NY Climate Tech: June 20 - June 26, 2022
NY Climate Tech: June 20 - June 26, 2022
Juneteenth, the NY Climate Tech meetup (this week!), UK Startups, and ReFi NYC
Hi all,
Our monthly meetup is this Thursday at Madison Square Park. We’re doing this one a little more picnic-in-the-park style, gathering at the tables near Shake Shack. We have over 100 RSVPs, and we’re looking forward to seeing you there!
This week is a little lighter than previous ones. Tomorrow the BK Chamber of Commerce is hosting a the Brooklyn Energy Summit and Expo at the Navy Yard, with talks on clean tech startups, local law 97, and community workforce development. On Wednesday, check out startups from the UK at the Climate Tech innovation lab showcase, cosponsored with the Urban Future Lab, or head to a climate tech dinner hosted at Zizi Restaurant. Thursday, come by the NY Climate Tech Meetup! And finish up the week with a trip to the Rivington Hotel for ReFi NYC, an afternoon on the climate movement in web3.
Hot Take: Juneteenth and the Fight for Climate Justice
New York City designated Juneteenth as an official city holiday on June 19, 2020, with the federal government following a year later. However, the history of this day far predates these official pronouncements - on June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger finally arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. While President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation two and a half years before the end of the war, it wasn’t until this date that enslaved people in Texas knew they were free.
Juneteenth Family Day in Pelham Bay
On Juneteenth, we come together to celebrate the ancestors and leaders who fought for freedom. Their power, resiliency, and tenacity lives on today, as we continue to fight for equal rights and environmental justice for communities across the country.
There is an undeniable link between racial and environmental discrimination, as is evidenced by the longstanding impact of the climate crisis on Black communities. Historic segregation has resulted in African Americans living in less desirable flood prone areas in many cities throughout the United States. Communities of color are also more likely to experience pre-existing health conditions and poor living conditions than their white counterparts, and are up to 60% more likely to die as a result of poor air quality. A lack of power and representation in political and economic systems makes it difficult for these communities to build climate resilience in the face of an ever-warming world.
There is so much work to do and change to be had. We wish you a Happy Juneteenth and encourage you to take action in your own community - leverage this history in your fight for climate justice. Below is a list of resources to get you started!
The Intersectional Environmentalist, Book, Leah Thomas
Links Between Racism and the Environment, Resources, New York Times
Addressing Environmental Racism with Robert Bullard (“Father of Environmental Justice”), Interview, Journal of International Affairs
Sustainability and Environmental Justice, Video, Robin Morris-Collin
WOC/CS Talent Network, Resource, Women of Color Collective in Sustainability
Environmental Justice Factsheet, Resources, University of Michigan
Toxic Communities: Environmental Racism, Industrial Pollution, and Residential Mobility, Book, Dorceta Taylor
There’s Something in the Water, Documentary, Netflix
New York City Participatory Budgeting Process, Resource, NYC City Council
By Sonam Velani
Join Us!
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 700+ 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!
Events This Week:
☀️ 2022 Brooklyn Energy Summit & Expo
When: Tue, June 21, 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM EDT
Where: Brooklyn Navy Yard, Dock 72, 1 Dock 72 Way, Brooklyn, NY 11205
The 2022 Brooklyn Energy Summit & Expo will include a comprehensive lineup of featured speakers, panelists and exhibitors who will discuss the energy landscape, innovation, how to leverage renewables and clean tech, changes in policy and legislation, how small and large businesses can meet required code changes and access cost -saving programs, and leverage opportunities in workforce and economic development for Brooklyn as we work towards a more carbon-free environment.
🇬🇧 Climatetech Showcase - Innovate UK at the Urban Future Lab
When: Wed, June 22, 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM EDT
Where: Company, 355 Madison Avenue, 7th Floor Commons, New York, NY 10017
The Urban Future Lab at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering is the U.S. landing pad for Innovate UK’s Global Incubator Programme, which is designed to cultivate and support the launch of innovative cleantech companies with a strong potential to scale internationally to new markets. The Global Incubator Programme is a multi-year partnership between Innovate UK and the Urban Future Lab.
Attendees will hear brief presentations from the companies about their technologies, what they have learned and accomplished over the program’s six-month intensive market discovery process, and where they’re headed next.
🍜 NYC Climate Collective Dinner #2
When: Wed, June 22, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDT
Where: ZiZi, 182 8th Ave, New York, NY 10011
We are a growing community of folks who are interested or working in the climate and sustainability space and looking to connect with others IRL over small group dinners.
🗽 NY Climate Tech Meetup: June
When: Thu, June 23, 6:30 - 9:00 PM EDT
Where: Madison Square Park, 11 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010
Join us for our June meetup!
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. We tend to have 50+ attendees, sometimes as many as 100 depending on the month and event.
This month we'll cross our fingers for good weather and try a picnic (+ Shake Shack) meetup in Madison Square Park.
🪙 ReFi NYC
When: Fri, June 24, 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM EDT
Where: Penthouse @ Hotel on Rivington, 107 Rivington Street, New York, NY 10002
dClimate is hosting ReFi NYC, the flagship regenerative finance event of Ethereum New York. Come for the panels, keynotes, merch, and networking opportunities. Stay for the happy hour, breathtaking views of New York City, and food!
Events this Month:
🇧🇩 Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA: Critical Response
When: Tue, June 28, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM EDT
Where: Scholastic Big Red Auditorium, 130 Mercer Street, New York, NY 10012
The spring 2022 Current Work series focuses on architectural practices designing museums, schools, and cultural centers that contend with the complex legacies of place.
Kashef Chowdhury cofounded the Dhaka-based firm URBANA in 1995 and has led the practice as solo principal since 2004. The firm’s projects span various typologies and methodologies, from climate-action initiatives to cultural, educational, sports, health, industrial, religious, and residential facilities. In its own words, the practice aims to cultivate “a contextually and socially responsible…architectural and planning response” to the twin crises of climate change and migration in Bangladesh.
🏢 Inclusive Design and Building Performance: Exploring Synergies with Equity, Sustainability, and Health in the Built Environment
When: Wed, June 29, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
Where: Building Energy Exchange, 31 Chambers Street, Suite 608, New York, NY 10007
Inclusive Design can be defined as an approach to creating environments that are accessible and usable to the greatest extent possible by all building occupants. While traditional applications of Inclusive Design are importantly centered on people with disabilities and aging populations, emerging thought leaders are evolving Inclusive Design’s application to broader issues of social and environmental justice.
This session features four experts who aim to elevate Inclusive Design as the next wave in building performance by establishing synergies with equity, sustainability, and health in the built environment. Panelists will present an overview of ongoing Inclusive Design initiatives, followed by an interactive discussion with the audience around opportunities for future interdisciplinary work.
For the Early Birds:
🗽 Climate Week NYC and The Nest Summit
When: Mon, September 19 to Sunday, September 25, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM EDT
Where: Javits Center, 429 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10001
Registration for the official Climate Week NYC events program is now open across our ten event themes; Built Environment, Energy, Environmental Justice, Transport, Finance, Sustainable Living, Nature, Policy, Industry and Food.
Register to host your event today and be part of the biggest climate event on earth.
For our fourth year we are delighted to partner with The Nest Summit as our official event partner. Taking place at the Javits Center, under the largest green roof in the world, The Nest Summit brings together a program of events that explore and engage in the solutions that will allow us to make climate action happen.