NY Climate Tech: July 31 - August 7
Trees, trees, and more trees, please! Plus, some climate singles finding love for each other, for Brooklyn, and for composting!
Hi friends,
It’s gettin’ hot in here! As the thermometer reaches 100F+ and New Yorkers bear the brunt of the urban heat island - aka the sauna - we hope you are staying cool! This week we’ve got special coverage of one of the best ways to beat the heat - trees in our streets! 🌳 We’re lucky to have over 7 million beautiful big green trees providing relief - but these trees only cover about 22% of the five boroughs. There’s so much we can do to right this inequity in our neighborhoods - read below for more!
We’ve got quite the lineup of climate events this week, with some experiential learning for everyone!
Love composting? We’ve got not one, not two, but three (!) ways to get down and dirty with 💩 Big Reuse Volunteer Activities on Wednesday and Friday.
The best borough is Brooklyn (is there even a question?!). Check out the ✨ Make It in Brooklyn Pitch Contest and learn about cool startups using AI for good!
Did you know that we need 1 million electricians to help decarbonize America? There are thousands of opportunities to shift your career — learn more at 👷 Constructing a Sustainable Building Workforce on Thursday.
Looking for love? Check out 💚 Hot People, Hotter Planet: A Climate Tech Singles Event on Friday. If clicks mean anything, these mixers have had by far the largest number of clicks in this newsletter!!!
As always, scroll down for the full list of upcoming events.
Cheers,
The Climate Tech Cities Team
New York
Hot Take: NYC’s Growing Urban Forests 🌳
How trees protect us from extreme heat
NYC’s 100°F+ heat wave last week was inescapable, and it’s just one small part of this year’s global extreme heat events exacerbated by climate change. Extreme heat is deadly, and 21 of Earth's 30 hottest days on record occurred in July. In addition to rising temperatures, climate change is also ramping up humidity, which makes it harder for our bodies to cool down by creating a sauna-like environment (also known as “muggy” or “gross”).
On these increasingly common blistering days, the coolest parts of NYC are around major parks. Among its many benefits, tree cover (“tree canopy”) helps to offset the urban heat island effect, and urban neighborhoods without much vegetation can be up to 20 °F hotter than areas with abundant green spaces, disproportionately impacting marginalized communities.
Growing momentum across the city
NYC has approximately 7 million trees, which provides around 22 percent tree coverage across the five boroughs. The latest NYC Strategic Climate Plan (aka PlaNYC) targets 30 percent tree canopy cover, an ambitious goal supported by recent bills introduced in the New York City Council’s Committee on Parks and Recreation.
The city manages land accounting for around 57 percent of tree canopy in NYC, while private land accounts for 35 percent, with the remainder split between state and federal ownership. In 2021, the Nature Conservancy launched the multi-sector Forest for All NYC coalition – now with over 80 member organizations – to help realize the community, equity, and climate benefits of a larger, well maintained tree population.
Measuring urban forest growth locally & globally
Accurate monitoring is critical to forest planning, planting, and maintenance efforts. To create and update its tree inventory, NYC uses i-Tree software developed by the US Forest Service. NYC volunteers augment and verify this data – over 2,200 residents helped park officials survey street trees in the last 2016 TreesCount! census. At global scale, scientists layer aerial/satellite imagery with LiDAR (light detection and ranging) data to estimate tree coverage, height, and even species!
Learn more & get involved in bringing trees to your streets!
Heat, Health, & Equity in Northern Manhattan campaign (WE ACT)
Power of Trees: 2023 exhibition and program series (Brooklyn Botanic Garden)
🌎 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
💧 Environmental Tech Lab Challenges
Applications are open for the inaugural Environmental Tech Lab, a public-private initiative between the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Partnership Fund for New York City to test new technologies to help solve pressing challenges facing the city’s water and wastewater network. This year’s challenges focus on helping DEP better utilize data and technology and improve operational efficiency at New York City’s water and wastewater utility.
💧 Governors Island Climate Solutions Piloting Program
The Climate Solutions Piloting Program is a new call for piloting and demonstration projects addressing climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and climate and environmental justice. The program is led by the Trust for Governors Island’s new Living Lab as part of the Center for Climate Solutions, dedicated to preparing New York City and cities around the world for climate change. Applications for the Climate Solutions Challenge, a recurring summer challenge with new themes and a $10,000 cash prize, are due by August 15, 2023. This year’s theme, “Water Abundance,” seeks proposals addressing how water can help to power climate solutions that grow blue and green jobs and create healthier communities.
Events This Week
⚡️ New Rochelle Energy Justice Meeting: Tue, Aug 01
💩 Big Reuse Volunteer Activity: Salt Lot Compost Processing Day: Wed, Aug 02
✨ Make It in Brooklyn Pitch Contest - AI Tech for Good: Wed, Aug 02
🚲 Micromobility Demo Days: Find Your Next E-Ride!: Thu, Aug 03
👷 Constructing a Sustainable Building Workforce: Thu, Aug 03
💩 Curbside Composting Neighborhood Outreach in Brooklyn: Fri, Aug 04
🏙️ Citywide Forum to Reimagine NYC!: Fri, Aug 04
💩 Red Hook Compost Site Tour: Fri, Aug 04
💚 Hot People, Hotter Planet: A Climate Tech Singles Event: Fri, Aug 04
🌲 Tree+Oyster: Sun, Aug 06
Read on for more details about this week’s happenings and upcoming events this month
Upcoming Events
🍻 Distributed Energy TaskForce NYC Happy Hour: Wed, Aug 09
🏡 Empowering a homeowner’s electrification journey: Wed, Aug 09
👷♀️ Women in Sustainability and Energy: BOYC: Wed, Aug 9
🚲 E-Bikes from Zero to Sixty Tour: Sat, Aug 12
🌆 New York City's Local Laws 94 and 97, Are you ready?: Wed, Aug 16
🎲 August Energy & Climate Game Night: Wed, Aug 16
🥂 Green Drinks Brooklyn: Wed, Aug 16
🟢 The Great Transition, with Gina Chung: Wed, Aug 16
🌲 Implications of SEC Climate Rule on Capital Markets: Thu, Aug 17
♻️ GreenHomeNYC Tour of SIMS Material Recycling Facility: Thu, Aug 17
🌏 Climate Town Town Hall: Wed, Aug 23
🖼️ Botanical Drawing w/ NCL Artist Resident Jessica Dalyrmple: Thu, Aug 24
🌳 Climate Resiliency in Community Gardens: Sat, Aug 26
Event Details
⚡️ New Rochelle Energy Justice Meeting
When: Tue, Aug 01st from 06:30 PM to 07:30 PM
Where: Bethesda Baptist Church, 71 Lincoln Avenue, New Rochelle, NY
The Hudson Valley Energy Justice Alliance will convene a meeting with New Rochelle residents to discuss a just transition from fossil fuel-based energy supply toward clean energy, with the inclusion of residents within impacted communities in positions of equitable leadership for economic opportunities.
💩 Big Reuse Volunteer Activity: Salt Lot Compost Processing Day
When: Wed, Aug 02nd from 09:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Where: Gowanus Canal Conservancy Salt Lot Facility, 2 2nd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
Join the NYC Compost Project Hosted by Big Reuse to volunteer at our urban composting site in Gowanus. Volunteers will bag finished compost, break down paper bags/sticks/yard waste into appropriate sizes for composting, decontaminate food scraps and chop whole fruits or vegetables in preparation for the compost pile, and help maintain the site in a variety of ways.
✨ Make It in Brooklyn Pitch Contest - AI Tech for Good
When: Wed, Aug 02nd from 06:00 PM to 08:00 PM
Where: Gotham Market at The Ashland, 590 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY
The Make It in Brooklyn AI Tech for Good Pitch Contest is bringing together a top selection of Brooklyn-based startups who are applying innovative AI technology to serve humankind and the environment. With an emphasis on pre-seed, seed stage, and round A funded startups, a $5,000 prize and in-kind legal services from BLIP at Brooklyn Law School aim to help these companies thrive and take their businesses to the next level.
🚲 Micromobility Demo Days: Find Your Next E-Ride!
When: Thu, Aug 03rd from 12:00 AM to Sat, Aug 05{suffix(end.day)} at 12:00 AM
Where: Brooklyn Navy Yard Building 77, 141 Flushing Ave (at Vanderbilt Ave), Brooklyn, NY
Increasingly home to micromobility companies, the Yard’s campus is the perfect place to learn about electric bikes, EV, and charging systems to help you hop around Brooklyn. Plus, you’ll get to test ride bikes against the city’s most historic backdrop, so get your smartphones ready for Instagram-worthy shares. Oh, and they’ll be some fun giveaways too. Grab your helmet. Grab a friend.
👷 Constructing a Sustainable Building Workforce
When: Thu, Aug 3rd, from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Where: Online, hosted by Building Energy Exchange
Hear from skilled labor, educators, and representatives from the Department of Energy about how federal funding can support local energy efficiency initiatives and spur good jobs in the building sector. New streams of federal funding offer long-term investment in the workforces that design and build, retrofit and maintain clean and healthy buildings. As building stakeholders increasingly opt for energy-efficient design and technologies, learn how local actors are unlocking positive social and economic progress, ensuring sustained economic opportunity for historically marginalized working populations.
💩 Curbside Composting Neighborhood Outreach in Brooklyn
When: Fri, Aug 04th from 12:00 PM to 05:00 PM
Where: Location TBD, 1 12th St, Brooklyn, NY
Big Reuse, in partnership with the Department of Sanitation, is conducting outreach to increase awareness of and participation in Curbside Composting and we need your help! Our Neighborhood Outreach events give you the opportunity to talk one-on-one with other New Yorkers about the importance of composting and how they can participate.
🏙️ Citywide Forum to Reimagine NYC!
When: Fri, Aug 04th from 01:00 PM to 06:00 PM
Where: THE POINT Community Development Corporation, 940 Garrison Avenue, The Bronx, NY
The Citywide Forum is an opportunity to meet one another, exchange your work, and advance the conversation. It will explore questions including: How can we support and extend the extraordinary role played by cultural hubs, networks and public spaces to further belonging, fight displacement, and reknit communities? What are effective ways to embed arts and culture in organizing to advance racial justice, climate justice, and participatory democracy? How can we enact visions of creative leadership, solidarity economies, and just and equitable support systems?
💩 Red Hook Compost Site Tour
When: Fri, Aug 04th from 02:00 PM to 03:00 PM
Where: Red Hook Farms - Columbia Street Farm, 103 Otsego Street, Brooklyn, NY
Join us for a tour of Red Hook Compost Site at Red Hook Farms to learn about the history and current operations of the largest fossil fuel free compost site in the country. We manage 20,000 square feet of space with solar power and human power composting on farm with outdoor windrows, tumblers, and 4 ASP pipes.
💚 Hot People, Hotter Planet: A Climate Tech Singles Event
When: Fri, Aug 04th from 07:00 PM to 09:00 PM
Where: B Lounge NYC, 77 East 7th Street, New York, NY
Our Climate Tech Singles Happy Hour is like going to a bar ready to mingle and finding out everyone cares about the same thing you do. Now that’s hot! Let’s take the ‘networking’ out of all those climate/tech/climatetech events and make it about singles. Why? Because climate is a hot topic that’s also a top value people want their future love interest to care about. In our modern world, both tech and climate are everywhere. So it’s safe to say that many of us care about these topics, and would love to share these interests with our romantic partner.
🌲 Tree+Oyster
When: Sun, Aug 06th from 02:00 PM to 05:00 PM
Where: Governors Island, Colonel's Row 404A, brooklyn, NY
An interactive installation that aims to cultivate cultural intimacy through intersectional decolonization practices, Tree+Oyster create ritual loops to stoke embodied memory and resist historical erasure. Expect co-creation exercises and games, sensorial ceremonies, body mapping, collective altar building, and musical forest jams
Join the Fun!
Submit Events
We know all of you are cooking up great events across 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!
A Global Network of Local Communities
We are expanding! We started as an 8-person dinner and now have over 8,000 members in our community. We’ve had people across the world reach out to us to start their own chapters - so we’re launching a new Climate Tech Cities organization this year! If you have friends who are interested in becoming chapter leads, please share the word. Here’s to a global network of local communities making a positive impact!