NY Climate Tech: July 25 to July 31
NY Climate Tech: July 25 to July 31
Our meetup this Thursday, climate art you can do at home, and much more from a hot, hot city
Hi all,
Start the week off tomorrow morning with a trip to Building Energy Exchange (or stay home and dial in online) for a talk on achieving zero energy buildings. Next, take the afternoon and head to midtown for a talk on climate, health, and equity with Metropolis magazine’s EIC, Avinash Rajagopal. For the evening, head home and dial into the My Climate Journey Climate Art workshop, or go to Brooklyn for the Evergreen Action climate happy hour. On Wednesday, check out the NYSERDA Hackathon Demo Day or learn how to write legislation from WEACT NYC (both online).
On Thursday, come by Madison Square Park and join 100+ community members for our NY Climate Tech Meetup. If that’s not your speed, check out a talk demystifying ESG in Times Square. And if you just don’t want to leave Brooklyn, swing by the Climate Changemakers Hour of Action at Freehold in Williamsburg or go to a sustainable dinner at the Osprey in DUMBO. Stay tuned for our first NY Climate Tech policy x tech event on the Brooklyn Grange urban farm with Spring Street Climate Fund and much more lined up for August!
Cheers,
Alec and Sonam
Hot Take: The Title Says It All
It's so hot, they've wrapped a bridge in foil in the UK.
It's so hot, a museum roof melted in China.
It’s so hot, wildfires are burning in Greece.
It's so hot, pipes are bursting in the US.
It’s so hot, wheat crops are damaged in India.
It’s so hot, meteorologists named a heat wave for the first time in Spain.
IT’S SO HOT.
Shady, if not scenic: One man cooled off under the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive in Manhattan. Photo by Hiroko Masuike, The New York Times.
These were the headlines that caught our eyes, but we didn’t need our Twitter feeds to tell us that the thermometer was off the charts around the globe.
Here in New York City, we broke record temperatures. Electricity demand soared to 29 gigawatts (for those who are counting, 1 gigawatt is enough to power about 900,000 homes across the Empire State). Startups like OhmConnect are creating virtual power plants, incentivizing residents to turn off their high energy appliances and helping the local utilities manage record-high electricity demand. Every little bit counts!
Climate change is making heatwaves hotter and longer around the world. According to Friederike Otto, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science at the Imperial College Grantham Institute in London, the heatwaves in Europe alone have increased in frequency by a factor of 100 or more. In New Delhi, India, temperatures have soared to 108F degrees for 25+ days this year, and this was even before summer began. Over 35% of the wheat crop in the “bread bowl of India” has been damaged, adding to a global food shortage, particularly for poor countries.
Hammersmith Bridge wrapped in foil as London temperatures soar above 104F degrees. Photo by William Mata, Evening Standard.
All of these outcomes are primarily caused by human actions as we continue to pour GHG emissions into the atmosphere. The current heatwaves are occurring as earth has warmed by about 1.2C above pre-industrial levels. Nations pledged to limit the increase to 1.5C at the COP26 UN Climate Summit last November, but we’ve got to do A LOT to get there and these current events show the urgency of reaffirming lofty climate pledges!
NYC CoolRoofs program has helped to paint over 9.2 million square feet of roofs white, reflecting sunlight and keeping surface temperatures cooler across the city. Photo by Ben Huff, Untapped Cities.
At the local level, cities are doing all they can to reduce the impact of heatwaves for communities - from painting roofs white here in New York to reflect the sun’s rays (9.2 million square feet of roofs, to be exact!) to growing ivy on walls in temperate regions to planting new trees to provide shade.
We also need to invest in more heavy duty adaptation measures – changing the materials we use for our buildings, transport networks, and other infrastructure so that we keep the roads from melting and the rails from buckling. It’s a tall order for us in the climate tech community to build the sustainable hardware of our cities in an ever-warming world!
By Sonam Velani
Events
This Week
🏢 Pathways for Achieving Zero Energy – S to M Office Buildings, Tue
👩🏻💻 NYSERDA RTEM Hackathon Demo Day, Wed
👩🏽⚖️ WEACT: How to Write Legislation Workshop, Wed
🍱 A Supper That Sustains Us, Thu
🔮 Demystifying ESG: Controversies, Practices, and Policies, Thu
For the Early Birds
🙋🏽♀️ Friends & Climate Picnic, Aug 6
🗽 Climate and NY: What’s Next in Politics, Policy, and Tech, Aug 12
🧬 For Climate Tech Summit and Global Innovation Challenge, Sept 13-15
👩🏻🔬 Women and Climate Happy Hour, Sept 20
🗽 Climate Week NYC, Sept 19-25
🦋 The Nest Summit, Sept 21-22
🏢 Pathways for Achieving Zero Energy – Small to Medium Office Buildings
When: Tue, July 26, 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Where: Building Energy Exchange, 31 Chambers St #609, New York, NY 10007 and Online
Zero energy office buildings are highly efficient workplaces that generate as much energy as they import. Generally only possible through significant demand reductions, these buildings not only reduce energy use intensity but also improve the well-being and satisfaction of occupants, acting as leading examples of a climate-ready future. Understand the strategies and benefits of achieving a zero energy office space in this discussion hosted by Building Energy Exchange and ASHRAE New York, emphasizing key insights outlined in ASHRAE’s Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small to Medium Office Buildings. .
💚 Deep Green: Connecting Climate, Health, and Equity
When: Tue, July 26, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Where: PENN 1, 1 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10119
Join Metropolis Editor in Chief Avinash Rajagopal for a live discussion on Connecting Climate, Health, and Equity! Over the last year, we have seen how health crises and the climate crisis affect poor and marginalized communities disproportionately. We can no longer ignore the connections between climate, health, and equity, and we don’t have the time to waste on single-issue solutions. What are the big fixes and creative strategies that can help us go deeper with green Join experts in design and policy to discuss how we can make a real difference for both people and planet.
🎨 Climate Art Workshop with MCJ Collective
When: Tue, July 26, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Where: Online
Join NYC’s own Nicole Kelner, My Climate Journey's Artist-in-Residence, to learn how to paint or draw about climate for this monthly workshop. Nicole will share techniques on how to take a complicated climate concept into a simple visual. Each month we will be focusing on a different climate topic. For July the theme is plastic free July! This workshop can be helpful for anyone in the climate ecosystem to start thinking about how to communicate more effectively on their website, social media, and general marketing. At the end, we’ll have time for a Q&A with Nicole on climate art
🍹 Evergreen Action NYC Climate Happy Hour
When: Tue, July 26, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Where: Hollow Nickel, 494 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Come hang out for the June climate happy hour with people from across the climate spectrum: policy, advocacy, education, technology, and more. This is a casual get-together organized by Evergreen Action. No need to RSVP, just come for a good time!
👩🏻💻 NYSERDA RTEM Hackathon Demo Day
When: Wed, July 27, 3:30 PM - 5:0 0PM
Where: Online
Join NYSERDA and Building Energy Exchange for an RTEM Hackathon Demo Day, showcasing best-in-class submissions that accelerate the electrification and decarbonization of New York’s commercial and multifamily buildings. Attendees will hear from Hackathon sponsors, NYSERDA, Onboard Data, NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice, and ASHRAE NY, an industry-leading judging panel, and Hackathon finalists. Register and be among the first to learn who will take home $55k in cash prizes!
👩🏽⚖️ WEACT: How to Write Legislation Workshop
When: Wed, July 27, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Online
Do you want to learn how to write a bill, or at least better understand the process? Come to our virtual workshop on how to write legislation that can get passed. This is the first of a two-part series. Anyone can join a rally or protest, but drafting effective legislation is a significant skill in your advocacy tool kit. Join us and our team of experts!
🗽 NY Climate Tech July Meetup
When: Thu, July 28, 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Where: Madison Square Park, 11 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010
Whether you're already working & investing in climate or just getting started, come by to meet the NYC Climate Tech community! We’ve got 150+ sign ups to date and folks are excited to collaborate on projects local and global.
Each month we bring together entrepreneurs, climate scientists, investors, students, engineers, and people of all backgrounds looking to transition into climate or meet other people with similar interests. This month we'll cross our fingers for good weather and try a picnic (+ Shake Shack) meetup in Madison Square Park. We can’t wait to see you!
🗳 Climate Changemakers Hour of Action
When: Thu, July 28, 6:00 - 9:00 PM
Where: Freehold, 45 S. 3rd St. Brooklyn, NY 11249
Climate Changemakers is hosting an in-person Hour of Action next Thursday followed by a climate happy hour! We’ll be submitting public comments to the Bureau of Land Management urging them to revoke permits for a massive new oil and gas drilling project in the Western Arctic. And if something else speaks to you, we have tons of other actions you can take!
🍱 A Supper That Sustains Us
When: Thu, July 28, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Where: The Osprey, 60 Furman Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Join us for A Supper That Sustains Us, highlighting locally sourced ingredients from our partners at D'Artagnan and sustainably-sourced wine from Gerard Bertrand. A percentage of proceeds from the evening will go to support The Slow Factory – a Brooklyn based climate innovation lab focused on addressing climate justice and social inequity.
🔮 Demystifying ESG: Controversies, Practices, and Policies
When: Thu, July 28th from 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Where: 151 W 42nd St., 24th Floor, New York, NY 10036
During this in-person conversation, Jason Stanley, Managing Director of Position Green, USA, will examine the ESG elements – environmental, social, and governance – and we'll expand on the associated risks and opportunities that institutions must consider during their decision-making processes. We'll explore other international guidelines and regulations and describe their role in driving the adoption of sustainable initiatives and strategies. Refreshments will be provided.
Join the Fun!
Submit Events
We know all of you are cooking up great events across New York that highlight the latest and greatest in our collective effort to save our city - and our planet! 🌍 We would love to spread the word. Please share any event details and we'll add them to the list.
Volunteer
We're excited to grow the Climate Tech community in cities across the globe - starting right here in our hometown of New York! 🗽 What started as an 8-person mid-pandemic outdoor dinner has since morphed into a 950+ strong and ever-growing group of rockstars trying to change the world. We're looking for volunteers to help us expand our programming into a full roster of community-wide meetups, subject-specific events, mentorship programs, site visits, and more. We aim to be a community resource - built for and by our community. Share your thoughts and we look forward to working with you!