NY Climate Tech: Nov 7 - Nov 15
NY Climate Tech: Nov 7 - Nov 15
GO VOTE. That’s it. That’s the message.
Hi all,
Is it spring? Is it fall? Is it climate change? The weather fluctuations might have us confused, but we are squarely in November and the NY Climate Tech ecosystem is on fire! It was great to see so many of you gather for Converge on Climate this weekend and we’re excited to build on the momentum. One fun fact we learned: We need 3,000 Tesla sized innovations in 10 yrs to reduce 60 GT of emissions. Let’s get to it!
The headliner this week: GO VOTE. That’s it. That’s the message.
After you’re done filling out the ballot (and remember to flip it —> more on that below), get out to Sebastian Copeland’s book signing in Brooklyn or a hydroponics tour on the Upper West Side. On Wednesday, join NYC’s finest for a discussion on how to invest in our urban oceans or learn more about environmental law with the Women in Sustainability & Energy group. Affordable housing is on the ballot, and technologies to make it more sustainable are too — learn more at Cornell Tech on Friday. Head into the weekend with a co-creation workshop focused on social design and round out the week with happy hours with Bard’s Sustainability Group, the DER Task Force and the Alliance for Climate Change and the Environment.
By the end of the week, expect normal temperatures again. The vibes will be 10/10!
Cheers,
Alec and Sonam
Hot Take: Flip the Ballot and Flip the Script
ELECTION SEASON IS IN FULL SWING!!! If you haven’t voted yet, open this note on your iphone and read it on the way to your local polling place → find out where to go at vote.nyc.
On the ballot: your future!
The Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Act is on the back side of the ballot (reminder to turn it over as there are many more bubbles to fill!). The $4.2 billion initiative is the largest environmental protection investment in New York state’s history! The program would help us modernize our infrastructure - improving our water systems, investing in place-based neighborhood resiliency programs, improving public health, and mitigating our long term emissions. By definition, this is exactly what climate adaptation and mitigation should look like, protecting people and the planet.
Read the full rundown of the Clean Water and Jobs Act legislative briefing. Source: New Yorkers for Clean Water and Jobs
New York State has significant goals to reduce our fossil fuels per the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Yet, even though it's the most ambitious in the country, we’ve got a ways to go. This bond act will help us get there. Here’s a short list of all that’s at stake:
$650 million to clean our air with investments in new parks, street trees, and land conservation across the state to absorb pollution and reduce urban heat.
$650 million to improve our water quality, addressing everything from lead service lines to harmful algal blooms that threaten our drinking water.
$1.5 billion to reduce emissions, with funding to retrofit older buildings to use renewable energy for boilers and heating systems, electrify our school buses, and more.
$1.1 billion for flood risk reduction, finally spending money on preventing disasters rather than waiting for FEMA dollars for years on end after the fact.
Not only will 35% of the money be spent in disadvantaged communities that bear the brunt of environmental harms, the state would also receive significant matching sums from the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.
With all these upgrades, there will be over 100,000 new jobs across the state to get the wheels rolling! As we often say, every job is a climate job and there’s no better time to get on the bandwagon! Bonus points: it comes with a special rendition of the electric slide for our electric buses from our NY Climate Tech members Ben Furnas and Meisha Porter!
So get out there → flip the ballot, flip the script, and vote!
By Sonam Velani
Policy Action:
🗳 Vote!!! The governor’s race is close this year and your voice matters
👩🏻🎓 Support passage of a state bill protecting students from environmental pollution
🏞 Give your feedback on the Governors Island Climate Solutions Center
Events This Week:
🇦🇶 Exclusive Book Talk + Singing with Sebastian Copeland: Mon, November 7
💵 The Future of Sustainable Finance: Networking + HH: Mon, November 7
💡 Tour a NY Sun Works Hydroponic Classroom: Mon, November 7
🌊 Urban Ocean Stewardship: Wed, November 9
🏢 WISE: AMA with Sheppard Mullin’s Gail Suchman: Wed, November 9
⚡️ DER Task Force NYC Happy Hour: Wed, November 9
🏘 Affordable Housing Tech and Sustainable Innovation Communities: Fri, Nov 11
🍻 Alliance for Climate Change and the Environment HH: Fri, November 11
🤝 Afterthought: Co-creation: Sat, November 12
For the Early Birds:
🏞 Governors Island Climate Solutions Center Community Brief: Mon, Nov 14
👩💼 NYC Meetup for Advertising and PR Pros, with Clean Creatives: Tue, Nov 15
🍺 Green Drinks Brooklyn: Wed, Nov 16
⚡️ Cornell Energy Connection: Fri, Nov 18
✍️ Pratt Design Symposium: Designing for Sustainable Innovation: Wed, Nov 30
🇦🇶 Exclusive Book Talk + Singing with Sebastian Copeland
When: Mon, November 7, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM EST
Where: Chelsea Piers Fitness Brooklyn, 265 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Join us for an exclusive talk and book signing with polar explorer, climate analyst, photographer, Sebastian Copeland. Copeland was named one of the world's top 25 adventurers of the last 25 years, noted as a photographer “who has produced works that are of outstanding artistic merit and communicates messages of urgent global significance,” and has led numerous expeditions to document the endangered Polar regions, covering more than 6,000 miles on skis over the ice.
💵 The Future of Sustainable Finance: Networking + Happy Hour
When: Mon, November 7, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM EST
Where: 20 Jay Street #920, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Join us for remarks from Cary Krosinsky, author and Co-Founder of the Sustainable Finance Institute, and Dr. Eban Goodstein, Director of the MBA in Sustainability at Bard College, on the "Backlash to the Backlash."
💡 Tour a NY Sun Works Hydroponic Classroom
When: Mon, November 7, 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM EST
Where: P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children, 154 West 93rd Street, New York, NY 10025
With COP27 kicking off, we know that climate education is needed more than ever. Join us for a special event to see how NY Sun Works brings climate education through urban farming to nearly 85,000 students in NYC and NJ! Tour our hydroponic and aquaponic classroom at the Manhattan School for Children on the Upper West Side. Learn the various ways students are growing leafy greens, herbs, tomatoes, beans, zucchini and watermelon while also learning how to create a more sustainable future!
🌊 Urban Ocean Stewardship
When: Wed, November 9, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST
Where: Brooklyn Borough Hall, Community Room, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
What will it take to expand New York City's floating infrastructure for the development of ecologically sustainable water-borne uses around the coastal edge? Industry experts, academic and research institutions, and marine advocacy and nonprofit groups join city officials for an engaged analysis of the past and current state of affairs, and the prospects and strategies for the future of the blue/green economy on the city's coastal waters.
🏢 WISE: AMA with Sheppard Mullin’s Gail Suchman
When: Wed, November 9, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EST
Where: Online and Building Energy Exchange, 31 Chambers St #609, New York, NY 10007
Gail Suchman, a leading expert in environmental law and a partner in the Real Estate, Land Use and Environmental Practice Group at Sheppard Mullin, joins Building Energy Exchange for a conversation about her career and insights into the evolving field of environmental law. Hosted by the Women in Sustainability & Energy (WISE) series, this event welcomes attendees to participate in an engaged Q+A session and pose questions for Gail before and during the program.
⚡️ DER Task Force NYC Happy Hour
When: Wed, November 9, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM EST
Where: Urban Energy, 116 Ainslie Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Join us at Urban Energy's office for our monthly hang on the second Wednesday of each month. There isn't a reoccurring agenda, but we may have guests or topics to discuss for a particular events.
🏘 Affordable Housing Technologies and Sustainable Innovation Communities
When: Fri, Nov 11, 9:00 AM – Sat, Nov 12, 2:00 PM EST
Where: Verizon Executive Education Center, Cornell Tech 2 West Loop Road Room 225, New York, NY 10044
This Urban Thinkers Campus will showcase cutting-edge construction and other housing and community development technologies to create more affordable housing and sustainable communities, promote technological innovation in housing production by reducing costs and time, and address the challenging issue of climate change. This event will focus on a wide range of new technologies, materials, and methods, ranging from 3-D printing to wood and other bio-based components.
🍻 Alliance for Climate Change and the Environment Happy Hour
When: Fri, November 11, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM EST
Where: The Half Pint, 76 West 3rd Street, New York, NY 10012
The Alliance for Climate Change and Environment believes that climate change is the existential crisis of our time and that understanding the intersectionality of environmental policy and sustainability management is critically important to the development of public service professionals at NYU-Wagner, regardless of specialization. Join us for a special happy hour to network and share ideas!
🤝 Afterthought: Co-creation
When: Sat, November 12, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST
Where: 136 West 21st Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10011
Social Design is messy. Beyond the buzzwords, frameworks, charity, and “clarity”, what goes on behind the scenes of co-creation? Can co-creation be done without causing harm? Who really benefits from it? Can the intent to impact ratio be studied, measured, and refined to clearly articulate the consequences of co-design? What goes into a successful co-creation process? How do we elevate those who are experts via lived experience to equal authority as those who are experts via academic experience?
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 2,500+ 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!