event (to the restaurant) and we are collecting the payment of $73 per person in advance.
🥂 First Friday Meetup
When: Fri, Dec 1st from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Where: Belvedere Lounge NYC, 77 E 7th St, New York, NY
Monthly happy hour for people who care about climate, tech, and building cool things!
🎉 Climate Cafe Turns One
When: Sat, Dec 2nd from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Where: Starr Bar, 214 Starr Street Brooklyn, NY
Join us at Starr Bar in Bushwick to celebrate a year of climate action and the friendships we’ve built along the way. We'll ring in the party with an evening of live performances, local climate community, and partner organizations and artists. Members get a discount and membership badge: buymeacoffee.com/climatecafe.