NY Climate Tech: Nov 28 - Dec 5
NY Climate Tech: Nov 28 - Dec 5
Building decarbonization, climate art books, carbon utilization startups, climate history, and a water film festival all in a New York minute!
Our next NY Climate Tech meetup is Monday, December 12th. RSVP here!
Start the week tomorrow with a session on everyone’s favorite local law on building decarbonization at Building Energy Exchange. On Wednesday, stick around for another session with BEX on smart buildings in the morning, then head uptown to the Asia Society for the Pratt Design Symposium on Sustainable Innovation, then wrap up the day with the closing event for the *This Is Not A Drill* exhibition at NYU or the Responsible Tech Mixer NYC in the Lower East Side.
On Thursday, head to Williamsburg for friend-of-the-newsletter Nicole Kelner’s climate art book launch party, swing by the Carbon to Value Initiative Year 2 Final Showcase in midtown, or head to Columbia for a networking event on Climate History. In NJ? Check out the USGBC New Jersey Leadership Awards Gala & Holiday Party.
Finally, wrap up the week on Friday with the wonderful First Friday Meetup at Blue and Gold or hear from Urban-X on Climate Innovation, Collaboration, and Action. This weekend, attend an XR Citizens' Assembly, catch some waves at the World Water Film Festival Kickoff, or get your shopping in at the Sustainable Holiday Pop Up.
Cheers,
Alec and Sonam
Hot Take: Our climate goals must become our construction goals
Three years ago, New York instituted into law one of the nation’s most ambitious climate action plans - shifting its energy grid from fossil fuels burning the planet to a suite of renewable resources that can power homes, businesses, and everyday life across the state by 2050.
As codified under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (the Climate Act), 70% of New York’s energy will come from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2030. More than $29 billion of public and private investment has been committed for 100+ solar, wind, and hydro projects, as well as transmission infrastructure as a part of the New York Green Energy Transmission Superhighway. The Inflation Reduction Act will unlock billions more in federal funds over the next few years. Through these investments, we’ll generate 40 million megawatts of clean energy every year, eliminate 20 million tons of GHG emissions annually, and create thousands of new jobs.
So, how are we doing on our audacious goals?
Not great.
Last year, New York built a grand total of three wind and solar farms. Currently, six out of the 100+ under development actually have shovels in the ground. That’s enough energy to power a small city upstate. We have got a LONG WAYS TO GO, especially when compared to our peer states like Texas and California, that are eons beyond us in their renewable build out.
To meet our ambitious goals in New York, we need to build 10x faster for the remainder of the 2020s than we did in the 2010s. This means 100x as much large-scale solar, 50x more battery storage capacity, and a brand new offshore wind industry.
As Anne Reynolds, Executive Director of the Alliance for Clean Energy NY put it at the organization’s annual conference in Albany earlier this month: “Our climate goals must now become construction goals.”
A new energy system with a lot more capacity
One point that complicates matters is the fact that New York basically has two separate electrical grids – one upstate that is primarily fueled by hydroelectric and nuclear plants, and the other around New York City, with 8.5 million people consuming the vast majority of power that is heavily reliant on fossil fuels. The power lines that currently connect the two grids are already suffering from a traffic jam, and thus we’ve got to build two huge transmission-line projects to help bridge that divide and create an ecosystem approach to power generation and distribution.
Pulling off this massive transition isn’t just about plans on paper - it’s #ClimateIndustrialism on steroids. It’s the ability of the state and local governments across New York to work hand-in-hand with climate tech entrepreneurs, local community groups, and workforce organizations to support a just and equitable transition.
How do we get there? It means FDNY changing regulations on the size and location of battery packs from local startups like Nine Dot Energy that are installed in NYC’s high density urban environments. It means NYSERDA providing $7 billion of financing and working with The Clean Fight startup accelerator to develop new technologies to decarbonize buildings across the state. The mantra: build, build, build.
The great trifecta of innovation, investment, and industrial policy has finally come together, from federal funds down to local action. From the partnership between Ithaca and Blocpower to decarbonize every single building to the new Climate Solutions Center at Governors Island in New York City, cities across the state are embracing their role in promoting the development, manufacturing, and uptake of climate technologies.
I’m signing off today from the Palm Springs Wind Farm in California, with 2,700 giant wind turbines rotating behind me and my wonderful host Rich. These wind turbines produce nearly 2 million MMBtu (600 million kWh) of energy every year. And they’ve been at it since 1982 - if they can do it, we can too!
By Sonam Velani
Events This Week:
🏢 Unpacking LL97 Rulemaking: Tue, Nov 29
🎨 Closing Event for *This Is Not A Drill* Exhibition: Wed, Nov 30
♻️ Pratt Design Symposium: Designing for Sustainable Innovation: Wed, Nov 30
🏙 High Rise / Low Carbon: Nimble Brains for Complex Systems: Wed, Nov 30
👩💻 Responsible Tech Mixer NYC: A Celebration for the Community: Wed, Nov 30
👩🎨 Book Launch Party- A Brighter Future by Nicole Kelner: Thu, Dec 1
📚 What is Climate History?: A Networking Event: Thu, Dec 1
👩🔬 Carbon to Value Initiative Year 2 Final Showcase: Thu, Dec 1
🌇 2022 USGBC New Jersey Leadership Awards Gala & Holiday Party: Thu, Dec 1
🍻 First Friday Meetup: Fri, Dec 1
⚡️ URBAN-X: Climate Innovation, Collaboration, and Action: Fri, Dec 2
⚖️ Citizens' Assembly: How NYC can Catalyze a Just Transition: Sat, Dec 3
🌊 World Water Film Festival Kickoff Event: Sat, Dec 3
🎁 Sustainable Holiday Pop Up: Sat, Dec 3 & Sun, Dec 4
For the Early Birds:
🦠 Painting With Bioluminescent Bacteria: Sun, Dec 4
🛴 NECEC/AEG Clean Transportation Summit: Mon, Dec 5
👩🔬 Women & Climate Holiday Party: Thu, Dec 8
🥙 Foodhack Meetup: Thu, Dec 8
🤑 Earning Green by Investing Green: Thu, Dec 8
☀️ Long Island Clean Energy Leadership Task Force meeting: Fri, Dec 9
🗽 NY Climate Tech December Meetup: Mon, Dec 12
Events
🏢 Unpacking LL97 Rulemaking
When: Tue, November 29, 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Where: Virtual and In-Person, Building Energy Exchange, 31 Chambers St #609, New York, NY 10007
Local Law 97, a key facet of the Climate Mobilization Act, requires the largest of NYC’s buildings to meet strict greenhouse gas emissions limits as early as 2024. New drafted rules include methods for calculating greenhouse gas limits and energy use, adopting Portfolio Manager property types, and providing a list of buildings subject to the 2025 emissions limits, clearing a smoother pathway for compliance and providing tools for building decision makers to plan ahead.
🎨 Closing Event for *This Is Not A Drill* Exhibition
When: Wed, November 30, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Where: NYU Bobst Library, 70 Washington Square South, First Floor, New York, NY 10012
A panel discussion featuring the *This Is Not A Drill* Fellows alongside sustainability and climate science experts will center on the question of how we can create a public pedagogy to combine technology, the arts, critical thinking and climate justice activism. Panelists include artists Yan Shao and Karen Holmberg, along with climate change scholar V. Balaji and Cecil Scheib, Chief Sustainability Officer at New York University. After the panel discussion, the artists will be available to discuss their works.
♻️ Pratt Design Symposium 2022: Designing for Sustainable Innovation
When: Wed, November 30, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10021
Designers today must adapt their creations to a world that has become more environmentally volatile and geopolitically complex. Businesses are also recognizing that they must innovate in ways that prioritize sustainability to respond to consumers who want to engage with companies that align with their own values. Panelists will share their insights on how they have leveraged the circular economy and other emerging trends to reimagine a more sustainable and ethical design practice - while still retaining impeccable and luxurious style in their products and services.
🏙 High Rise / Low Carbon: Nimble Brains for Complex Systems
When: Wed, November 30, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Where: Virtual and In-Person, Building Energy Exchange, 31 Chambers St #609, New York, NY 10007
Resource Efficient Decarbonization requires a high level of integration and optimization between legacy HVAC systems, heat pumps, thermal storage, and thermal distribution systems in large buildings. Leveraging software to enable grid interactivity through building thermal management systems can radically reduce the amount of grid-level electric battery storage necessary, allow for better utilization of renewable electricity, smooth building demand peaks, and reduce the need for peak natural gas power generation. During this High Rise / Low Carbon series program, hear from experts who are deploying these technologies and utilizing Resource Efficient Decarbonization strategies to optimize performance in low-carbon retrofits.
👩💻 Responsible Tech Mixer NYC: A Celebration for the Community
When: Wed, November 30, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EST
Where: The Delancey, 168 Delancey Street, New York, NY 10002
All Tech Is Human is holding another in-person Responsible Tech Mixer! Join us in NYC at The Delancey's rooftop (Lower East Side) for a casual gathering of 250 individuals that deeply care about co-creating a better tech future. Come meet and hear from a wide range of other organizations and stay for some fun surprises. You'll hear from other organizations in Responsible Tech, get to meet other inspiring individuals, and much more.
👩🎨 Book Launch Party- A Brighter Future by Nicole Kelner
When: Thu, December 1, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Where: Urban Energy, 116 Ainslie Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211
A book launch party isn't complete without an arts and crafts table! There will be a table filled with watercoloring supplies and Nicole will be signing her latest book illustrating climate solutions. If you would like a book signed, order a ticket that says "Buy a Signed Book" and you can Venmo Nicole the day of. Can’t make it, order your copy online!
📚 What is Climate History?: A Networking Event
When: Thu, December 1, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Where: Columbia University, Fayerweather Hall, Room 513, 1180 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027
The History and Climate Change Workshop invites you to a graduate student and postdoc networking event on interdisciplinary connections in climate and history. Meet new friends and colleagues in a vibrant community of researchers connecting physical and social records to learn new things about the natural and human worlds and how they interact and overlap. All backgrounds and experiences are welcome. Dinner will be provided. Free and open to Columbia University ID holders; registration required.
👩🔬 Carbon to Value Initiative Year 2 Final Showcase
When: Thu, December 1, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Where: Cure, 345 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10010
Join us to celebrate the culmination of the second year of the Carbon to Value (C2V) Initiative! Hear from the eight Year 2 Cohort startups shaping the future of the carbon-tech 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.
🌇 2022 USGBC New Jersey Leadership Awards Gala & Holiday Party
When: Thu, December 1, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Where: Antique Loft, 33 Newark Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
This is our first Leadership Awards in 3 years! The 2022 USGBC New Jersey Leadership Awards Gala & Holiday Party will be held at the beautiful Antique Loft, a creative reuse in the heart of Hoboken, NJ, a LEED Gold City. This is a cocktail event geared towards networking and celebration, with limited seating available. An open bar, hors d'oeuvres, dinner, dessert and coffee will be served with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options available. Join us for speakers, the presentation of awards, and lots of quality facetime with fellow attendees.
🍻 First Friday Meetup
When: Fri, December 2, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Where: Blue & Gold Tavern, 79 E 7th St, New York, NY 10003, USA
Monthly happy hour for people who care about climate, tech, and building cool things!
⚡️ URBAN-X: A Night on Climate Innovation, Collaboration, and Action
When: Fri, Dec 2, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Newlab, 19 Morris Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11205
People worldwide are rallying behind the idea that collective action and collaboration can fix the climate crisis. Cities, by and large, have been leading the charge enabling activism, innovation, decarbonization and adaptation. At URBAN-X, we have been working with five new startups this year that aim to make cities more livable and equitable while reducing GHG emissions with effective and scalable solutions. Please join us for a night in celebration of this year’s success stories in climate entrepreneurship and to learn from behavioral scientist Dr. Sweta Chakraborty how we can continue to tackle the biggest challenge of our times.
⚖️ Citizens' Assembly Info Session: How NYC can Catalyze a Just Transition
When: Sat, December 3, 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Where: The People's Forum, 320 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
The current economic and political systems are laying waste to our planet and fracturing our social relationships at the same time. We need a plan to restart our economy in a way that is not only sustainable, but just. Our allies are fighting hard for a Green New Deal, and we applaud their dedication. But what would Extinction Rebellion’s “Green New Deal” look like? It would include the demand for a Citizens’ Assembly! Politics as usual is not working - we need something different. Learn how a Citizens’ Assembly is a mechanism for change - and how bottom-up participatory democracy can reclaim local politics.
🌊 World Water Film Festival Kickoff Event
When: Sat, December 3, 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM EST
Where: Anthology Film Archives, 32 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003
World Water Film Festival is an annual non-profit film festival started in 2022 under Founder and CEO Robert Strand. The festival focuses on uplifting stories about the human-water relationship to inspire equitable action. By combining art and activism, WWFF looks to a future with a strong relationship between filmmakers, organizations, and the human population in support of building sustainable and cleaner water resources. Organization updates can be found on their website worldwaterff.org and on their Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok pages @WorldWaterFF.
🎁 Sustainable Holiday Pop Up
When: Sat, December 3, 12:00 PM – Sun, December 4, 7:00 PM
Where: 1155 6th Ave, New York, NY 10036
Greeningfullife + NYC Fair Trade Coalition is excited to bring you The Sustainable Holiday Pop Up, an Eco-preneur centered market featuring diverse local impact driven makers, artists, and designers just steps off Times Square. Expect to discover cool food, fashion, beauty, health, wellness, cbd + home. We invite and empower you to make economic choices that are closer to home and better for the planet.
Join the Fun!
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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 1,500+ 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!